Breathing exercise · 4 · 6
How to use 4-6 breathing for the end of the working day, after a difficult conversation
Simple counts — 4 · 6 — and a circle that keeps time.
Follow the circle. It counts for you.
How it works
Take 4 counts to breathe in, and 6 to breathe out. Keep the out-breath unhurried. Difficult conversations leave a residue. This is for the residue. Stay with what you can actually feel.
Why it can help
Doubling the exhale changes the ratio your body uses to decide how safe it is.
The pattern, in seconds
| Phase | Length | Starts at |
|---|---|---|
| Inhale | 4s | 0s |
| Exhale | 6s | 4s |
One round is 10 seconds. At the default 12 rounds this practice runs 120 seconds — about 2 minutes — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- before you open the email you have been avoiding
- when the afternoon has gone flat
- in the minutes before an appointment you are dreading
Tips
- Sit upright. Your lungs work better when you are not folded in half.
- Do it before you need it once, so that it is familiar when you do.
- Nothing is held here, so there is no moment where you are waiting for permission to breathe.
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 3-6 breathing exercise for a big decision — if you have done this a hundred times, 2-1-4 breathing for a ten-minute window, when you have already had a long week or 4-7-8 breathing for a big decision, when your attention is scattered.