What is Box Breathing?
There are two different techniques that I like to use when I am focusing on breathing. One of them is known as box breathing and the other is diaphragmatic breathing. Breathing is a useful and accessible tool to help lower stress. It can be beneficial not just for mental health but also has physical benefits as well.
Box breathing can:
→ be used as a meditation technique
→ increase concentration & focus
→ calm the nervous system
→ help regulate blood pressure
→ help improve sleep
Breaking down Box Breathing
Box breathing follows a specific pattern. Each time we take a breath it is held for a specific duration of time for each inhale(air going in) and each exhale(air going out). Also, each time we breathe in air, we are going to pause and sit with the air. Similarly, every time we exhale we are going to pause and sit in that state of post-exhalation.
Don't worry, every single time you exhale, there's still going to be air that remains in your lungs. We don't press all of the air out and keep about 10% of oxygen in our lungs. That's one of the reasons why I really like Pilates. Pilates teaches you how to use diaphragmatic breathing to engage through the abdominals, diaphragm, and ribs to contract and push as much air as possible out. In my Pilates training, I learned that Joseph Pilates was asthmatic and was very interested (and invested) in maximizing his lung capacity as well as pushing the “dead air” out of the body.
Recap of Box breathing:
four counts inhale → four counts pause→ Four counts counts exhale→ four counts pause
Repeat the cycle
Setting up for Box Breathing
When performing your box breathing, you’ll take your breaths from your nose. The nose has a natural filtration system so it's going to provide the cleanest air for your lungs and body to utilize. When going through your box breathing practice you can be seated in a criss-cross position on the floor, you can sit on a chair (make sure that your feet are connected to the floor & not dangling), you can be seated propped up against something, you can lay down etc. Pick a position where you feel the most comfortable. If you choose to not be propped up against anything, you will want to bring awareness to your posture. Relax the shoulders away from the ears and try to sit up tall with an open chest. We're thinking about length in our torso for whichever position we choose. The longer our spine is and more open the collarbone is, and the more easily we'll be able to take in oxygenated air.
Try it out really quickly for yourself right now. Purposefully curl over and round your shoulder forwards while leaning over your phone/computer. Try to take a big inhale as you count to four in this position. Blow the air out and now this time sit up as tall as you can, try to make the front of your chest longer from side to side, and look forward as you breathe in for a count of four. Which seated position was easier for you to take in air? My bets are on the tall position when you are looking forward.
Relax the hands wherever they feel most comfortable. They can be on your lap if you are sitting, by your side or on your belly if you are laying down. Place them somewhere they won’t lose circulation or “fall asleep” during your box breathing practice. I like to close my eyes when I'm doing this breathing practice. You can keep them open, you can keep them close, do whatever feels comfortable for you.
What if I can’t breathe in for 4 seconds?
Maybe you noticed that you can't take four seconds of an inhale. Maybe you can't sit in four seconds of stillness. Don’t worry, work with what you’ve got. You can start with two seconds for each section and then move your way up to four. You’ll want all four sections (inhale, pause, exhale, pause) to be the same duration so each side of the square/box is equal. The more that you practice it, the more it's going to help you increase your lung capacity and train your nervous system.
How long should I breathe for?
How long can you sit in silence? Box breathing can be considered a form of meditation and know that sitting in stillness can be difficult. If you have been wanting to incorporate a meditation practice I personally think this is a great and easy way to start because it still gives your mind something to do and focus on while clearing wandering thoughts from the mind’s eye. Start with an amount of time you will feel good and successful with so that you are motivated to return back to it. Maybe that’s one minute or two minutes and then increasing your way up there. No matter the duration it was still longer than what you were doing before so it will still produce benefits in the body.
Follow Along Box Breathing Video
Want to dive into a practice session right now? Check it out in the video below. Join me and we will do two minutes of breathing together. Don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel by clicking the red play button in the corner so you can continue to learn more.
Following the video and the exercise you should feel a sense of calmness. The frequency of which you practice square breathing is up to you. The best part about it is that it doesn’t take up much time and you can do it from anywhere. Personally, I incorporate it into my morning routine and at any other time during the day in which I feel like I need to re-center myself. It’s also nice to so when I'm done with work and I'm ready to transition to leisure time. It makes a nice transitioning point for my day.
Do you know someone that would enjoy this article? Go ahead and send it over to them! Also, let me know in the comments below when you’ll be incorporating Box Breathing into your routine- Morning or night?
