Breathing exercise · 4 · 4 · 8
Soft 4-7-8 breathing — 4 · 4 · 8 — for a cold morning, when you want to be left alone
4 · 4 · 8 breathing: the hold cut short, the long exhale kept.
Follow the circle. It counts for you.
How it works
In for 4, hold for 4, out for 8. The exhale is longer than the inhale — that is the entire instruction. Nothing here asks anything of you socially. We'll stay close to sensations rather than ideas.
Why it can help
The long exhale is the working part. A slow out-breath is one of the few direct levers you have on your own arousal level.
The pattern, in seconds
| Phase | Length | Starts at |
|---|---|---|
| Inhale | 4s | 0s |
| Hold | 4s | 4s |
| Exhale | 8s | 8s |
One round is 16 seconds. At the default 4 rounds this practice runs 64 seconds — about 1 minute — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- when your hands are cold and your chest is tight
- while you are waiting for something to start
- before a presentation, in the corridor
Tips
- Try the same pattern at a different time of day and see whether it feels different.
- Practising when you are calm makes it available when you are not.
- 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 6-2-6-2 breath (6 · 2 · 6 · 2) for exam nerves, if you are fitting this around other people, Physiological sigh exercise for the early months — when you are cold and want to be warm or How to use Slow box breathing for anxious moments, when nothing else has worked today.