Breathing exercise · 3 · 3 · 3 · 3
How to use Gentle box breathing for the middle of the night, when you are doing this for the first time
The pattern is 3 · 3 · 3 · 3, which is 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. If this is your first go, stay with the plainest version of the instructions. Start with what's physical. Everything else can wait.
Why it can help
It works because it is boring. Boring rhythms are the ones you can actually follow under pressure.
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 4 rounds this practice runs 48 seconds — about a minute — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- as a way to mark the end of the working day
- when you have read the same paragraph three times
- when you are the only person awake in the house
Tips
- Do not chase the feeling. If nothing happens, nothing happened.
- If you wear a watch that tracks breathing, ignore it while you do this.
- 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 4-4 breathing — 4 · 4 — for the early months, when you are somewhere unfamiliar, How to use 3-6 breathing for a lonely evening, when you have been on screens all day or 4-6 breathing exercise for days when everything is too much — if you are fitting this around other people.