Uneven box breathing exercise for a hospital waiting room — if you have done this a hundred times

How it works

Four equal sides: 4 in, 4 held, 6 out, 2 held. Nothing else to remember. If you have done this a hundred times, change one small thing tonight. Start with what's physical. Everything else can wait.

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

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

• when your thoughts are moving faster than you are
• when you are the only person awake in the house
• before you walk into a room full of people

Tips

• Try the same pattern at a different time of day and see whether it feels different.
• Try it lying down with your knees bent if sitting upright feels like effort.
• Never push through a hold. Coming out of it early is always the right call.

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.