Coherent 5-5 breath (5 · 5) for exam nerves, before you go back to something hard

How it works

Equal breathing: 5 seconds in, 5 seconds out, no holds at all. Five minutes here is cheaper than an hour of grinding. The body is the most reliable place to begin.

Why it can help

You are not trying to relax. You are giving your system a slower, even rhythm and letting it respond however it responds.

The pattern, in seconds

One round is 10 seconds. At the default 8 rounds this practice runs 80 seconds — about 1 minute — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.

Good for

• when you cannot sleep and do not want to get up
• before you walk into a room full of people
• when you are the only person awake in the house

Tips

• Aim for something you could keep up in a waiting room without anyone noticing.
• Two minutes done properly beats ten minutes done while checking your phone.
• 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.