Breathing exercise · 4 · 4 · 6 · 2
Uneven box breathing — 4 · 4 · 6 · 2 — for a noisy room, when you feel fine and want to stay that way
A a square with one long side pattern, counted for you on screen.
Follow the circle. It counts for you.
How it works
The pattern is a square — 4, 4, 6, 2 — and you trace it with your breath. Feeling fine is a good reason to do this, not a reason to skip it. Let the physical world hold your attention.
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 | 4s | 4s |
| Exhale | 6s | 8s |
| Hold again | 2s | 14s |
One round is 16 seconds. At the default 6 rounds this practice runs 96 seconds — about 1 minute — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- when you notice your shoulders are up near your ears
- at your desk, with the screen turned off for a moment
- when the afternoon has gone flat
Tips
- Do the last round slightly smaller than the others. It makes stopping easier.
- The pauses should never feel like a competition. Shorten them if they do.
- A hold should feel like a pause, not like running out of air.
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 breath (4 · 7 · 8) for Sunday evening, on a day that started badly, 5-7 breathing for a lonely evening, when you want to be left alone or Coherent 4-4 breathing for being unwell, when you have already had a long week.