Breathing exercise · 5 · 5 · 5 · 5
Slow box breathing: 5 rounds for the morning, when you need something unremarkable
Rounds of 5 · 5 · 5 · 5, with the counting done for you.
Follow the circle. It counts for you.
How it works
In for 5, hold 5, out for 5, hold 5. The shape stays the same every round. Nothing dramatic happens here, and that is deliberate. Simple things first: contact, weight, temperature.
Why it can help
Steady counts slow the breath down without you having to think about slowing the breath down.
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
- when someone has annoyed you and you need to not react
- in the car, parked, before you go inside
- when you have been given bad news and need to keep functioning
Tips
- Try it once with a hand on your ribs so you can feel whether they are moving.
- Practising when you are calm makes it available when you are not.
- 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 6-2-6-2 breathing — 6 · 2 · 6 · 2 — for Monday morning, if you have done this a hundred times, Soft 4-7-8 breathing: 8 rounds for a stolen moment of caregiving, when you feel restless rather than tired or Double-inhale sigh: 8 rounds for Monday morning, when you cannot concentrate on anything else.