Breathing exercise · 3 · 3 · 3 · 3
Gentle box breathing exercise for a hot day — when nothing else has worked today
3 · 3 · 3 · 3 breathing: 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. Nothing else has worked today. That is not a reason to skip this. Start with what's physical. Everything else can wait.
Why it can help
Nothing about it asks you to feel different afterwards. That takes the pressure off entirely.
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 5 rounds this practice runs 60 seconds — about 1 minute — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- before a presentation, in the corridor
- in a hospital corridor, waiting for news
- when you have been given bad news and need to keep functioning
Tips
- The counts are a guide. If a number feels too long, shorten every side by one.
- If you have a cold or a blocked nose, skip the holds and breathe through your mouth.
- Holding your breath is optional in every exercise here. You can always breathe through instead.
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 How to use 5-7 breathing for a reset, on a day that started badly, Soft 4-7-8 breathing for a grey day, before something difficult or 2-1-4 breathing exercise for Monday morning — when you have tried everything else.