Breathing exercise · 4 · 7 · 8
4-7-8 breathing — 4 · 7 · 8 — for coming down after exercise, before you go back to something hard
Simple counts — 4 · 7 · 8 — and a circle that keeps time.
Follow the circle. It counts for you.
How it works
Breathe in for 4, hold for 7, then let the breath go for 8 counts. Five minutes here is cheaper than an hour of grinding. The body is the most reliable place to begin.
Why it can help
The extra seconds on the way out give your body a longer signal that nothing is chasing you.
The pattern, in seconds
| Phase | Length | Starts at |
|---|---|---|
| Inhale | 4s | 0s |
| Hold | 7s | 4s |
| Exhale | 8s | 11s |
One round is 19 seconds. At the default 6 rounds this practice runs 114 seconds — about 1 minute — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- when you wake at 3am and the room feels too quiet
- in the two minutes after a difficult phone call
- in the minutes before an appointment you are dreading
Tips
- If your mind wanders to counting the rounds left, that is normal. Come back to the numbers.
- Do it before you need it once, so that it is familiar when you do.
- 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 Slow box breathing — 5 · 5 · 5 · 5 — for the commute, when you have more time than usual, 7-11 breathing exercise for a long illness — on a day that started badly or 5-2-7 breathing exercise for the morning after — when you are somewhere noisy.