Breathing exercise · 4 · 4 · 4 · 4
How to use Box breathing for a hard week, when you have been meaning to start
4 · 4 · 4 · 4 breathing: four equal sides, like tracing a square.
Follow the circle. It counts for you.
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.
If this rhythm does not suit you, try 6-2-6-2 breathing for the hours after people leave, when you have been on screens all day, 4-2-6 breathing for bedtime, when you feel restless rather than tired or 5-7 breath (5 · 7) for coming down after exercise, when you have woken up too early.