Breathing exercise · 3 · 3 · 3 · 3
Gentle box breath (3 · 3 · 3 · 3) for being unwell, when you feel fine and want to stay that way
The pattern is 3 · 3 · 3 · 3, which is a smaller square, for when four counts feels long.
Follow the circle. It counts for you.
How it works
Count to 3 on the way in, 3 at the top, 3 on the way out, 3 at the bottom. Repeat. Feeling fine is a good reason to do this, not a reason to skip it. We'll stay close to sensations rather than ideas.
Why it can help
Because nothing changes from round to round, the exercise stops being interesting — and that is exactly what you want at a difficult moment.
The pattern, in seconds
| Phase | Length | Starts at |
|---|---|---|
| Inhale | 3s | 0s |
| Hold | 3s | 3s |
| Exhale | 3s | 6s |
| Hold again | 3s | 9s |
One round is 12 seconds. At the default 8 rounds this practice runs 96 seconds — about 1 minute — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- when someone has annoyed you and you need to not react
- at your desk, with the screen turned off for a moment
- 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.
- Try it once with a hand on your ribs so you can feel whether they are moving.
- If holding for the full count feels tight, drop every number by one. The shape matters more than the size.
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 5-7 breathing for heavy days, when you are somewhere noisy, 7-11 breathing — 7 · 11 — for a long wait, after eating too much or 4-8 breath (4 · 8) for a ten-minute window, when you are waiting for something.