4-7-8 Breathing — A Soft Reset For Mind & Body

Settle in for a short, soothing breathwork practice designed to calm your mind and relax your body. In this gentle session, you’ll move through a simple 4‑7‑8 rhythm—inhale, pause, and exhale—at a pace that helps quiet your thoughts and ease your nervous system. It’s a cozy, grounding practice you can return to anytime you need a quick reset, a moment of stillness, or a way to soften the edges of your day.

Transcript

Hi,

This is Kathy Votaw,

And let's do a little breath work together.

Hope you've already found a cozy,

Comfortable space where you can spend the next few minutes in quiet.

Today,

We'll be doing a four,

Seven,

Eight breathing rhythm,

Inhaling for four,

Pausing for seven,

And exhaling for eight.

When we make our exhales longer than our inhales,

We stimulate our vagus nerve,

Helping to bring our body into a state of relaxation.

This exercise is best done with our eyes closed,

If that's supportive for you.

And lastly,

We'll be breathing in through our nose and exhaling out through our mouth.

When you breathe in,

Let your air go all the way down and fill up your belly instead of your chest.

If you want,

You can place your hand on your belly to make sure it is rising and you're doing it correctly.

Okay,

Let's begin.

Inhale,

Two,

Three,

Four.

Pause,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven.

Exhale,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven,

Eight.

Inhale,

Two,

Three,

Four.

Pause,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven.

Exhale,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven,

Eight.

Inhale,

Two,

Three,

Four.

Pause,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven.

Exhale,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven,

Eight.

One more,

Inhale,

Two,

Three,

Four.

Pause,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven.

Exhale,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven,

Eight.

Let's take just a moment to breathe normally.

And let's begin again.

Inhale,

Two,

Three,

Four.

Pause,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven.

Exhale,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven,

Eight.

Inhale,

Two,

Three,

Four.

Pause,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven.

Exhale,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven,

Eight.

Inhale,

Two,

Three,

Four.

Pause,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven.

Exhale,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven,

Eight.

And final one,

Inhale,

Two,

Three,

Four.

Pause,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven.

And exhale,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven,

And eight.

Awesome job.

Now let's take just a couple seconds to sit quietly,

Breathing normally.

When you're ready,

You can open your eyes slowly and look around you,

Orienting yourself back to your space.

I hope this quick breathwork practice helped to relax your mind and body,

Helping you feel more centered and grounded as you go about your day or night.

Thank you for practicing with me.

Reviews

Thank you for this calming start to my day Kathy, I will listen to this meditation again. Namaste 🙏🏾☀️