Breathing exercise · 4 · 4 · 4 · 4
Box breathing — 4 · 4 · 4 · 4 — for heated moments, if you have five quiet minutes
4 · 4 · 4 · 4 breathing: four equal sides, like tracing a square.
Follow the circle. It counts for you.
How it works
Breathe in for 4, hold for 4, out for 4, hold for 4. Picture tracing the sides of a square. That is the whole exercise. Five quiet minutes is enough. Ten is generous. Notice what's solid: the floor, the chair, your own weight.
Why it can help
The rhythm is deliberately unremarkable. Unremarkable is easier to keep up when your hands are shaking.
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 12 rounds this practice runs 192 seconds — about 3 minutes — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- in the car, parked, before you go inside
- on a train or a bus, with your bag on your lap
- after a long drive, to shake off the alertness
Tips
- A shorter pattern done consistently beats a longer one done once.
- The pauses should never feel like a competition. Shorten them if they do.
- 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 5-7 breathing exercise for the hours after people leave — if you are doing this in the middle of the day, How to use Coherent 5-5 breathing for the early months, on a day that started badly or 4-7-8 breathing for creative work, after a long day.