Breathing exercise · 5 · 5 · 5 · 5
Slow box breath (5 · 5 · 5 · 5) for travel days, when you have already had a long week
A a wider square, once four feels comfortable pattern, counted for you on screen.
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. Long weeks are cumulative. This is a small subtraction. Simple things first: contact, weight, temperature.
Why it can help
The square gives you a way to notice when you have drifted: you lose count, and that tells you where your attention went.
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
- after an argument, before you decide what to say next
- in the two minutes after a difficult phone call
- while you are waiting for something to start
Tips
- Keep your feet flat on the floor. It helps more than it sounds like it should.
- Try it lying down with your knees bent if sitting upright feels like effort.
- 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.
If this rhythm does not suit you, try How to use Coherent 4-4 breathing for a hospital waiting room, if you have done this a hundred times, 3-6 breathing for a stolen moment of caregiving, if you have done this a hundred times or Coherent 5-5 breathing: 6 rounds for jet lag, when you feel restless rather than tired.