How to use Box breathing for a hard week

How it works

The pattern is a square — 4, 4, 4, 4 — and you trace it with your breath. You have been meaning to start. This is the least intimidating way in. Simple things first: contact, weight, temperature.

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 5 rounds this practice runs 80 seconds — about 1 minute — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.

Good for

when the weather has been grey for a week
before a presentation, in the corridor
when the day has been fine but you still feel braced

Tips

Notice which part of the breath feels tight, and reduce that count first.
If you wear a watch that tracks breathing, ignore it while you do this.
Holding your breath is optional in every exercise here. You can always breathe through instead.

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.