Breathing Exercise: Box & 4-7-8 Breathing

The three techniques at a glance

Press Start for a 3-second countdown; the session then runs the whole number of rounds closest to the length you chose. Breathe in as the circle grows and out as it shrinks.

How to do 4-7-8 breathing

1. Rest the tip of your tongue against the roof of your mouth, just behind your upper front teeth.
2. Breathe out completely through your mouth with a whooshing sound.
3. Breathe in through your nose while counting to 4.
4. Gently hold your breath while counting to 7.
5. Breathe out through your mouth for a count of 8, lips slightly pursed.

Cleveland Clinic’s guide repeats the cycle for four rounds in total, and the doctor it quotes suggests three rounds twice a day. Beginners may feel a little lightheaded or short of breath while they get used to breathing more slowly. The technique was popularized by integrative medicine physician Andrew Weil. Here, a 1-minute 4-7-8 session is 3 rounds (57 seconds).

How to do box breathing

Breathe out fully, then breathe in for 4, hold for 4, breathe out for 4 and hold for 4. Cleveland Clinic suggests three to four rounds once or twice a day, breathing very gently and without straining. It’s also known as a technique used by US Navy SEALs.

Resonance breathing (about 5.5 breaths a minute)

Breathe in for 5.5 seconds and out for 5.5 seconds, with no holds. In heart rate variability research, breathing at about 5.5 to 6 breaths a minute is, on average, where heart rate rises and falls most with each breath (Lehrer & Gevirtz, 2014). The NHS suggests a similar exercise: breathe in gently counting from 1 to 5, then out counting from 1 to 5, for at least 5 minutes, ideally every day. With no holds, it’s the easiest one to start with.

What the research says

In a Stanford study published in 2023, 108 adults did 5 minutes a day of a breathing exercise or mindfulness meditation for a month, remotely. Both groups reported less anxiety. Exhale-focused “cyclic sighing” improved mood more than mindfulness; box breathing also scored a little higher, but the difference was not statistically significant. The authors note that the study was exploratory, short and had small groups, so the results are not conclusive.

Safety

• Stop and breathe normally if you feel dizzy, lightheaded or short of breath.
• If holding your breath is uncomfortable, shorten the holds or choose resonance breathing, which has none.
• If you’re pregnant or have a heart or lung condition, it’s sensible to check with your doctor before practicing breath holds.
• Breathing exercises may help you relax, but they don’t replace treatment. If anxiety or poor sleep keeps going, talk to a health professional.

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Sources

• Cleveland Clinic, “How To Do the 4-7-8 Breathing Exercise” (6 September 2022)
• Cleveland Clinic, “Box Breathing Benefits and Techniques” (17 August 2021)
• Lehrer P. M. & Gevirtz R. (2014), Heart rate variability biofeedback: how and why does it work? Frontiers in Psychology 5:756
• Balban M. Y. et al. (2023), Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal. Cell Reports Medicine 4:100895
• NHS, Breathing exercises for stress (reviewed 12 June 2026)