Breathing exercise · 4 · 4
Coherent 4-4 breathing for a noisy room, after a difficult conversation
A 4 · 4 rhythm — four and four, if five feels like a stretch.
Follow the circle. It counts for you.
How it works
Breathe in for 4 seconds, out for 4 seconds. Same speed both ways, no pauses. Difficult conversations leave a residue. This is for the residue. Nothing abstract for the next few minutes.
Why it can help
At about six breaths a minute, the changes in heart rate and breathing tend to line up. That alignment is the whole idea.
The pattern, in seconds
| Phase | Length | Starts at |
|---|---|---|
| Inhale | 4s | 0s |
| Exhale | 4s | 4s |
One round is 8 seconds. At the default 8 rounds this practice runs 64 seconds — about 1 minute — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- in the minutes before an appointment you are dreading
- before a presentation, in the corridor
- when you have five minutes and no idea where to start
Tips
- Keep your feet flat on the floor. It helps more than it sounds like it should.
- If you have a cold or a blocked nose, skip the holds and breathe through your mouth.
- Nothing is held here, so there is no moment where you are waiting for permission to breathe.
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 Coherent 6-6 breath (6 · 6) for jet lag, if you are tired of apps, How to use Box breathing for a hot day, when you only have a few minutes or Slow box breathing — 5 · 5 · 5 · 5 — for coming down after exercise, if you are new to this.