Breathing exercise · 3 · 3 · 3 · 3
Gentle box breathing exercise for the morning after — when you are not in the mood
Rounds of 3 · 3 · 3 · 3, with the counting done for you.
Follow the circle. It counts for you.
How it works
In for 3, hold 3, out for 3, hold 3. The shape stays the same every round. Not being in the mood is a normal starting point. The body is the most reliable place to begin.
Why it can help
Because the counts are the same in and out, your body does not have to decide anything. It just follows.
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 6 rounds this practice runs 72 seconds — about 1 minute — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- when you cannot sleep and do not want to get up
- when the day has been fine but you still feel braced
- when you have been given bad news and need to keep functioning
Tips
- Try it lying down with your knees bent if sitting upright feels like effort.
- Keep your feet flat on the floor. It helps more than it sounds like it should.
- Never push through a hold. Coming out of it early is always the right call.
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 7-11 breathing — 7 · 11 — for a hard conversation, when you have been putting it off, Uneven box breathing: 4 rounds for travel days, when you have tried everything else or Physiological sigh (2 · 6) for a lonely evening, when you are somewhere unfamiliar.