Breathing exercise · 5 · 5 · 5 · 5
Slow box breath (5 · 5 · 5 · 5) for the middle of the night, after a difficult conversation
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. Difficult conversations leave a residue. This is for the residue. Stay with what you can actually feel.
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 5 rounds this practice runs 100 seconds — about 1 minute — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- at your desk, with the screen turned off for a moment
- in the minutes before an appointment you are dreading
- when you wake at 3am and the room feels too quiet
Tips
- Try it once with a hand on your ribs so you can feel whether they are moving.
- Sit upright. Your lungs work better when you are not folded in half.
- If holding for the full count feels tight, drop every number by one. The shape matters more than the size.
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.