Breathing exercise · 4 · 7 · 8
4-7-8 breathing for heavy days
A 4 · 7 · 8 rhythm — 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. Long weeks are cumulative. This is a small subtraction. Nothing abstract for the next few minutes.
Why it can help
It is hard to stay braced against something while breathing out slowly. The two do not sit well together.
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 5 rounds this practice runs 95 seconds — about 1 minute — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- when you are tired but cannot afford to be
- when you cannot sleep and do not want to get up
- when you have read the same paragraph three times
Tips
- Sit upright. Your lungs work better when you are not folded in half.
- Two minutes done properly beats ten minutes done while checking your phone.
- 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 3-6 breath (3 · 6) for a hot day, 4-8 breath (4 · 8) for a noisy room or Soft 4-7-8 breathing.