4-7-8 Breathing For Beginners

4-7-8 Breathing is a great technique for relaxing the mind and body. It's also a fun one to play around with. For some people, holding on the inhale is easier and more relaxing, while for others, holding for a bit longer on the exhale is more relaxing. In this session, we'll explore each of these different types of breathing patterns, as well as a few different counts. Consider this a self-exploration practice to expose you to various interpretations of the same technique.

Transcript

Hi there, My name is Joey. This is going to be a breathwork technique called 478 breathing. So this is a really good one if you're feeling anxious and you need to calm yourself down. It's a great way to turn on the parasympathetic nervous system and to bring a little bit more calm and clarity to your mind. And so the 478 breathwork pattern is an in-breath for four counts, It's a hold for seven, And then an out-breath for eight counts. And it sounds like a lot and sometimes it can be a lot, And so we'll play around with different patterns, Different counts that we can use. So we're actually going to start just by finding a comfortable seat, Or maybe you find yourself lying down which is totally fine, Maybe prop your head up with a pillow or a blanket. And then wherever you end up, Take a deep breath into your belly, Fill all the way up to the top, And then let it go. And so for this practice we will be breathing just through our nose if possible. And so just start to breathe in and out through your nose. I'm not trying to control or change anything about your breath. Just notice how your breath is right now. So notice the speed, Notice the sound if any, Notice how your mind feels. Maybe start to scan through your body, Notice how your body is feeling, Any areas of tension or tightness. And there's no judgment on any of this, Right? So just allow yourself to be exactly as you are right now. And then let your breath start to deepen, So creating a more conscious and active inhale and exhale. And let that breath move deep into your belly, And then emptying out completely as you exhale. And wherever you are in your breath cycle, Go ahead and empty all of the air out of your lungs. And this time we'll start to breathe in for three, Two, One. Hold for five, Four, Three, Two, One. Breathe out for six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Breathe in for three, Two, One. Hold five, Four, Three, Two, One. Breathe out six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Breathe in three, Two, One. Hold five, Four, Three, Two, One. Breathe out six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. And just let your breath resume its natural rhythm. And so that one we used a three, Five, Six count, Which is a little bit less times than the traditional four, Seven, Eight. And so if you found that to be a little bit more comfortable, You can go ahead and do that. And so that one we used a three, Five, Six count, Which is a little bit less times than the traditional four, Seven, Eight. And so if you found that to be enough for you, Then feel free to continue on your own with that pattern. If you'd like a little bit more, Then I'll guide you through a four, Seven, Eight. So again, Emptying out all of the air from your lungs. And we'll go in, Breathing in for four, Three, Two, One. Hold seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Breathe out eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Breathe in four, Three, Two, One. Hold seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Breathe out eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Breathe in four, Three, Two, One. Hold seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Breathe out eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Breathe in four, Three, Two, One. Hold seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Breathe out eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Take a few rounds of breath on your own, Just allowing yourself to settle back into a natural rhythm. Again, Take note of how you're feeling right now. Notice any changes in your anxiety levels or just in your energy in general. And so we played around with an inhale, Hold, And exhale. And now we're going to play around with an inhale, An exhale, And a hold at the bottom. So we're still going to keep the same counts. So we'll start with the three, Five, Six, And then we'll move into the four, Seven, Eight. So again, That's going to be an inhale for three counts, An exhale for five counts, And then a hold for six counts. So wherever you are, Empty out all of the air from your lungs and breathe in deeply for three, Two, One. Breathe out for five, Four, Three, Two, One. Hold at the bottom for six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Breathe in three, Two, One. Breathe out five, Four, Three, Two, One. Hold six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Breathe in three, Two, One. Breathe out five, Four, Three, Two, One. Hold six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Resume normal breathing. And again, Just notice how that felt. How was it different to the other breath pattern? And so now we'll move that up just a little bit, Going into that four, Seven, Eight. So it'll be an in-breath for four counts, An out-breath for seven counts, And then a hold for eight counts. So notice how this might be a little bit different from the in, Hold, And out. And so letting all of the air out of your lungs to begin, Breathe in for four, Three, Two, One. Out seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Hold eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Breathe in four, Three, Two, One. Out seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Hold eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. In four, Three, Two, One. Out seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Hold eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. In four, Three, Two, One. Out seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Hold eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. In four, Three, Two, One. Out seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Hold eight, Seven, Six, Five, Four, Three, Two, One. Let your breath resume its natural rhythm, Noticing how your breath feels, Noticing how your body feels, And then noticing how your mind feels. Sometimes those breath holds can get a little bit, They can make us a little bit anxious, They can make us a little bit stressed out. So it's always okay if you reduce that count if you need to. Another good thing that I like to try there is to try and relax any part of my body that I feel tensing up. So if my fingers are clenching, I try to relax them as much as possible, And I try to just focus on listening to my heartbeat. Especially when those breath holds get a little bit longer, They can get a little bit more stressful. It's a good idea to listen to the quietest thing that you possibly can to slow yourself down enough that you can start to listen to those really quiet parts of your body. And so sometimes that's the breath, For those breath holds, It would be your heartbeat. So I hope this has left you feeling a little bit calmer, A little bit clearer of mind. I appreciate you so much practicing with me today, And I look forward to our next session together. Thank you.