Breathing exercise · 5 · 5
Coherent 5-5 breathing: 5 rounds for the end of the working day, when nothing else has worked today
The pattern is 5 · 5, which is five seconds in, five seconds out — about six breaths a minute.
Follow the circle. It counts for you.
How it works
Breathe in for 5 seconds, out for 5 seconds. Same speed both ways, no pauses. Nothing else has worked today. That is not a reason to skip this. Simple things first: contact, weight, temperature.
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 | 5s | 0s |
| Exhale | 5s | 5s |
One round is 10 seconds. At the default 5 rounds this practice runs 50 seconds — about a minute — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- when the day has been fine but you still feel braced
- when the afternoon has gone flat
- at the kitchen table, with a cup of tea going cold
Tips
- If your mind wanders to counting the rounds left, that is normal. Come back to the numbers.
- Do not chase the feeling. If nothing happens, nothing happened.
- 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 Double-inhale sigh (3 · 8) for heated moments, when you are short on time, Uneven box breathing: 8 rounds for jet lag, when you have been putting it off or 5-2-7 breathing for Monday morning, when you are somewhere noisy.