Box breathing

How to do it

You can do this sitting at your desk, standing in a hallway, or lying in bed. No quiet room required.

1. Breathe all the way out, so you start empty.
2. Breathe in slowly through your nose for four counts. Let your belly rise rather than your shoulders.
3. Hold for four counts. Keep your jaw and shoulders loose. It should feel like a pause, not a strain.
4. Breathe out slowly for four counts.
5. Hold for four counts with your lungs empty, then start the next round.

Keep going for about two minutes. If your mind wanders, that's normal. Pick the count back up on the next breath.

The details. In 4, hold 4, out 4, hold 4. One round takes 16 seconds, so two minutes is about eight rounds. Also called square breathing or 4-4-4-4 breathing.

Your first few rounds

The holds feel long.

Very common. Count a little faster, or use three counts instead of four. The steady rhythm matters more than the exact seconds.

Your mind keeps wandering.

That's part of it. Each time you notice and come back to the count, you're doing the exercise.

You feel a little lightheaded.

Stop and breathe normally for a moment, and it will pass. If you're pregnant or have a heart or lung condition, skip the holds or check with your doctor first.

You're not sure it's doing anything.

After two minutes, notice your shoulders and your breathing. Often both have settled without you trying.

When to reach for it

Box breathing suits moments when you need to stay calm and sharp at the same time.

• Waiting to go on before a presentation or an interview
• Right before a conversation you've been dreading
• Sitting in the car before you walk into something stressful
• When your to-do list starts to feel like it's spinning
• Before an exam, a race, or anything that needs a steady hand

Former Navy SEAL Mark Divine helped make it popular, and it's taught to first responders and athletes for exactly these moments.

Why it helps

When you're stressed, your breathing gets fast and shallow, and that keeps your body on alert. Slowing your breath on purpose sends the opposite signal: you're safe, you can settle down. Box breathing slows you to about four breaths a minute, compared with the 12 to 20 most people take at rest, and the steady count gives a racing mind one simple thing to do.

Researchers at Stanford asked people to spend five minutes a day on a breathing exercise, including box breathing, for a month. They reported better moods and less anxiety. The technique built around long exhales gave the biggest lift in mood, which is worth knowing if the holds don't suit you.

A larger review of breathing studies found the same pattern: people who practiced breathwork reported less stress than people who didn't.

Make it your own

Change the count.

Start at three seconds a side and work up to four, or five once four feels easy. At five, it's what Orris calls Deep Focus.

Skip the holds.

If holding your breath makes you more anxious, coherent breathing (five in, five out) gives you the same calm rhythm without them.

Trace the box.

Picture a square, or trace one on your knee with a finger, one side per count. It gives your eyes and hands something to do.

Questions people ask

Other ways to breathe

Read the guide to breathing for anxiety · See all eight patterns