Breathing exercise · 4 · 4 · 4 · 4
How to use Box breathing for a cold morning, when you have been on screens all day
Simple counts — 4 · 4 · 4 · 4 — and a circle that keeps time.
Follow the circle. It counts for you.
How it works
Breathe in for 4, hold for 4, out for 4, hold for 4. Picture tracing the sides of a square. That is the whole exercise. After a day of screens, the eyes and the shoulders need this first. The body is the most reliable place to begin.
Why it can help
The holds are brief. Long enough to notice, short enough to be unremarkable.
The pattern, in seconds
| Phase | Length | Starts at |
|---|---|---|
| Inhale | 4s | 0s |
| Hold | 4s | 4s |
| Exhale | 4s | 8s |
| Hold again | 4s | 12s |
One round is 16 seconds. At the default 10 rounds this practice runs 160 seconds — about 2 minutes — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- before you walk into a room full of people
- just before you have to say something difficult
- when you are the only person awake in the house
Tips
- Try it once with a hand on your ribs so you can feel whether they are moving.
- Keep your jaw loose. People clench it without noticing during holds.
- 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 Coherent 6-6 breathing: 10 rounds for a break at work, on a day that started badly, Beginner box breathing for anxious moments, when you have been meaning to start or How to use Tight box breathing for a hard conversation, when you are not sure this will work.