Breathing exercise · 3 · 3 · 3 · 3
Gentle box breathing for heavy days, when you are too tired to try hard
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. Too tired to try hard is exactly the right amount of tired for this. Stay with what you can actually feel.
Why it can help
The rhythm is deliberately unremarkable. Unremarkable is easier to keep up when your hands are shaking.
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 10 rounds this practice runs 120 seconds — about 2 minutes — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- when you cannot sleep and do not want to get up
- as a way to mark the end of the working day
- when someone has annoyed you and you need to not react
Tips
- Set a timer for the rounds you want, so you are not watching the clock.
- Do not chase the feeling. If nothing happens, nothing happened.
- A hold should feel like a pause, not like running out of air.
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 6-2-6-2 breathing: 6 rounds for a reset, when you are somewhere unfamiliar, Slow box breath (5 · 5 · 5 · 5) for a stolen moment of caregiving, after a long day or 3-6 breathing exercise for the morning — when you have already had a long week.