Square Breathing

In this recording you will learn square breathing, a steady four-part breath that helps calm the mind and body. You will be guided through equal counts of inhale, pause, exhale, and another pause. This can be practiced at any time to help you become more present and balanced.

Transcript

Square breathing is a great tool that you can use to create a mindful pause in your day.

So to practice this,

You'll be inhaling for a count of four,

You'll pause your breath at the top for a count of four,

Kind of like you're holding your breath,

But think of it being a light pause.

You'll exhale for a count of four,

And then you'll pause your breath at the completion of the exhale for another count of four.

I'll take us through a couple of rounds.

When you're doing this on your own,

Your count might be a little faster or slower depending on your comfort.

And traditionally,

This is done breathing through the nose.

And if you need to breathe through your mouth for any reason,

Go ahead and do so.

So here we go.

Get comfortable.

You can do this with your eyes open or closed.

And before diving in,

Just take a moment to notice.

Notice whatever there is to notice.

Sensations in your body,

Thoughts in your mind,

Emotions that might be hanging out.

Okay,

And then getting started,

Just take a regular inhale and a regular exhale.

And join in as you're ready.

Inhale.

Pause.

Exhale.

Pause.

Inhale.

Pause.

Exhale.

Pause.

Inhale.

Pause.

Exhale.

Pause.

And again.

Pause.

Exhale.

Pause.

Let that go.

Taking a regular breath.

Just observing whatever there is to observe.

Sensations,

Thoughts,

Emotions.

Maybe there's been a shift or maybe nothing has shifted at all.

That's okay too.

You're just noticing.

And this might be the end of your practice or you might consider taking yourself through a couple more rounds of square breathing.

Inhaling for a count of four,

Pause for a count of four,

Exhale for a count of four,

And pause for a count of four.