Breathing exercise · 5 · 5 · 5 · 5
How to use Slow box breathing for a grey day, when you have just finished work
Simple counts — 5 · 5 · 5 · 5 — and a circle that keeps time.
Follow the circle. It counts for you.
How it works
Breathe in for 5, hold for 5, out for 5, hold for 5. Picture tracing the sides of a square. That is the whole exercise. The gap right after work is the easiest one to use. Nothing abstract for the next few minutes.
Why it can help
It is a small, closed loop. Small closed loops are comforting when everything else is open-ended.
The pattern, in seconds
| Phase | Length | Starts at |
|---|---|---|
| Inhale | 5s | 0s |
| Hold | 5s | 5s |
| Exhale | 5s | 10s |
| Hold again | 5s | 15s |
One round is 20 seconds. At the default 4 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
- in a hospital corridor, waiting for news
- when someone has annoyed you and you need to not react
Tips
- Keep your jaw loose. People clench it without noticing during holds.
- Aim for something you could keep up in a waiting room without anyone noticing.
- A hold should feel like a pause, not like running out of air.
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 6-6 breathing: 10 rounds for the commute, when you feel restless rather than tired, How to use Double-inhale sigh for the end of the working day, when you are doing this for the first time or How to use Box breathing for a grey day, when you want to be left alone.