Breathing exercise · 4 · 1 · 4 · 1
Tight box breathing: 12 rounds for a break at work, when you have already had a long week
A barely any hold, for people who dislike holding pattern, counted for you on screen.
Follow the circle. It counts for you.
How it works
The pattern is a square — 4, 1, 4, 1 — and you trace it with your breath. Long weeks are cumulative. This is a small subtraction. The body is the most reliable place to begin.
Why it can help
It works because it is boring. Boring rhythms are the ones you can actually follow under pressure.
The pattern, in seconds
| Phase | Length | Starts at |
|---|---|---|
| Inhale | 4s | 0s |
| Hold | 1s | 4s |
| Exhale | 4s | 5s |
| Hold again | 1s | 9s |
One round is 10 seconds. At the default 12 rounds this practice runs 120 seconds — about 2 minutes — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- just before you have to say something difficult
- when you are tired but cannot afford to be
- at the start of a study session, to set the tone
Tips
- Try it once with a hand on your ribs so you can feel whether they are moving.
- If you have a cold or a blocked nose, skip the holds and breathe through your mouth.
- 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 Physiological sigh exercise for a long illness — when you want to finish something, Physiological sigh breathing — 2 · 6 — for a hot day, when you are doing this for the first time or 4-2-6 breathing for a study session, when you want to finish something.