Breathing exercise · 4 · 4
Coherent 4-4 breathing: 4 rounds for a noisy room, when you cannot concentrate on anything else
A 4 · 4 rhythm — four and four, if five feels like a stretch.
Follow the circle. It counts for you.
How it works
In for 4, out for 4, with nothing held in between. Repeat for as long as you have. When concentration is gone, work with what is left. We'll stay close to sensations rather than ideas.
Why it can help
No holds means no urge to gasp, which makes it the easiest version to do in public.
The pattern, in seconds
| Phase | Length | Starts at |
|---|---|---|
| Inhale | 4s | 0s |
| Exhale | 4s | 4s |
One round is 8 seconds. At the default 4 rounds this practice runs 32 seconds — about a minute — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- as a way to mark the end of the working day
- after an argument, before you decide what to say next
- when the afternoon has gone flat
Tips
- You can do this with your eyes open. Nothing here requires privacy.
- If your mind wanders to counting the rounds left, that is normal. Come back to the numbers.
- There are no holds in this one, which makes it a good choice if breath-holding makes you anxious.
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 Physiological sigh for a cold morning, when you cannot concentrate on anything else, Quick 2-1-2-1 breathing — 2 · 1 · 2 · 1 — for deep focus, when you are cold and want to be warm or 5-7 breathing — 5 · 7 — for exam nerves, when you need to stop thinking about work.