Exhale emphasis is making the exhale longer than the inhale to encourage settling.
A common starting ratio is four in and six out. In 📝Breathwork that longer out-breath is the usual downshift. It is a dose choice, not a diagnosis, and not a guarantee of calm. If the long exhale collapses the person into fog, the out-breath shortens and the eyes open.
Clients feel the charge drop on the way out. Dizziness or panic means the exhale is too long or the inhale too small. Chest pain is a stop.