Breathing exercise · 4 · 4 · 6 · 2
Uneven box breathing for creative work, if you have done this a hundred times
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. If you have done this a hundred times, change one small thing tonight. Stay with what you can actually feel.
Why it can help
Equal counts give your attention one simple job: keep the four sides the same length. That predictability is most of the effect.
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 4 rounds this practice runs 64 seconds — about 1 minute — plus a breath or two of ordinary breathing between rounds.
Good for
- just before you have to say something difficult
- before a presentation, in the corridor
- before you open the email you have been avoiding
Tips
- If your mind wanders to counting the rounds left, that is normal. Come back to the numbers.
- Do not chase the feeling. If nothing happens, nothing happened.
- 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 How to use 3-6 breathing for Monday morning, when you are doing this for the first time, Double-inhale sigh: 8 rounds for Monday morning, when you cannot concentrate on anything else or 4-8 breath (4 · 8) for being unwell, when you are not sure this will work.