4-8-12 Breathing For Calm

I'm very happy and excited to invite you to participate with me in this quick breath-work practice for calming the nervous system. Use this track at any point during the day when you'd like the stress and anxiety of the day to drift away.

Transcript

Welcome to the 4,

8,

12 breathing.

We'll breathe in through the nose for a count of 4.

We'll hold for 8 to give our lungs a chance to absorb the oxygen,

Which will refresh our nervous system,

Push nutrients to our cells.

And then we'll exhale for the count of 12 through the mouth,

Hopefully pursing your lips a little bit to really slow the breath down.

And if you run out of breath for the 12 count,

That's fine.

You can just keep acting like you're exhaling,

Acting as if there's more air to blow out.

We're slowing down the breath on the exhale because that will slow down your respiratory system,

Slow down your heart,

And down-regulate your nervous system.

So begin by just taking a big deep breath.

And let it go with a little sound.

So two more deep breaths just like that.

Ahhhhhhh.

Ahhhhhhh.

And then this time we'll breathe in for the count of 4,

So please begin.

2,

3,

4,

And hold.

2,

3,

4,

5,

6,

7,

8.

Exhale.

2,

3,

4,

5,

6,

7,

8.

9,

10,

11,

12.

Inhale.

3,

4,

And hold.

2,

3,

4,

5,

6,

7,

8.

Exhale.

2,

3,

4,

5,

6,

7,

8.

9,

10,

11,

12.

Inhale.

3,

4,

And hold.

2,

3,

4,

5,

6,

7,

8.

Exhale.

2,

3,

4,

5,

6,

7,

8.

9,

10,

11,

12.

Inhale.

2,

3,

4,

5,

6,

7,

8.

Hold.

Exhale.

2,

5,

6,

7,

8.

9,

10,

11,

12.

Inhale.

Hold.

12,

Inhale.

Hold.

Exhale.

Inhale.

And hold.

And hold.

Exhale.

2,

3,

4,

5,

6,

7,

8.

9,

10,

11,

12.

Inhale.

And hold.

Exhale.

9,

10,

11,

12.

Inhale,

Last one.

Hold.

Exhale.

2,

3,

4,

5,

6,

7,

8.

9,

10,

11,

12.

Let it go.

The effects of breath work are always felt after the practice,

So tune into the body.

Notice what's shifting.

You can stay here as long as you like.

You could start another practice now.

Or you could repeat this as needed.

Reviews

Great very effective reset. Thank you.

Quick and simple thank you.

Really good guidance. I'd love to hear you without the background noises, maybe with music.

Wow! First meditation on this app and feel fantastic!! Definitely marking this as a favorite. ❤️

Amazing practice. Felt calmer and more peaceful after completing!

This is also very helpful for high distressed SOS 🆘 states. Thank you 🙏 Most grateful to you 🙏

I felt so anxious going into this and now I feel so much more grounded and calm. Thank you.

Loved this! Felt so calm and content afterwards. 🙏

Thank you for this really helpful breathe practise. Namaste

One of the better ones I have done!! Thank you!! ❤️💪🏽

Short, simple, and very effective!

Wonderful! I just love these kind of breathing exercises! Thank you.

Ralph has a beautiful and soothing voice, easy to follow instructions, and a pleasant demeanor. Will definitely come back for more!

Outstanding intro to a form of breathwork that was both familiar to me (the general concept of counting breaths)and a little new (this specific count).

I particularly enjoy the way the numbers are first vocally counted off for me (so I don’t have to engage my rational brain at all!) and then continued silently (so I don’t even have to engage my sense of hearing!).

Great for beginners to breathwork and/or meditation in general, thanks to the instructor’s accessible content and engaging delivery. May also be listened to regularly if you like the technique —until you memorize and internalize it.

The breathe work came easier then I expected, thank you for you this practice Ralph!🙏

Wish I had used this last night🙏🏼

This was a great meditation and a twist from the Dr Andrew Weil 4-7-8 method, and I really enjoyed it Ralph. Deeply appreciate the way you stayed with me throughout the whole meditation. Thanks 🙏

This was great, really relaxing. Easy to incorporate into your day as well. Thank you 🙏🏻

This breath work is super relaxing! Thank you!

The breathing practice I didn’t know I needed. Amazing 🙏🏼