Breathing exercise · 3 · 3 · 3 · 3
Gentle box breathing — 3 · 3 · 3 · 3 — for a study session, if you are tired of apps
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
The pattern is a square — 3, 3, 3, 3 — and you trace it with your breath. No account, no streak, no notification asking how you feel. Let the physical world hold your attention.
Why it can help
The square gives you a way to notice when you have drifted: you lose count, and that tells you where your attention went.
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 12 rounds this practice runs 144 seconds — about 2 minutes — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- just before you have to say something difficult
- when you have been given bad news and need to keep functioning
- on a train or a bus, with your bag on your lap
Tips
- Do it with your shoulders still. The movement should be in your ribs and belly.
- Stop after a few rounds if you feel dizzy, and breathe normally for a minute.
- 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 Double-inhale sigh: 5 rounds for being unwell, when the day has been loud, Physiological sigh — 2 · 6 — for a cold morning, when you feel fine and want to stay that way or 5-7 breathing — 5 · 7 — for a ten-minute window, when you feel restless rather than tired.