Slow box breathing exercise for days when everything is too much — before you go back to something hard

How it works

The pattern is a square — 5, 5, 5, 5 — and you trace it with your breath. Five minutes here is cheaper than an hour of grinding. Start with what's physical. Everything else can wait.

Why it can help

The holds are brief. Long enough to notice, short enough to be unremarkable.

The pattern, in seconds

One round is 20 seconds. At the default 12 rounds this practice runs 240 seconds — about 4 minutes — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.

Good for

• when you cannot sleep and do not want to get up
• on a train or a bus, with your bag on your lap
• when the afternoon has gone flat

Tips

• The counts are a guide. If a number feels too long, shorten every side by one.
• Keep your feet flat on the floor. It helps more than it sounds like it should.
• 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.