Breathing exercise · 5 · 5 · 5 · 5
How to use Slow box breathing for anxious moments, when nothing else has worked today
Rounds of 5 · 5 · 5 · 5, with the counting done for you.
Follow the circle. It counts for you.
How it works
The pattern is a square — 5, 5, 5, 5 — and you trace it with your breath. Nothing else has worked today. That is not a reason to skip this. Simple things first: contact, weight, temperature.
Why it can help
Because nothing changes from round to round, the exercise stops being interesting — and that is exactly what you want at a difficult moment.
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 10 rounds this practice runs 200 seconds — about 3 minutes — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- when you cannot sleep and do not want to get up
- after an argument, before you decide what to say next
- when you are the only person awake in the house
Tips
- The pauses should never feel like a competition. Shorten them if they do.
- If you wear a watch that tracks breathing, ignore it while you do this.
- 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.