Breathing exercise · 4 · 2 · 6
4-2-6 breathing exercise for a ten-minute window — when you want to be left alone
Rounds of 4 · 2 · 6, with the counting done for you.
Follow the circle. It counts for you.
How it works
Take 4 counts to breathe in, hold for 2, and 6 to breathe out. Keep the out-breath unhurried. Nothing here asks anything of you socially. Start with what's physical. Everything else can wait.
Why it can help
The ratio slows the whole breath cycle without requiring you to breathe deeply.
The pattern, in seconds
| Phase | Length | Starts at |
|---|---|---|
| Inhale | 4s | 0s |
| Hold | 2s | 4s |
| Exhale | 6s | 6s |
One round is 12 seconds. At the default 6 rounds this practice runs 72 seconds — about 1 minute — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- just before you have to say something difficult
- while you are waiting for something to start
- before you open the email you have been avoiding
Tips
- Do it before you need it once, so that it is familiar when you do.
- Practising when you are calm makes it available when you are not.
- 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 4-8 breathing for a long wait, on a day that started badly, 4-8 breathing exercise for anxious moments — if you are tired of apps or Physiological sigh: 6 rounds for a long illness, when you want to be left alone.