Breathing exercise · 4 · 4 · 4 · 4
Box breath (4 · 4 · 4 · 4) for a hard week, when you need to stop thinking about work
4 · 4 · 4 · 4 breathing: four equal sides, like tracing a square.
Follow the circle. It counts for you.
How it works
Count to 4 on the way in, 4 at the top, 4 on the way out, 4 at the bottom. Repeat. Work thoughts are allowed to be there. They just do not get to drive. Stay with what you can actually feel.
Why it can help
The equal sides keep your breathing from drifting into the shallow, fast pattern that stress tends to produce.
The pattern, in seconds
| Phase | Length | Starts at |
|---|---|---|
| Inhale | 4s | 0s |
| Hold | 4s | 4s |
| Exhale | 4s | 8s |
| Hold again | 4s | 12s |
One round is 16 seconds. At the default 10 rounds this practice runs 160 seconds — about 2 minutes — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- when you wake at 3am and the room feels too quiet
- before you walk into a room full of people
- when someone has annoyed you and you need to not react
Tips
- Aim for something you could keep up in a waiting room without anyone noticing.
- Notice which part of the breath feels tight, and reduce that count first.
- 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 How to use Gentle box breathing for coming down after exercise, when you are not sure this will work, Gentle box breathing exercise for a reset — if you are doing this in the middle of the day or Beginner box breathing exercise for a break at work — when nothing else has worked today.