A Gentle Beginning: Pranayama (4-7-8) Breath

This guided pranayama meditation is led by Dr. Gary Soffer, allergist-immunologist and integrative medicine physician, and was recorded as part of our New Year conversation on health, healing, and self-care on the Don't Feed the Fear podcast.

In this practice, Dr. Soffer offers a gentle, accessible breathing technique drawn from yogic traditions and adapted for modern nervous system support. Rather than pushing or controlling the breath, this short practice is a simple introduction to pranayama breathing, making it accessible for the beginner. It is shared as a supportive practice for those managing food allergies, chronic illness, health anxiety, or caregiver stress.

Transcript

This is one of my favorite.

It's pretty well known at this point,

But it's been transformative for a lot of my patients,

And it's called a 4-7-8 breath.

We breathe in through our nose for four seconds,

We hold it for seven seconds,

And we breathe out through our mouth for eight seconds.

And just like a triangle,

We do it three times.

Would you let me guide you in it?

Absolutely.

Can I be nerdy?

And before you guide us through it,

Will you explain a little bit of the science behind why that works?

Really,

I don't want to give too much scientific credibility to it,

And I'd rather give traditional credibility to it.

So it comes from the yoga tradition.

It's pranayama breathing.

There's plenty of science behind activating our autonomic nervous system and activating a parasympathetic nervous system in these breathwork exercises that they can be very calming.

There's evidence that oxygenation shifts with all of these breathwork exercises.

But really,

The honor goes to the traditional practice,

Which is pranayama breath.

We got to give credit to Andrew Weil,

Dr.

Weil,

For it,

Though.

He gives credit to somebody else,

But as part of the lineage,

I'll give credit to him.

Thank you for sharing it.

Yeah.

Okay.

So close your eyes and just sit in a comfortable place.

Try to let your feet feel grounded on the floor and your hands grounded on your knees.

And just connect for a second.

And when you're ready,

You'll breathe in through your nose for four seconds,

Hold for seven seconds,

And breathe out through your mouth for eight seconds.

So let's begin.

In,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Hold,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven.

Out,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven,

Eight.

In,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Hold,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven.

Out,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven,

Eight.

In,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Hold,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven.

Out,

Two,

Three,

Four,

Five,

Six,

Seven,

Eight.

And then just slowly come back into the room when you're ready,

And you might feel some tingling,

Some lightheadedness,

And that's normal.

Lovely.

Thank you for that.