Breathing exercise · 2 · 2 · 2 · 2
Beginner box breathing: 8 rounds for Sunday evening, when you are somewhere unfamiliar
The pattern is 2 · 2 · 2 · 2, which is the easiest version of the square.
Follow the circle. It counts for you.
How it works
The pattern is a square — 2, 2, 2, 2 — and you trace it with your breath. It travels well. Hotels, spare rooms, other people’s sofas. Let the physical world hold your attention.
Why it can help
Nothing here depends on you relaxing. You can be tense the whole way through and the pattern still works.
The pattern, in seconds
| Phase | Length | Starts at |
|---|---|---|
| Inhale | 2s | 0s |
| Hold | 2s | 2s |
| Exhale | 2s | 4s |
| Hold again | 2s | 6s |
One round is 8 seconds. At the default 8 rounds this practice runs 64 seconds — about 1 minute — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- when the afternoon has gone flat
- in the two minutes after a difficult phone call
- as a way to mark the end of the working day
Tips
- Do the last round slightly smaller than the others. It makes stopping easier.
- Practising when you are calm makes it available when you are not.
- Never push through a hold. Coming out of it early is always the right call.
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 breath (5 · 5 · 5 · 5) for a long illness, before you go back to something hard, Physiological sigh exercise for coming down after exercise — when your attention is scattered or 3-6 breathing — 3 · 6 — for heated moments, when you have woken up too early.