Breathing exercise · 6 · 6
Coherent 6-6 breath (6 · 6) for the hours after people leave, when you are too tired to try hard
Simple counts — 6 · 6 — and a circle that keeps time.
Follow the circle. It counts for you.
How it works
Equal breathing: 6 seconds in, 6 seconds out, no holds at all. Too tired to try hard is exactly the right amount of tired for this. Nothing abstract for the next few minutes.
Why it can help
Coherent breathing is often described as the most boring useful thing you can do with ten minutes.
The pattern, in seconds
| Phase | Length | Starts at |
|---|---|---|
| Inhale | 6s | 0s |
| Exhale | 6s | 6s |
One round is 12 seconds. At the default 4 rounds this practice runs 48 seconds — about a minute — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- when you notice your shoulders are up near your ears
- in the minutes before an appointment you are dreading
- in a hospital corridor, waiting for news
Tips
- Do it with your shoulders still. The movement should be in your ribs and belly.
- The pauses should never feel like a competition. Shorten them if they do.
- 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 Tight box breathing — 4 · 1 · 4 · 1 — for a stolen moment of caregiving, when you are somewhere unfamiliar, How to use 4-8 breathing for a long illness, when you are too tired to try hard or How to use 4-2-6 breathing for a long wait, when you have more time than usual.