Breathing exercise · 4 · 7 · 8
4-7-8 breathing for a ten-minute window, when you have been on screens all day
The pattern is 4 · 7 · 8, which is in for four, hold for seven, out for eight.
Follow the circle. It counts for you.
How it works
Take 4 counts to breathe in, hold for 7, and 8 to breathe out. Keep the out-breath unhurried. After a day of screens, the eyes and the shoulders need this first. Notice what's solid: the floor, the chair, your own weight.
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 | 4s | 0s |
| Hold | 7s | 4s |
| Exhale | 8s | 11s |
One round is 19 seconds. At the default 4 rounds this practice runs 76 seconds — about 1 minute — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- when you notice your shoulders are up near your ears
- when someone has annoyed you and you need to not react
- when you are the only person awake in the house
Tips
- Count in your head, or let the circle on this page count for you.
- Try it lying down with your knees bent if sitting upright feels like effort.
- If holding for the full count feels tight, drop every number by one. The shape matters more than the size.
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 a hard week, before something difficult, How to use Box breathing for a reset, when you are waiting for something or How to use Tight box breathing for a lonely evening, when you are somewhere unfamiliar.