Breathing exercise · 4 · 4 · 8
Soft 4-7-8 breathing for jet lag, when you have woken up too early
Rounds of 4 · 4 · 8, with the counting done for you.
Follow the circle. It counts for you.
How it works
Take 4 counts to breathe in, hold for 4, and 8 to breathe out. Keep the out-breath unhurried. Waking too early is a specific kind of frustrating. This helps with the frustration. Stay with what you can actually feel.
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
| Phase | Length | Starts at |
|---|---|---|
| Inhale | 4s | 0s |
| Hold | 4s | 4s |
| Exhale | 8s | 8s |
One round is 16 seconds. At the default 12 rounds this practice runs 192 seconds — about 3 minutes — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- when the weather has been grey for a week
- after a long drive, to shake off the alertness
- at your desk, with the screen turned off for a moment
Tips
- Try it once with a hand on your ribs so you can feel whether they are moving.
- Do it before you need it once, so that it is familiar when you do.
- 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 4-8 breathing for a cold morning, when you are on your own, Gentle box breathing: 8 rounds for deep focus, when you have already had a long week or 6-2-6-2 breath (6 · 2 · 6 · 2) for exam nerves, if you are fitting this around other people.