Breathing exercise · 5 · 5 · 5 · 5
Slow box breathing for Monday morning, when you have woken up too early
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. Waking too early is a specific kind of frustrating. This helps with the frustration. Simple things first: contact, weight, temperature.
Why it can help
The pattern occupies the part of your mind that would otherwise be rehearsing the worst case.
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 8 rounds this practice runs 160 seconds — about 2 minutes — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- before you walk into a room full of people
- in the car, parked, before you go inside
- when you are tired but cannot afford to be
Tips
- There is no need to breathe deeply. Long and quiet is the aim.
- Count in your head, or let the circle on this page count for you.
- 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.