Uneven box breath (4 · 4 · 6 · 2) for the early months, when you are somewhere unfamiliar

How it works

The pattern is a square — 4, 4, 6, 2 — and you trace it with your breath. It travels well. Hotels, spare rooms, other people’s sofas. Notice what's solid: the floor, the chair, your own weight.

Why it can help

The square gives you a way to notice when you have drifted: you lose count, and that tells you where your attention went.

The pattern, in seconds

One round is 16 seconds. At the default 10 rounds this practice runs 160 seconds — about 2 minutes — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.

Good for

• at the start of a study session, to set the tone
• at the kitchen table, with a cup of tea going cold
• when you are tired but cannot afford to be

Tips

• If you have a cold or a blocked nose, skip the holds and breathe through your mouth.
• Try it once with a hand on your ribs so you can feel whether they are moving.
• If holding for the full count feels tight, drop every number by one. The shape matters more than the size.

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.