Wellbeing,
one breath at a time.

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Breathe, slowly.
Breathe, fully.

Shinkokyu is a tabletop object that reminds you to breathe—without a screen. Its gentle rise and fall invites you to pause, to inhale and to exhale. Deep breathing is not a performance. It is a return to your body to this moment. No alerts, no commands—just a quiet presence in your day.

From Operation
to Presence

Technology, when truly human-centred, becomes ambient. Rather than requiring action, Shinkokyu breathes alongside you. It moves gently at regular intervals, prompting you to breathe, not as a task, but as a moment to return to yourself. In a world where devices demand your attention, this one gives it back.

Just Breathe

Three Simple Steps

Step 1

Turn it on, once.
Step 2

Place it where you live, or work, or simply are.
Step 3

Let its motion guide your breath, not as instruction—but as invitation.

Voices

What They Felt

Better sleep begins
with breath.

Your breath is a quiet partner to your sleep. By taking just one minute each day to breathe deeply with Shinkokyu, you may notice something shift. Not only deeper rest at night—but sharper memory, clearer focus, and a more balanced day.

The Deeper Reason

Why Breath Matters

Breath is the one rhythm we live by without noticing. But it is also the one rhythm that can restore us—physically, mentally, emotionally. Even several minutes of deep, intentional breathing has been shown to:

Reduce stress
Improve
sleep quality
Enhance
concentration
Balance
the autonomic
nervous system
Strengthen
immune function

A symptom of our times.

Screen-induced breath holding.

When we fix our gaze on a screen—we often forget to breathe. The breath shortens, or sometimes, it stops altogether. This silent phenomenon is known as ‘screen apnea.’ Studies show that nearly 80% of computer users unconsciously hold their breath while working.
The consequences are stress, cognitive fatigue, loss of comprehension, emotional dysregulation. But there’s a remedy. Breathe—slowly and deeply, and the balance begins to return.

Linda Stone (2008), Just Breathe: Building the case for Email Apnea Huffpost.

Message For A Thoughtful Breath

From the beginning, my research has focused on the design of movement and empathy— how we, as humans, are subtly influenced by the motion of objects.
Over time, I began to notice something: a quiet sense of suffocation while staring at screens. Phones, laptops—tools serve us while they quietly deplete us.
This is where Shinkokyu began. It’s a breath, made visible. It’s a pause, woven into everyday life. I hope it will gently accompany you—and those you care for—offering moments of calm in a world that often asks us to rush.

Kensho Miyoshi, PhD

Designer & Researcher. After his degrees in Aeronautics and Astronautics at the University of Tokyo, he completed his PhD from the Royal College of Art, London with the Best Thesis Prize. Certified breathing instructor (Buteyko Clinic International). Author of ‘Designing Objects in Motion’ (Birkhäuser). Founded Shinkokyu, Ltd. in 2023.

Read on Shinkokyu Official Blog (in Japanese)

Collaborators

Supervision

Yuri Masaoka, PhD

Associate Professor, Showa Medical University

Breath is communication.

Breathing connects not only body and mind, but also people to one another. Research has shown that we unconsciously sync our breathing with those around us—mirroring emotions, tuning into unspoken thoughts. To breathe deeply is to relate deeply, and perhaps, to live more gently.

coming soon

Breath meets business.

Shinkokyu Solutions

We believe breathing is not just personal—it's foundational to how we live, work, and care. By integrating the rhythm of breath into your industry, let us co-create new forms of value.