4-7-8 breathing
If you feel dizzy, hear ringing in your ears or start feeling anxious, stop and breathe the way you normally do. Safety and limits
Headphones make this easier 🎧.
Sit or lie down comfortably. Four cycles are enough — no more than that.
Where to focus: breathe with the belly and turn your attention inward. That is where, during the hold, a sense of inner support appears — lean on that.
How to breathe: a preparatory exhale through the mouth — inhale through the nose for 4 — hold for 7 — exhale for 8, as if blowing gently through barely parted lips. Keep the tip of the tongue behind the upper teeth, against the palate.
The inhale doesn't need to be big. If it starts to feel tight, breathe smaller — same pace.
Don't force the hold. If 7 is too long for now, shorten every number and keep the proportion.
When to skip it
- discomfort with breath holds
- a tendency to panic
- marked breathlessness
- pregnancy
- cardiovascular conditions
- lung conditions
Preparing the practice…