Most apps want your attention. They lengthen sessions, gamify streaks, surface notifications, and turn what should be a quiet moment into one more feed to manage. We have been building software in that climate for years. By the time we started Nerva, we wanted to make the opposite kind of thing: an app that asks for as little as possible, then gets out of your way.
Nerva is a breathwork app. Eight techniques, one calming orb, no voiceover by default, no account to start. That is the entire surface area. We left out the meditations, the sleep stories, the music libraries, the social streaks — not because those things have no value, but because they are not what breathwork is. Breathwork is the practice of intentionally changing your breathing pattern. The interface should match that simplicity.
Why breathwork, why now
The research community has spent the past decade taking breath practices more seriously. Patterns that once lived only inside yoga manuals are now studied in published, peer-reviewed journals. Cyclic sighing has been studied for mood. Box breathing is taught to people in high-pressure professions. 4-7-8 is recommended in popular medicine. The work is early — replications are still landing, sample sizes are modest — but the direction is clear: a few minutes of intentional breathing, done daily, may help many people settle.
What did not exist, in our view, was a tool that respected the practice. Most breathwork apps were either thin features bolted onto larger meditation platforms, or pseudo-medical apps that overpromised. We wanted something quieter — something that treats you as a thoughtful adult who already knows that calm is not an emergency.
The design brief
We wrote down four rules early on and held to them:
- One orb, no voice. A breathing pattern is mostly rhythm. A pulsing visual orb gives you that rhythm with no chatter. You can turn audio on if you want it. The default is silence.
- Eight techniques, not eighty. A small library you can actually learn beats a giant one you scroll past. Eight covers calming, focusing, energizing, and sleep — enough range without overwhelm.
- No account. Open the app, breathe, close the app. Your data lives on your device. We do not need it.
- Soft language. "Many people find it settling." Not "lowers cortisol." We are not a clinic.
What we left out, on purpose
No streaks shown by default. No push notifications nagging you to come back. No leaderboards, no social, no AI coach. There is a simple year heatmap if you want to see your practice over time, but it is one tap away — not the home screen.
We also left out the medical voice. Nerva will never tell you it treats anxiety, lowers cortisol, or improves heart-rate variability. Some of those claims may turn out to be true at population scale — research is ongoing — but a wellness app is not the place to make them. The honest version is shorter: many people find a few minutes of intentional breathing helpful. If you have a health condition, talk to a clinician before starting any new practice.
The orb
The orb is the part we have spent the most time on. It expands as you inhale, holds steady on the holds, contracts on the exhale. The animation is timed to the second of whichever technique you have selected. It is the entire interface during a session — no progress bar, no number ticking down, no encouragement, no fireworks at the end. You breathe with it until you do not need it anymore.
The visual design borrows from a long tradition: a single glowing form, watched in silence. Vipassana candle gazing, Sufi whirling tents, the singular point in pranayama. We are not claiming a lineage. We are saying that humans have always found something useful in watching one quiet thing.
What's next
This journal exists because techniques are easier to use when you understand them. Over the next few weeks we will publish eight short essays — one for each technique in the app — plus a longer piece on the research landscape. Each one will be in English and Russian. Each one will end with the same disclaimer, because honesty is the most calming feature we can ship.
Thank you for trying Nerva. We hope it earns a small, quiet corner of your day.
— Alif, byAlif
Frequently asked
Why is Nerva free?
During launch, every technique is free. We will add an optional tip jar later via Apple In-App Purchase. There is no subscription planned.
Do I need an account?
No. The app works fully offline and stores your data on your device only. No login, no sync (yet).
Is byAlif a medical company?
No. byAlif is an independent indie studio in Lisbon. Nerva is a wellness app, not a medical device.
Will you add more techniques?
Possibly, but slowly. We would rather make eight excellent practices than forty mediocre ones.
Who is behind Nerva?
Alif Khandoker, an independent developer behind apps like SubTracker, FixLog, and VoicePrice. Nerva is his quietest project to date.
Not a medical device. Not medical advice. Consult a qualified clinician before using breathwork if you have a health condition.