This is a guided breathing practice for the 4x4 breathing technique.
This breathing practice is also called box breathing,
And essentially it means that we breathe in to a count of 4,
And we hold our breath to another count of 4,
We exhale to a count of 4,
And then we pause and hold for another count of 4.
And then we keep repeating this cycle of 4x4 for the next 5 minutes.
So to begin with,
Just making sure that you are in a comfortable position.
You can be seated or even standing up or in motion for this practice.
And when you're ready,
We're going to count down for the first inhale.
And we're going to try and breathe through the nose,
Both for the inhale and the exhale during this practice.
If you're finding it too difficult to breathe only through the nose,
You can use the mouth as well to aid with the inhale and the exhale.
So getting ready for this first inhale now in 3,
2,
1.
Inhale 1,
2,
3,
4,
And hold 1,
2,
3,
4.
Exhale 1,
2,
3,
4,
And pause 1,
2,
3,
4.
Inhale 1,
2,
3,
4,
And hold 1,
2,
3,
4.
Exhale 1,
2,
3,
4,
And pause 1,
2,
3,
4.
Inhale 1,
2,
3,
4,
And hold 1,
2,
3,
4.
Exhale 1,
2,
3,
4,
And pause 1,
2,
3,
4.
And again,
Inhale 1,
2,
3,
4,
And hold 1,
2,
3,
4.
Exhale 1,
2,
3,
4,
And pause 1,
2,
3,
4.
And inhale 1,
2,
3,
4,
And hold 1,
2,
3,
4.
And exhale 1,
2,
3,
4,
And pause 1,
2,
3,
4.
One more time,
Inhale 1,
2,
3,
4,
And hold 1,
2,
3,
4.
Exhale 1,
2,
3,
4,
And pause 1,
2,
3,
4.
Again,
Inhale 1,
2,
3,
4,
And hold 1,
2,
3,
4.
Exhale 1,
2,
3,
4,
And pause 1,
2,
3,
4.
Two more rounds,
Inhale 1,
2,
3,
4,
And hold 1,
2,
3,
4.
Exhale 1,
2,
3,
4,
And hold 1,
2,
3,
4.
Last one,
Inhale 1,
2,
3,
4,
And hold 1,
2,
3,
4.
And exhale 1,
2,
3,
4.
And then now let any air left in the lungs release all of it out.
And if you want to,
You can allow your breath to come back to a natural flow here,
Or if you want to continue,
Continue the 4x4 breathing for a while longer,
Then you can do so just counting the breaths,
The inhales and the exhales,
Just counting it silently in your mind's eye.
It can also help to tap a finger or the hand,
Creating a rhythm against maybe the leg or the knee,
A slight drumming to keep the pace in alignment with the counting,
Just finding a way that works for you to keep the counting natural.
