Box breathing is a breathing exercise with four equal sides. You breathe in for a count of four, hold for four, breathe out for four and hold for four, then start again. It needs no equipment and no experience, and you can do it with your eyes open, anywhere. Five minutes is enough to try it.
Try one round now
Follow the dot. Each side takes four seconds.
How to do box breathing, step by step
- Sit so your back is upright but not stiff, and rest your hands in your lap. Close your eyes, or rest your gaze on one spot on the floor.
- Breathe all the way out, gently, so you start empty.
- Breathe in slowly through your nose for a count of four. Let your belly expand, not just your chest.
- Hold the breath for a count of four. Keep your throat and shoulders soft while you wait.
- Breathe out slowly for a count of four, through your nose or your mouth.
- Hold, empty, for a count of four.
- That is one box. Keep going for about five minutes. If you only have a minute, four rounds is still worth doing.
- When you finish, let your breathing go back to normal for a few breaths before you get up.
Count at about one number a second. It helps to picture a square and trace one side with each count of four, which is what the dot above is doing. If four feels too long, use three. If it feels easy after a week or two, try five. In a 2023 Stanford study, each person's count was set by how long they could comfortably breathe out, from about three to ten seconds a side, and they were told to shorten it whenever they had to strain[1].
When to use box breathing
Box breathing gives a busy mind one simple shape to follow. It suits moments when you need to settle quickly and stay alert afterwards:
- Before something stressful: a presentation, an exam, a hard conversation or going on stage.
- When your thoughts are racing and you cannot switch off.
- Between tasks, to put one thing down before you pick up the next.
- In a queue, on a train or in a waiting room, where no one can tell you are doing it.
If you are winding down for sleep, breathing out for longer than you breathe in is often a better fit than four equal sides.
What is normal, and when to stop
Feeling short of air during the holds. This is the most common reaction. Shorten the count until it feels easy. Box breathing should never feel like a test.
Feeling lightheaded or dizzy. Stop and breathe normally. Try again later with a shorter count, or leave out the holds.
Your mind keeps wandering. That is expected. Each time you notice, go back to the count. Noticing and coming back is the practice.
If you have a heart or lung condition, are pregnant, or find that holding your breath makes you anxious, leave out the holds and simply breathe in for four and out for four. Check with your doctor if you are unsure.
What the research says
In the 2023 Stanford study, 108 adults did five minutes a day for a month of either mindfulness meditation or one of three breathing exercises, one of which was box breathing. Anxiety fell and mood improved in every group. The breathing groups together gained more positive mood than the meditation group, and the clearest effect came from cyclic sighing, which is two breaths in followed by a long breath out. Box breathing's gains were similar in size, but only 21 people did it, and its lead over meditation was small enough to be chance[1].
More broadly, slow breathing at fewer than about ten breaths a minute has been linked with signs of relaxation, such as higher heart rate variability and lower reported anxiety, in a 2018 review of 15 studies, most of them small[2]. At four counts a side, box breathing comes to about four breaths a minute.
Questions people ask
How long should I do box breathing?
Five minutes is a good length to start with, and it is what participants did each day in the 2023 Stanford study. Even four rounds, about a minute, is a useful reset.
Is box breathing the same as 4-7-8 breathing?
No. In 4-7-8 breathing you breathe in for four, hold for seven and breathe out for eight, with no hold at the end. Box breathing keeps all four sides the same length.
Should I breathe through my nose or my mouth?
Breathe in through your nose if you can. Breathe out through your nose or your mouth, whichever feels slower and easier.
Can I do box breathing with my eyes open?
Yes. You can do it with your eyes open, in a meeting, on a train or standing in a queue, and nobody will notice.