Breathing exercise · 3 · 6
3-6 breathing for the end of the working day, when you have been on screens all day
Rounds of 3 · 6, with the counting done for you.
Follow the circle. It counts for you.
How it works
Take 3 counts to breathe in, and 6 to breathe out. Keep the out-breath unhurried. After a day of screens, the eyes and the shoulders need this first. Simple things first: contact, weight, temperature.
Why it can help
This ratio is used a lot before sleep, because a long exhale is what your breathing already does as you fall asleep.
The pattern, in seconds
| Phase | Length | Starts at |
|---|---|---|
| Inhale | 3s | 0s |
| Exhale | 6s | 3s |
One round is 9 seconds. At the default 6 rounds this practice runs 54 seconds — about a minute — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- when the day has been fine but you still feel braced
- at the start of a study session, to set the tone
- as a way to mark the end of the working day
Tips
- Do it with your shoulders still. The movement should be in your ribs and belly.
- Do it before you need it once, so that it is familiar when you do.
- Nothing is held here, so there is no moment where you are waiting for permission to breathe.
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 for the morning after, 4-8 breathing when the house is busy or Gentle box breath (3 · 3 · 3 · 3) for a stolen moment of caregiving, if you have done this a hundred times.