How to use Box breathing for a grey day, when you want to be left alone

How it works

The pattern is a square — 4, 4, 4, 4 — and you trace it with your breath. Nothing here asks anything of you socially. Notice what's solid: the floor, the chair, your own weight.

Why it can help

Nothing about it asks you to feel different afterwards. That takes the pressure off entirely.

The pattern, in seconds

One round is 16 seconds. At the default 6 rounds this practice runs 96 seconds — about 1 minute — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.

Good for

• when you wake at 3am and the room feels too quiet
• when you are tired but cannot afford to be
• when the day has been fine but you still feel braced

Tips

• You can do this with your eyes open. Nothing here requires privacy.
• Do it with your shoulders still. The movement should be in your ribs and belly.
• 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.