Why it matters
Sharing a breathing exercise has always been awkward. You describe the pattern in plain language — 'four counts in, hold for four, out for four, hold for four' — and the other person tries to reconstruct it manually, making timing guesses and configuration errors along the way. Or you share a screenshot of your app's settings screen, which only helps people using the same app in the same language. BreathMAX's Shareable Pattern Codes eliminate all of that friction. A Pattern Code is a compact shortcode that losslessly encodes a complete breathing protocol — every phase type, every duration, and the round count — into a human-readable string like r6i4h4o4h4. That string contains everything: six rounds, inhale four seconds, hold four seconds, exhale four seconds, hold four seconds. Paste it into BreathMAX on any device, on any platform, in any of the twenty-plus supported languages, and the full pattern imports in one tap. No account required. No internet connection required. The shortcode format is language-agnostic by design, which means a practitioner in Tokyo can share a protocol with a client in São Paulo and both are practicing the identical pattern within seconds. Pattern Codes are the simplest possible way to distribute breathwork protocols at scale.
Inside the feature
The Pattern Code format uses a straightforward grammar: a letter prefix encodes the phase type, and the number that follows encodes the duration in seconds. The supported prefixes are r (rounds), i (inhale), h (hold — internal retention), o (exhale), and h at the end of a sequence (hold out — external suspension after exhale). This gives you full four-phase coverage in a minimal string.
Here are a few common protocols in Pattern Code format:
**Box Breathing (5 rounds):** r5i4h4o4h4 — five rounds of equal four-second phases.
**4-7-8 Relaxation (3 rounds):** r3i4h7o8 — three rounds without an external hold.
**Energizing 1:1 (8 rounds):** r8i5o5 — eight rounds of equal inhale and exhale, no holds.
**Extended Exhale (6 rounds):** r6i4h2o8h2 — six rounds with a dominant exhale.
Codes can be shared anywhere plain text is shared: SMS, email, social media bios, fitness app communities, coaching notes, clinical session summaries, podcast show notes. When a reader wants to try the protocol, they open BreathMAX, navigate to Custom Patterns, tap Import, paste the code, and confirm. The pattern appears immediately in their library with all phases and timings intact. From there it behaves exactly like any custom pattern they built themselves — it logs to statistics, counts toward their streak, can receive a custom background photo, and can be scheduled with Smart Reminders.
The Pattern Code system is also accessible via the BreathMAX web Pattern Designer at breathmax.app, where you can build a pattern visually and copy the resulting code to share without ever opening the mobile app. This makes it practical for coaches who build protocols at a desktop and distribute them to mobile clients.
For clinical and coaching contexts, Pattern Codes provide a standardized, reproducible format for breathwork prescriptions. A therapist treating a patient for anxiety can document the exact protocol as a Pattern Code in their session notes. The patient loads it directly into BreathMAX with zero interpretation errors. A sports coach building a pre-competition priming routine can share it with an entire team roster via a single text thread.
Pattern Codes work in both directions with the Custom Exercise Builder. Any pattern you build in the builder can be exported as a code. Any code you receive can be imported and then further edited in the builder. This means a base protocol can be shared and then individually refined by each recipient — the code is the starting point, not a locked-down prescription.
Because codes are entirely text-based and offline-capable, they work in environments where connectivity is limited or restricted. A climbing guide in a remote location can text a client a morning breathwork code before a summit day, and the client imports it on their phone with no cell signal required after the import is complete.
How to use it
To export a Pattern Code from a custom pattern you have built, open your pattern in the Custom Exercise Builder or your library, tap Share, and copy the generated code. To import a code someone has shared with you, open BreathMAX and tap Custom Patterns at the bottom of the home screen. Tap the Import button (the arrow icon in the top right corner). Paste or type the Pattern Code into the text field. Tap Confirm. The pattern appears immediately in your library with all phases and timings loaded. You can rename it, assign a background photo, and run it immediately or schedule it with Smart Reminders. To build a pattern and generate a code on the web, visit breathmax.app, open the Pattern Designer, configure your phases and rounds, and copy the code displayed below the visualizer.
