Breathing exercise · 4 · 4 · 4 · 4
Box breath (4 · 4 · 4 · 4) for deep focus, when the house is busy
The pattern is 4 · 4 · 4 · 4, which is four equal sides, like tracing a square.
Follow the circle. It counts for you.
How it works
The pattern is a square — 4, 4, 4, 4 — and you trace it with your breath. It works with other people in the house. You do not need silence. We'll stay close to sensations rather than ideas.
Why it can help
The square gives you a way to notice when you have drifted: you lose count, and that tells you where your attention went.
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 5 rounds this practice runs 80 seconds — about 1 minute — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- in a hospital corridor, waiting for news
- when you cannot sleep and do not want to get up
- when the weather has been grey for a week
Tips
- Try the same pattern at a different time of day and see whether it feels different.
- If your mind wanders to counting the rounds left, that is normal. Come back to the numbers.
- Holding your breath is optional in every exercise here. You can always breathe through instead.
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 2-1-4 breathing exercise for creative work — when you feel restless rather than tired, Quick 2-1-2-1 breathing exercise for the commute — if you are fitting this around other people or 4-6 breathing for a noisy room, when you have been on screens all day.