Breathing exercise · 3 · 5 · 7
3-5-7 breathing — 3 · 5 · 7 — for a hard conversation, if you are fitting this around other people
A a staircase down: three, five, seven pattern, counted for you on screen.
Follow the circle. It counts for you.
How it works
In for 3, hold for 5, out for 7. The exhale is longer than the inhale — that is the entire instruction. It is designed to fit around other people’s schedules. Simple things first: contact, weight, temperature.
Why it can help
Doubling the exhale changes the ratio your body uses to decide how safe it is.
The pattern, in seconds
| Phase | Length | Starts at |
|---|---|---|
| Inhale | 3s | 0s |
| Hold | 5s | 3s |
| Exhale | 7s | 8s |
One round is 15 seconds. At the default 4 rounds this practice runs 60 seconds — about 1 minute — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- when someone has annoyed you and you need to not react
- when the weather has been grey for a week
- on a train or a bus, with your bag on your lap
Tips
- Stop after a few rounds if you feel dizzy, and breathe normally for a minute.
- Count in your head, or let the circle on this page count for you.
- Holding your breath is optional in every exercise here. You can always breathe through instead.
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 Quick 2-1-2-1 breathing — 2 · 1 · 2 · 1 — for the end of the working day, when you cannot concentrate on anything else, 3-5-7 breathing exercise for a ten-minute window — if you are sceptical about all of this or Soft 4-7-8 breathing for the end of the working day, when the day has been loud.