Breathing Out Longer Than In: The 4-In, 6-Out Rhythm

If you only learn one breathing pattern, this is a good candidate. It has no holds, nothing to memorise except two numbers, and a shape that many people find naturally soothing: the breath out is a little longer than the breath in.

How to do it

1. Breathe in through your nose for a count of about four.
2. Breathe out — through your nose, or softly through slightly pursed lips — for a count of about six.
3. Let the next breath begin naturally. No pause needed.

That's one breath, about ten seconds long, which works out at around six breaths a minute. Repeat for a few minutes.

If four-and-six feels a stretch, try three-and-five, or even two-and-four. What matters is that the out-breath is longer than the in-breath, and that it all feels comfortable.

Why a longer out-breath feels soothing

Think about the breaths you take naturally when you relax: a sigh after a long day, the slow breaths of someone falling asleep, the long exhale when you finally sit down. Letting go and breathing out tend to go together.

A longer exhale borrows that shape on purpose. Many people find it has a "settling" feel — the in-breath is a gentle lift, and the long out-breath is the letting go. Whether that has a measurable effect on any individual body is a separate question, and research on different breathing ratios is mixed: some work suggests that the slowing itself does much of the work, whatever the exact ratio. But plenty of people simply prefer how a long out-breath feels, and that's a good enough reason to use it.

Keeping it gentle

• Don't empty your lungs completely. The out-breath is long, not forced. Stop well before you feel squeezed.
• Keep the in-breath ordinary. A huge in-breath followed by a long, forceful out-breath isn't the aim.
• Make it quiet. If you can hear yourself breathing loudly, it's probably bigger than it needs to be.
• Let the belly move. A hand on your belly can help you feel the breath rise and fall low down.

If you feel light-headed or tingly at any point, stop and breathe normally. Next time, try smaller, quieter breaths. See why big deep breaths can leave you dizzy.

When to use it

Because it's simple and has no holds, a longer exhale fits almost anywhere:

• Before something you're nervous about — a call, a meeting, an appointment. As a pleasant way to wait, not as something you have to do first. See when calming tricks backfire.
• When you notice tension — clenched jaw, raised shoulders, held breath at your desk. See screen apnea.
• At bedtime, with nothing to achieve. See bedtime breathing.
• As your main practice, for five or ten minutes.

How it compares

• Even breathing uses equal in and out — about five seconds each. Steadier, more neutral. See even breathing.
• The physiological sigh adds a second, small in-breath and an even longer out-breath. See the physiological sigh.
• 4-7-8 adds a long hold between the in-breath and the long out-breath. See 4-7-8 breathing.

Of these, the 4-in, 6-out rhythm is perhaps the most forgiving: no holds, no doubled breaths, nothing to get wrong.

The short version

In for four, out for six. No holds, no strain, no counting beyond that. If you ever find yourself in a moment that feels like too much, this is a rhythm you can find without looking anything up. For more patterns, see our beginner's guide to slow breathing.