Breathing exercise · 3 · 3 · 3 · 3
How to use Gentle box breathing for jet lag
A 3 · 3 · 3 · 3 rhythm — a smaller square, for when four counts feels long.
Follow the circle. It counts for you.
How it works
The pattern is a square — 3, 3, 3, 3 — and you trace it with your breath. Difficult conversations leave a residue. This is for the residue. Notice what's solid: the floor, the chair, your own weight.
Why it can help
Equal breathing tends to even out the differences between your in-breath and out-breath over a few minutes.
The pattern, in seconds
| Phase | Length | Starts at |
|---|---|---|
| Inhale | 3s | 0s |
| Hold | 3s | 3s |
| Exhale | 3s | 6s |
| Hold again | 3s | 9s |
One round is 12 seconds. At the default 12 rounds this practice runs 144 seconds — about 2 minutes — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- when the weather has been grey for a week
- after a long drive, to shake off the alertness
- at the start of a study session, to set the tone
Tips
- If you have a cold or a blocked nose, skip the holds and breathe through your mouth.
- Practising when you are calm makes it available when you are not.
- 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 4-7-8 breathing exercise for deep focus, 2-1-4 breathing — 2 · 1 · 4 — for a night shift, when you are at home and cannot settle or 6-2-6-2 breathing after a long day.