How to use Uneven box breathing for a ten-minute window, after a difficult conversation

How it works

Count to 4 on the way in, 4 at the top, 6 on the way out, 2 at the bottom. Repeat. Difficult conversations leave a residue. This is for the residue. Nothing abstract for the next few minutes.

Why it can help

Because the counts are the same in and out, your body does not have to decide anything. It just follows.

The pattern, in seconds

One round is 16 seconds. At the default 10 rounds this practice runs 160 seconds — about 2 minutes — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.

Good for

• in a hospital corridor, waiting for news
• when the afternoon has gone flat
• when you are tired but cannot afford to be

Tips

• If your mind wanders to counting the rounds left, that is normal. Come back to the numbers.
• Stop after a few rounds if you feel dizzy, and breathe normally for a minute.
• 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.