FROM ON → OFF
Downshift
Downshift is for winding down completely. The exhale is twice the inhale, which progressively lowers your heart rate and signals safety to your nervous system.
Minimum Effective Dose
2 min
Minimum session: 3 min. Breath cycle: 12s per round.
Breath pattern
4s in→8s out
4 seconds in, 8 seconds out
When to use it
Use before sleep, after a long day, or when you need to fully switch off.
The science
The 1:2 inhale-to-exhale ratio is the classic parasympathetic breathing pattern. Each extended exhale stimulates the vagus nerve, progressively lowering heart rate and blood pressure. Deep parasympathetic deactivation requires at least 10 full cycles (120 seconds).
Other Shift modes
Pair with movement
Combine breathwork with mobility or bodyweight training.