Box Breathing: How to Do It, and When to Choose Something Else

Box breathing is probably the most famous breathing exercise there is. It's simple to remember, it has a tidy shape, and it's often linked with military and first-responder training, which gives it a certain no-nonsense appeal. It's also a pattern that suits some people beautifully and others not at all — so it's worth knowing both how to do it and when to reach for something else.

What box breathing is

Picture the four sides of a square. You trace each side with one part of the breath, for the same count:

1. Breathe in through your nose for four counts.
2. Hold with your lungs comfortably full for four counts.
3. Breathe out slowly for four counts.
4. Hold with your lungs comfortably empty for four counts.

Then start the next square. A count of four usually means roughly four seconds, which makes each full breath about sixteen seconds — just under four breaths a minute. That's quite slow, which is part of why it can feel settling.

How to do it comfortably

The written instructions make box breathing sound rigid. In practice, the kindest version is soft around the edges.

• Keep the breath light. You don't need to fill your lungs to the top before the first hold. A comfortable, ordinary-sized breath is plenty.
• Make the holds relaxed. A hold isn't clenching your throat shut. It's more like a pause at the top or bottom of a swing. Keep your shoulders and jaw loose.
• Shrink the box if you need to. If four counts feels like a strain, use three. A smaller, easy square is better than a big, effortful one.
• Start short. Two minutes is a good first session.

Why people like it

Box breathing gives the mind a job. Counting four sides and keeping track of where you are leaves little room for a worry loop, at least for a few minutes. Its even structure feels orderly, and some people find that order steadying when everything else feels chaotic.

It's also easy to do discreetly. Nobody can tell you're tracing a square in your head during a meeting or on a train.

When to choose something else

Box breathing has two breath holds in every cycle, and holds don't suit everyone.

For some people — especially those who are sensitive to body sensations or who have experienced panic — holding the breath can bring on exactly the feelings they were hoping to settle: a sense of air hunger, a racing heart, a feeling of being trapped. The urge to breathe during a hold is a normal signal, not a danger, but if it makes you uneasy, there's no reason to push through it. We explain that urge in why a breath hold feels the way it does.

There's also the "load" of it. Counting to four on every side and keeping track of which side you're on is a bit of mental work. When you're very tired or very wound up, a rhythm that asks nothing of you can feel kinder.

If box breathing doesn't feel good, try one of these instead:

• A longer out-breath with no holds — in for four, out for six. See breathing out longer than in.
• Even breathing — the same length in and out, around five or six seconds each, no pauses. See even breathing.
• The physiological sigh — two breaths in, one long breath out. See the physiological sigh.

If you're reaching for box breathing because you feel anxious, see breathing when you're anxious too. None of these is more "advanced" than box breathing. They are simply different shapes. If you're curious about how to choose between them, start with our beginner's guide to slow breathing.

A few cautions

If you are pregnant, or have a heart, blood-pressure or lung condition, epilepsy, or panic attacks, check with a doctor before practising patterns with breath holds. Never do breathing exercises while driving, swimming or doing anything that needs your full attention. And if you feel dizzy or short of air at any point, stop and breathe normally. Our guide to breathing exercises safely goes into more detail.

Box breathing and "having to"

One more thing worth saying: box breathing is often presented as a tool for staying in control under pressure. That's fine as far as it goes. But if you notice you can't face a situation unless you've done your box breathing first, the exercise may be quietly turning into a crutch. Breathing works best as something you choose, not something you need in order to cope. We wrote about this in when calming tricks backfire.

The short version

In for four, hold for four, out for four, hold for four. Keep it light, keep the holds relaxed, shrink the box if you need to — and if the holds don't feel good, choose a rhythm without them. There's no prize for sticking with a technique that doesn't suit you.