Five short exercises for your mind — from 2 to 8 minutes. And a detective that looks for the cause when you feel low.
Three things the app keeps track of for you. The sources are listed at the bottom of the page.
Each exercise guides you step by step — for breathing, a circle breathes with you. Afterwards it logs itself.
Duration in the app
A long press on an exercise shows how it works and why — with a source.
One circle shows today's minutes against your daily goal, the other how many days in a row you've practised.
Example: 27 of 28 days practised — a 27-day streak.
If you log a low mood in the afternoon (12 to 6 pm), the app looks through your entries for possible causes.
If it finds nothing, it asks: skipped lunch, hardly outside, sat a lot? It only names a pattern once it shows up on several days.
A review of 15 studies found more heart rate variability and fewer signs of tension with slow breathing.3 In a randomised study, 5 minutes a day for a month improved mood.4
The app hasn't checked its own study on focus through box breathing — and it tells you so.
An analysis of 47 studies with 3515 people found this evidence for mindfulness programmes:1
How well supported?
Mindfulness is a good addition, not a replacement for treatment. If low mood persists, talk to your doctor or a counselling service.
In randomised studies, people who wrote down things they were grateful for showed more wellbeing on some measures — most consistently in positive feelings.5
Small and specific is enough: the morning coffee counts.
If you log your mood from 1 to 5, the app compares days with practice and days without — over 28 days.
It only compares once there are at least 3 days on each side. A difference is a hint, not a cause.
Each exercise has its own image, instructions and the reason why it may help.
~4 minBreathe in through your nose for 4 seconds, hold for 7, breathe out audibly for 8. Slow breathing with a long exhale can help ease tension.3
~5 minFour equal steps of 4 seconds: breathe in, hold, breathe out, hold. For moments when you want to focus.
~8 minSit or lie comfortably and slowly move your attention through your body. Guided, step by step.
2 minWrite down three things you are grateful for today — small ones are fine. In randomised studies, people who wrote down what they were grateful for showed more well-being on some measures.5
3 minAnswer an evening question in two or three sentences — no pressure. Writing things down helps some people sort their thoughts.
The app already calculates these connections today. A connection is not a cause — but it shows you where to look.
A breathing exercise from the Stress area counts here too. From 10 shared days, a scatter plot puts practice and stress side by side.
A scatter plot shows how mood and sleep are connected. When your mood is low, the sleep detective takes a look too.
If you drank less than 35 % of your hydration goal before the low, the mood detective names it as a possible reason.
Over 900 kcal in the 4 hours before a low is named by the mood detective as a possible reason.
A review of 47 trials with 3,515 people found that mindfulness programmes improve anxiety, low mood and pain by small to moderate amounts with moderate strength of evidence. For stress and quality of life the strength of evidence is low.1
In older adults (average age 66) with sleep problems, a 6-week mindfulness programme improved the sleep score by 1.8 points more than sleep hygiene education.2
The review found no evidence that meditation programmes work better than other active treatments such as drugs, exercise or behavioural therapy. They are a good addition, not a replacement.1
A new article every Friday.
Mindset & Mental · MindfulnessMeditation & the brain: what 8 weeks of mindfulness changeMindfulness is more than a wellness trend: measurable changes in the brain and stress experience can appear after just a few weeks. What the research shows – and how to get started.Read more
Mindset · Learning & DevelopmentGrowth Mindset: Carol Dweck's Research and the Power of the Right AttitudeWhether you believe your abilities are innate and fixed, or changeable through effort — this demonstrably affects how you deal with challenges, what you learn, and how you respond to setbacks. What Carol Dweck's research shows and what follows from it.Read more
Mindset · Positive PsychologyGratitude & Well-being: What the Research Actually Shows"Count your blessings" sounds like yesterday's advice — but gratitude practices are backed by solid research. What actually happens when you regularly write down what you're grateful for.Read moreEvery statement comes with its source; the figures are taken from the linked studies and opinions (checked on 1 November 2026). This is context from the research, not a diagnosis and no substitute for medical advice.
Get YUTHI from the App Store — iPhone first, from November 2026.
