Breathing exercise · 5 · 5 · 5 · 5
Slow box breathing: 4 rounds for Monday morning, if you are fitting this around other people
5 · 5 · 5 · 5 breathing: a wider square, once four feels comfortable.
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. It is designed to fit around other people’s schedules. Notice what's solid: the floor, the chair, your own weight.
Why it can help
You can do it silently, in a meeting, without anyone knowing. That matters more than it sounds.
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 4 rounds this practice runs 80 seconds — about 1 minute — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- when you have five minutes and no idea where to start
- at your desk, with the screen turned off for a moment
- when the weather has been grey for a week
Tips
- Do it before you need it once, so that it is familiar when you do.
- Count in your head, or let the circle on this page count for you.
- Never push through a hold. Coming out of it early is always the right call.
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 Box breath (4 · 4 · 4 · 4) for a stolen moment of caregiving, when you are too tired to try hard, Slow box breath (5 · 5 · 5 · 5) for a stolen moment of caregiving, after a long day or Double-inhale sigh: 6 rounds for Friday evening, when you want to finish something.