Breathing exercise · 5 · 5 · 5 · 5
Slow box breath (5 · 5 · 5 · 5) for a stolen moment of caregiving, after a long day
Rounds of 5 · 5 · 5 · 5, with the counting done for you.
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. Use it at the end of a long day, not at the start of one. The body is the most reliable place to begin.
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
| 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 6 rounds this practice runs 120 seconds — about 2 minutes — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- when you cannot sleep and do not want to get up
- when the day has been fine but you still feel braced
- on a train or a bus, with your bag on your lap
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.
- 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 How to use 4-6 breathing for a hot day, before you go back to something hard, 5-7 breathing for the morning, when you are cold and want to be warm or Quick 2-1-2-1 breathing — 2 · 1 · 2 · 1 — for the end of the working day, when you cannot concentrate on anything else.