Breathing exercise · 4 · 4
Coherent 4-4 breathing for the early months, when you are waiting for something
The pattern is 4 · 4, which is four and four, if five feels like a stretch.
Follow the circle. It counts for you.
How it works
Match the length of the out-breath to the in-breath — about 4 seconds each way. Waiting is dead time you can spend on this instead. Let the physical world hold your attention.
Why it can help
Six breaths a minute is slow enough to be noticeable and unremarkable enough to keep up.
The pattern, in seconds
| Phase | Length | Starts at |
|---|---|---|
| Inhale | 4s | 0s |
| Exhale | 4s | 4s |
One round is 8 seconds. At the default 6 rounds this practice runs 48 seconds — about a minute — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- in the car, parked, before you go inside
- when you have been given bad news and need to keep functioning
- in the minutes before an appointment you are dreading
Tips
- Do the last round slightly smaller than the others. It makes stopping easier.
- Keep your jaw loose. People clench it without noticing during holds.
- Because there is no pause, you can keep this going while walking or talking.
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 Slow box breathing exercise for a cold morning — when you need something unremarkable, Double-inhale sigh (3 · 8) for a cold morning, if you have done this a hundred times or Gentle box breathing — 3 · 3 · 3 · 3 — for the morning, if you are doing this instead of scrolling.