Breathing exercise · 2 · 1 · 4
2-1-4 breathing: 12 rounds for Friday evening, when the weather has kept you inside
Simple counts — 2 · 1 · 4 — and a circle that keeps time.
Follow the circle. It counts for you.
How it works
In for 2, hold for 1, out for 4. The exhale is longer than the inhale — that is the entire instruction. Bad weather is a decent excuse to stay in and do this. Stay with what you can actually feel.
Why it can help
Most people find the out-breath easier to lengthen than the in-breath. This uses that.
The pattern, in seconds
| Phase | Length | Starts at |
|---|---|---|
| Inhale | 2s | 0s |
| Hold | 1s | 2s |
| Exhale | 4s | 3s |
One round is 7 seconds. At the default 12 rounds this practice runs 84 seconds — about 1 minute — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- before you open the email you have been avoiding
- when you cannot sleep and do not want to get up
- while you are waiting for something to start
Tips
- You can do this with your eyes open. Nothing here requires privacy.
- Notice which part of the breath feels tight, and reduce that count first.
- A hold should feel like a pause, not like running out of air.
Please note
If holding your breath makes you dizzy or uncomfortable, skip the holds entirely and breathe slowly and evenly instead. Never push through lightheadedness. If you are pregnant, or manage a heart, blood pressure or lung condition, check with a doctor before doing breath holds.
If this rhythm does not suit you, try How to use Coherent 5-5 breathing for a break at work, when nothing else has worked today, 4-2-6 breathing — 4 · 2 · 6 — for the middle of the night, if you have done this a hundred times or 4-2-6 breathing: 6 rounds for the early months, when you have just finished work.