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Box breathing
box breathing / square breathing
A listing is not a recommendation.
Origin: Contemporary (spread in military and performance settings) · Tradition: A contemporary breathing method · Breathing
What it is
Breathing in equal beats of inhale, hold, exhale, and hold (for example four seconds each). It is used for self-regulation of tension. The research is relatively new.
A short introduction (not a treatment instruction)
- Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold for 4, breathe out for 4, hold for 4, for several cycles.
- If you feel short of breath, shorten the holds.
- Do not do this in water.
Symptoms or aims often mentioned with this practice
- Stress or unease
- Focus and thinking
- Breathing
Related symptom videos
Research notes (this is not a promise of effect)
C: Preliminary, small, or lower-quality studies, or mixed results. These notes should not be over-read
The practice is widely described, but large, high-quality trials are still few. Understand it as part of slow breathing in general.
Sources
Safety notes
Shorten or omit the holds in pregnancy, serious heart disease, or panic.
If you are unsure, or if you have a health condition, are pregnant, or take medicine, consult a qualified professional.
Situations in which this is better avoided
- In water
- Modify it in circulatory or respiratory disease in which breath-holding is a burden