Breathing exercise · 4 · 1 · 4 · 1
Tight box breathing for a hospital waiting room, if you are sceptical about all of this
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. Scepticism is welcome. You do not have to believe anything for this to work. The body is the most reliable place to begin.
Why it can help
Equal breathing tends to even out the differences between your in-breath and out-breath over a few minutes.
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 10 rounds this practice runs 100 seconds — about 1 minute — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- after a long drive, to shake off the alertness
- when you cannot sleep and do not want to get up
- in the two minutes after a difficult phone call
Tips
- Practising when you are calm makes it available when you are not.
- Sit upright. Your lungs work better when you are not folded in half.
- 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 4-7-8 breathing for the hours after people leave, before you go back to something hard, 3-6 breathing: 6 rounds for a break at work, when you are somewhere noisy or Tight box breathing — 4 · 1 · 4 · 1 — for the morning after, when you are short on time.