Meditation Timer Online: gong, bells and a breathing guide

The short answer

A meditation timer online lets you sit without watching the clock: pick a length such as 10 or 20 minutes, choose a gong, singing bowl or chime and press start. Add an interval bell every minute or every few minutes, and a quiet rain or ocean sound if silence feels hard. A breathing guide is built in. Short daily sessions matter more than long ones.

How to use a meditation timer

Choose a length you can keep every day, press Start and put the phone down: the first bell starts the sit and the last bell ends it, so you never check the clock. Five minutes is a good first length. Add an interval bell only if you want a reminder to come back to the breath.

1. Pick a length. 3 to 5 minutes for the first week. Custom goes from 1 to 120 minutes.
2. Choose the bells. Singing bowl, gong, soft chime or wood block at the start and end; an optional interval bell every minute, every 2, 3, 5, 10 or 15 minutes, or at a custom interval.
3. Add a background sound if silence feels hard. Rain, ocean waves, brown noise or a soft drone fade in when the timer starts and fade out at the end.
4. Keep the 10-second settle-in. It gives you time to sit down and close your eyes before the first bell.
5. Press Start, then Dim screen. The page turns black and keeps the screen awake where the browser allows it.
6. Rest your attention on the breath. When your mind wanders, notice it and come back. Each return is the practice, not a failure.
7. At the last bell, pause before you get up. Your session and streak are saved in this browser.

Gong, bells and background sounds

Every sound is made in your browser, so the timer works without downloads. A gong suits longer sits because its deep tone swells and fades over about 10 seconds. A singing bowl is warm and clear, a soft chime is light, and a wood block is a short tick that marks intervals without breaking your focus. With the gong, interval marks use a softer, shorter stroke.

Many people prefer calm background sounds such as rain or ocean waves instead of music, because there is no melody or lyrics to follow. Keep the volume low: you should still hear the bells clearly.

How long should you meditate?

Daily practice counts for more than long sessions. See how long to meditate as a beginner, what to do when your mind wanders and the best time of day to meditate.

Breathing patterns in the guide

Switch to Breathing guide above and follow the shape: it grows while you breathe in, stays full while you hold and shrinks while you breathe out. Each pattern is a fixed count, so you can also use it without the screen once you know it.

Box breathing

Box breathing is four equal counts: breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 4, breathe out for 4 and hold for 4, then repeat. One breath takes 16 seconds, like tracing the four sides of a square. Start with 1 to 5 minutes and shorten the counts to 3 if the holds feel strained.

In a 2023 randomized study, 108 adults practiced 5 minutes a day for a month of box breathing, cyclic sighing, cyclic hyperventilation or mindfulness meditation. The breathing groups improved mood more than the meditation group, with the largest gain for cyclic sighing (a long exhale), so the study does not show that box breathing is the best choice. Try box breathing

4-7-8 breathing

4-7-8 breathing means breathing in quietly through the nose for 4 counts, holding for 7 and breathing out through the mouth with a whoosh for 8. Physician Andrew Weil, who popularized it, suggests four breaths at a time and no more than four for the first month. The guide stops after four breaths by default.

Evidence is thin. In one small study of 43 healthy young adults, heart rate and systolic blood pressure were lower right after three short sets of 4-7-8 breathing. That does not show longer-term effects. The 7-count hold can make you lightheaded at first: if it does, stop or use shorter custom counts such as 2-3.5-4, which keep the same shape. Try 4-7-8 breathing

Paced breathing: about 6 breaths a minute

Paced breathing, also called resonance or coherent breathing, is slow, even breathing with no holds. The guide uses 5.5 seconds in and 5.5 seconds out, about 5.5 breaths a minute. Heart rate rises and falls most with the breath at around 6 breaths a minute in most people, although the exact rate varies from person to person. Try paced breathing

What the research says about slow breathing

• Stress: a 2023 meta-analysis of 12 randomized trials with 785 adults found breathwork linked to lower self-reported stress than control conditions, a small-to-medium effect. The authors warn that most studies had a moderate risk of bias.
• Slow breathing: a 2018 systematic review of 15 studies linked breathing under 10 breaths a minute with higher heart rate variability and more reported relaxation, but the studies were small and used different methods.
• What it is not: breathing exercises are not a treatment for anxiety, panic, high blood pressure or sleep problems. See a health professional for those.

New to sitting still? Read how to meditate for beginners at home. Need a timer for work or study instead? Try the Pomodoro timer, or a plain online countdown timer without bells.

Make it a daily habit

A timer helps you sit; a routine helps you come back tomorrow. The 30-day meditation plan for beginners adds one small step a day, and you can build a meditation plan around your own day.

Frequently asked questions

What is box breathing?

Box breathing is breathing in for 4 seconds, holding for 4, breathing out for 4 and holding for 4, then repeating. One breath takes 16 seconds. Open the breathing guide, choose Box and follow the shape for 1 to 5 minutes.

How do you do 4-7-8 breathing?

Breathe in quietly through your nose for 4 counts, hold for 7 and breathe out through your mouth for 8. Andrew Weil, who popularized it, suggests four breaths at a time for the first month. The guide stops after four breaths by default.

What is paced or coherent breathing?

Slow, even breathing without holds, usually around 5 to 6 breaths a minute. The guide uses 5.5 seconds in and 5.5 seconds out. Heart rate follows the breath most strongly at about 6 breaths a minute in most people.

What if I feel dizzy during a breathing exercise?

Stop and breathe normally. Long holds can make you lightheaded, especially at first. Try shorter custom counts, and ask a health professional before practicing breath holds if you are pregnant or have a heart or lung condition.

How long should a beginner meditate?

Start with 3 to 5 minutes a day. In one study of adults who meditated on their own, how often they practiced mattered more than session length, so a short daily sit is a good place to begin.

Should I choose a gong or a singing bowl?

Choose the gong for a deep, slow sound that swells and fades over about 10 seconds; it suits longer sits of 20 minutes or more. Choose the singing bowl for a warmer, shorter tone in everyday 5 to 20 minute sessions. Both are made in your browser, with no downloads.

Can the timer ring a bell every minute?

Yes. Set Interval bell to Every minute, or every 2, 3, 5, 10 or 15 minutes, or choose Custom for any interval from 1 to 60 minutes. Interval bells are quieter than the start and end bells. The wood block makes a short tick that works well for a bell every minute.

What are interval bells for?

A soft chime every few minutes can bring your attention back if it has drifted, or mark a change, such as moving from the breath to a body scan. Leave them off if they feel distracting.

Can I meditate with music or rain sounds?

Yes. Choose a background sound: rain, ocean waves, brown noise or a soft drone. It fades in when the timer starts, fades out at the end and stays quieter than the bells. Many people find calm background sounds easier than music, because there is no melody or lyrics to follow.

How do I meditate without looking at my phone?

Press Start, then Dim screen, and put the phone face down or out of reach. The bells mark the start, the intervals and the end, so you never need to check the time. The screen turns black and stays awake where the browser allows it.

Will the timer work with my screen off?

Not reliably. Many phones pause web pages and their sound, including the bells and background sounds, when the screen locks. Keep the page open: the timer keeps the screen awake where the browser supports it, and Dim screen turns the page black so the light does not distract you. On iPhone, turn off silent mode to hear sounds.

Can I use the breathing guide full screen?

Yes. Press Full screen, or the F key, to show only the moving shape, the phase and the count. Press Exit or Esc to go back. If your device is set to reduce motion, the guide shows words and counts without the moving shape.

Does the timer remember my settings and sessions?

Yes, in this browser only. It remembers your last length and bells, and counts each finished session to show today's total and your streak of days in a row. Nothing is sent to our server.

Is it normal for my mind to wander?

Yes. Noticing that your mind has wandered and gently coming back is the practice itself, not a sign of failure.

Is meditation safe for everyone?

It is usually low risk, but some people find it brings up difficult feelings. Stop if it feels distressing, and talk to a health professional if you have a mental health condition.

Sources and evidence

1. Basso et al. (2019): Brief, daily meditation in non-experienced meditators — 13 minutes of daily guided meditation improved mood and some attention measures after 8 weeks, but not after 4.
2. Bowles and Van Dam (2025): Dose-response effects of reported meditation practice — How often people practiced predicted outcomes more strongly than how long each session was.
3. NCCIH (2022): Meditation and mindfulness, effectiveness and safety — Meditation is usually low risk, but it should not replace conventional care.
4. Balban et al. (2023): Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal — 108 adults did 5 minutes a day for a month of cyclic sighing, box breathing, cyclic hyperventilation or mindfulness meditation; breathwork, especially exhale-focused cyclic sighing, improved mood more than meditation.
5. Fincham et al. (2023): Effect of breathwork on stress and mental health, a meta-analysis of randomised-controlled trials — Across 12 trials with 785 adults, breathwork was linked to lower self-reported stress than controls (small-to-medium effect); most studies had a moderate risk of bias.
6. Zaccaro et al. (2018): How breath-control can change your life, a systematic review on slow breathing — Across 15 studies, breathing under 10 breaths a minute went with higher heart rate variability and more reported relaxation; studies were small and varied.
7. Lehrer and Gevirtz (2014): Heart rate variability biofeedback, how and why does it work? — Most studies find the largest heart rate oscillations when breathing at about 0.1 Hz (six breaths a minute); the exact rate varies between people.
8. Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine: 4-7-8 Breath — Inhale through the nose for 4, hold for 7, exhale through the mouth for 8; four breaths at a time and no more than four for the first month; brief lightheadedness can happen at first.
9. Vierra et al. (2022): Effects of sleep deprivation and 4-7-8 breathing control — In 43 healthy young adults, heart rate and systolic blood pressure were lower right after three sets of six 4-7-8 breaths.