4-7-8 Breathing Meditation For Deep Relaxation (4 Rounds)

This is a guided breathing meditation for deep relaxation. The 4-7-8 breathing exercise was developed by Dr. Andrew Weil. You’ll be inhaling for 4 counts, holding your breath for 7, and exhaling for 8. We’ll be doing four rounds. This is a powerful & accessible self-healing tool. Counting refocuses your attention & brings you back to the present moment, while deep, rhythmic breathing, helps your body find a state of deep relaxation and relief from stress, anxiety, insomnia and so much more.

Influence: Andrew Weil

Transcript

Hi,

I'm Jenna,

Owner of the Yogi Nest.

We offer alternative and holistic healing through mindful movement and mindset coaching in Los Angeles and online.

Today,

We're going to be doing the 4-7-8 breathing exercise developed by Dr.

Andrew Weill.

You'll be inhaling for four counts,

Holding your breath for seven,

And exhaling for eight.

We'll be doing four rounds.

No equipment or experience will be necessary,

And I will guide you every step of the way.

Breathwork is a powerful,

Accessible,

Time- and cost-effective healing tool.

Counting refocuses your attention and brings you back into the present moment,

And deep,

Rhythmic breathing helps your body find a state of deep relaxation and relief from stress,

Anxiety,

Insomnia,

And so much more.

A gentle word of caution before we get started.

Holding your breath can be scary.

It may even feel claustrophobic or triggering.

So trust yourself and be patient.

This technique will get easier the more you practice,

And the benefits are worth it.

Meet yourself wherever you are today,

And know that you can take breaks,

Keep your eyes open,

Or stop the meditation altogether and come back another day.

That being said,

Find a comfortable place to sit or lie down with little to no distractions,

And let's get started.

Whether you're sitting or lying down,

Make sure your spine is straight,

Allowing for air to easily flow in and out of your lungs.

You may close your eyes if that feels comfortable.

If not,

Try gazing down at the tip of your nose or focus on a fixed spot on a wall,

Floor,

Or even the palms of your hands.

Draw your shoulders down away from your ears.

Allow your face,

Eyes,

And jaw to release and relax.

Notice the points of contact between your body and the support beneath you.

Knowing that it's there,

See if you can allow your body to release and relax,

Melting into that support.

Pay attention to your breath now,

Breathing normally and naturally through your nose.

Notice,

Without judgment or trying to change anything,

Where in your body you're breathing.

Is your breath in your upper chest,

Middle chest,

Or lower belly?

Pay attention to the quality of your breath as well.

Is it short and shallow,

Or long and slow?

When we're experiencing stress and anxiety,

Our breath tends to get stuck in our upper chest and is fast,

Short,

And shallow.

I'd like for you to see if you can allow your breath to be slow and long now,

Filling the whole space between your belly button and collarbones.

Place one hand on your lower belly and one on your upper chest and try to breathe into the space beneath your palms.

Feel the rise and fall of your breath beneath your hands and connect more deeply to the energy and rhythm of your breath and your body.

If you find yourself feeling lightheaded or dizzy during today's exercise,

Slow your breath down or even temporarily come back to your normal breathing pattern until it passes.

Then come back to the sound of my voice and breathe as I count once again.

During this exercise,

You'll be quietly inhaling through your nose and exhaling forcefully through the mouth,

Pursing the lips and making a whoosh sound.

You'll hear me do it in a second.

We're going to begin by taking one deep breath together in order to fully empty the lungs,

Inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth.

The first round of 4-7-8 will start immediately after.

Begin your inhale now.

Empty the lungs.

Inhale 2,

3,

4,

Hold 2,

3,

4,

5,

6,

7,

Exhale 2,

3,

4,

5,

6,

7,

8.

Inhale 2,

3,

4,

Hold 2,

3,

4,

5,

6,

7,

Exhale 2,

3,

4,

5,

6,

7,

8.

Inhale 2,

3,

4,

Hold 2,

3,

4,

5,

6,

7,

Exhale 2,

3,

4,

5,

6,

7,

8.

Inhale 2,

3,

4,

Hold 2,

3,

4,

5,

6,

7,

Exhale 2,

3,

4,

5,

6,

7,

8.

Good.

Now return to normal breathing,

Inhaling and exhaling through your nose.

I like to end meditations by checking back in with myself as I slowly scan my body from the top of my head all the way down to my toes.

Do that now.

Allow this to be a moment of reflection.

Notice how different you feel both physically and mentally than you did when you first started this meditation.

Do you feel less stressed and anxious?

Do you feel a sense of liberty,

Calm and deep relaxation?

Do you feel more confident that you can manage whatever brought you to this meditation today?

Take some time to observe the shift in your thoughts,

Feelings,

Emotions and sensations.

As you begin to feel more confident physically,

Calm and brave,

It makes you flash back at the dwelling.

Just give yourself a moment to look back,

See if you can manage it or not,

Amiabl luff to see the difference in how your body is functioning.

You can begin to bring some small movements back into your fingers and toes and when you're ready you can open your eyes or drift off to sleep.

And experience the best results from this exercise.

It's suggested to do this 1-2 times per day for no more than 4 rounds at a time for at least a month.

After that you can increase to 8 rounds,

But more than 8 rounds in one sitting is not advised.

I have this meditation in 8 rounds when you're ready to take your practice to the next level.

Remember that your breath is always accessible to you,

Anytime,

Anywhere.

Healing and relief can be yours by carving out time to connect with yourself,

To bring yourself back into the present moment,

And to tap into the healing rhythm of your breath.

I'd love to know how this meditation went for you and I'm here to answer any questions that came up for you during this practice.

I also welcome meditation requests that you think might be helpful for you.

Take care.

Reviews

Very soothing meditation! I was wondering why it is not recommended to go beyond 4 rounds? I found this to be very soothing and relaxing and could have gone longer.

I love this breathing!! I learnt it back in 2010 when I was deep diving into breathing exercises & healing, and dr Weil was a leader of wellness who was doing such great things in the world!!!
Your voice was soothing & the pace & structure of this meditation was just right!!
Thank you so much!!! ☺️
I’ve missed this 4-7-8 breathing , and I’m grateful for your shares here 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

Really relaxing and well guided, thank you Jenna 🙏🏻

I have always done the 4-4-4 count. This was a game changer. Thank you. Very calming and healing.

I like how you had me check in with my breath prior. I didn’t realize how short of breathes I was taking. Even now a few minutes after I notice I am taking full breaths.

Very informative and instructive lesson on the 4-7-8 breathing technique. Music and voice were pleasant as well.

Very soothing. I felt my lower back cease grabbing and relax. Personally I’d like to stop for a time between the exhale and inhale. That’s a sweet spot for me. Thank you 🙏

Really calm soothing music and guidance voice with clear instructions and just enough info. Thank you

Beautiful meditation. I am going to try to do this daily for 1 month as you recommended.

Love this breathing meditation. Great instruction and guidance to help you breathe and count along. This left me feeling much more grounded and relaxed.

This is a high-quality breathwork-meditation. Thank you so much!

Love it 😍 ready for deep sleep 💤 thank you so much
Will be exploring all your meditations & breathwork
💫

Perfect, exactly what I’ve been searching for. Looking forward to more sessions with you.

Wow. I’m so glad I searched for a 4-7-8 meditation and found you! Thank you for guiding me through this! Your voice was as calming as the breath work.

Lovely afternoon break when I was feeling anxious. I'm going to try and do this one regularly (:

This made me realise how much I’ve been breathing in a way that is filling my system with carbon dioxide. The 8 counts out, made me work, but not so that I was gasping to get my breath in again.

Incredible, no other words just incredible just what I needed and just the right time

Excellent 😌👌

Amazing guidance and information thank you 🙏

I love the fact that you are using science with breathing to become more stress-free.