Breathing exercise · 4 · 4 · 4 · 4
Box breathing for Sunday evening, after a long day
4 · 4 · 4 · 4 breathing: four equal sides, like tracing a square.
Follow the circle. It counts for you.
How it works
In for 4, hold 4, out for 4, hold 4. The shape stays the same every round. Use it at the end of a long day, not at the start of one. Stay with what you can actually feel.
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 | 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
- when you are tired but cannot afford to be
- when you have five minutes and no idea where to start
- when you wake at 3am and the room feels too quiet
Tips
- Count in your head, or let the circle on this page count for you.
- Try the same pattern at a different time of day and see whether it feels different.
- 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 Soft 4-7-8 breathing for deep focus, when you want to finish something, 5-7 breath (5 · 7) for coming down after exercise, when you have woken up too early or 3-5-7 breathing — 3 · 5 · 7 — for deep focus, when the house is busy.