Soft 4-7-8 breathing: 5 rounds for deep focus

How it works

Take 4 counts to breathe in, hold for 4, and 8 to breathe out. Keep the out-breath unhurried. Being at home and unable to settle is a very specific problem. Start with what's physical. Everything else can wait.

Why it can help

This ratio is used a lot before sleep, because a long exhale is what your breathing already does as you fall asleep.

The pattern, in seconds

One round is 16 seconds. At the default 5 rounds this practice runs 80 seconds — about 1 minute — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.

Good for

• when the afternoon has gone flat
• when you have five minutes and no idea where to start
• at your desk, with the screen turned off for a moment

Tips

• The pauses should never feel like a competition. Shorten them if they do.
• 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.