.jpg)
How your body’s natural rhythm creates calm.
Every oscillating system has a frequency where it operates most efficiently. For the human body, that frequency can be found in the rhythm of the breath. When we breathe at a pace of roughly 4.5 to 6.5 breaths per minute, the heart, lungs, and blood-pressure waves begin to move together in synchrony. This phenomenon—known as resonance breathing—has been studied for more than three decades.
It isn’t a performance practice like free-diving breath holds, nor a borrowed ideology from contemplative traditions such as Zen meditation. It’s an emergent property of human physiology, a rhythm already built into the body. With practice—and the right feedback—this resonance, sometimes referred to as coherence, can be observed directly in cardiovascular data.
In physics, resonance describes what happens when oscillations align in timing. Push a swing at the right moment and the motion amplifies with minimal effort. The same principle applies within the body.
Each breath, heartbeat, and pulse wave follows its own rhythm. When those rhythms fall into phase—each crest reinforcing the next—the system becomes more stable and efficient. Heart-rate variability (HRV) increases, and the typically irregular pattern of heartbeats forms a smooth, sinusoidal wave.
This synchrony can be seen in data. A tachogram recorded during resonance breathing shows large, regular oscillations in HRV amplitude. What sounds theoretical is measurable and repeatable under controlled conditions with the proper tools.
The modern study of resonance breathing stems largely from the work of Paul Lehrer, Evgeny Vaschillo, and Richard Gevirtz, who began exploring HRV biofeedback in the 1990s. Their research demonstrated that breathing at the resonance frequency produces the strongest oscillations in heart rate, the highest coherence between cardiac and respiratory rhythms, and the greatest activation of the baroreflex—the body’s pressure-regulation mechanism (Lehrer et al., 2000; Vaschillo et al., 2011).
The baroreflex acts as an internal stabilizer. When blood pressure rises, stretch-sensitive receptors in the arteries signal the brain to slow the heart; when it falls, they prompt the opposite response. Breathing at resonance frequency strengthens this feedback loop, improving the precision and sensitivity of cardiovascular control.
Each slow breath becomes a light exercise for this reflex—training the system to respond with greater accuracy and less strain.
During resonance breathing, the heart and breath settle into a slow, predictable rhythm. Heart rate rises on the inhale and falls on the exhale, tracing a continuous wave with wide, even arcs. The parasympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system takes the lead, and physiological variability expands.
People often describe the sensation as quiet steadiness rather than overt calm. The pulse feels slower, the breathing effortless. Thoughts may quiet, not through deliberate control, but because the body’s underlying signals of safety have re-emerged.
This shift begins in the body and spreads outward through the nervous system. It doesn’t require focus or belief—only participation in the rhythm.
Most adults reach their strongest resonance near six breaths per minute, though the exact rate varies. It depends on factors such as height, age, lung capacity, and cardiovascular elasticity.
The optimal rate can be identified by measuring HRV amplitude at several breathing speeds and noting where the largest oscillations occur. That point—where respiration and baroreflex are perfectly in phase—represents maximal efficiency.
Ohm’s technology is built on this principle. By monitoring live feedback from the heart’s rhythm, it determines each user’s resonance rate and adapts in real time, guiding the breath to the pace that produces measurable coherence within their own physiology.
Across two decades of research, resonance breathing has been shown to enhance multiple markers of autonomic health. Studies report increases in HRV amplitude, stronger vagal tone, and greater baroreflex sensitivity (Lehrer & Gevirtz, 2014). Clinical applications include reductions in blood pressure, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, along with improved emotional regulation, cognitive performance, and sleep quality (Lehrer et al., 2020; Goessl et al., 2017).
The effects compound with practice. Just a few minutes of daily training can recalibrate autonomic balance, supporting steadier physiology both during and beyond the session. The method is simple, quantifiable, and supported by established mechanisms.
Resonance breathing is easy to do because it’s the body returning to its own tempo. It aligns the mechanical rhythms of breath, heart, and circulation, allowing the nervous system to operate at peak stability.
This capacity is innate. With repetition, the pattern strengthens, and the physiological and emotional effects compound with time.
Lehrer, P.M., Vaschillo, E., & Vaschillo, B. (2000). Resonant frequency biofeedback training to increase cardiac variability. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback.
Vaschillo, E., Vaschillo, B., & Lehrer, P.M. (2011). Characteristics of resonance in heart rate variability stimulated by biofeedback. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback.
Lehrer, P.M., & Gevirtz, R. (2014). Heart rate variability biofeedback: How and why does it work? Frontiers in Psychology.
Lehrer, P.M. et al. (2020). Cardiorespiratory biofeedback: Mechanisms of action and clinical outcomes. Biofeedback.
Goessl, V.C., Ehlers, A., & Baharloo, L. (2017). A meta-analysis of heart rate variability biofeedback and health outcomes. Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback.
