Breathing exercise · 4 · 4 · 6 · 2
Uneven box breathing: 8 rounds for a hot day, when you have already had a long week
A 4 · 4 · 6 · 2 rhythm — a square with one long side.
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. Long weeks are cumulative. This is a small subtraction. Nothing abstract for the next few minutes.
Why it can help
This is a composure exercise more than a calming one. It gives you something to do while a feeling passes.
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 8 rounds this practice runs 128 seconds — about 2 minutes — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- at your desk, with the screen turned off for a moment
- when you cannot sleep and do not want to get up
- before you walk into a room full of people
Tips
- Do the last round slightly smaller than the others. It makes stopping easier.
- Aim for something you could keep up in a waiting room without anyone noticing.
- 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 6-2-6-2 breathing — 6 · 2 · 6 · 2 — for a noisy room, after a long day, How to use Physiological sigh for coming down after exercise, if you are doing this in the middle of the day or Coherent 4-4 breath (4 · 4) for a long illness, when you have been on screens all day.