IFEELFIVE

Breathwork

Change your breath, change your state.

You breathe about twenty thousand times a day and hardly notice one of them. Your friend started noticing. A few minutes of breathing on purpose can calm you down before a hard talk, or wake you up when the afternoon drags. Pick what you need, tap "Breathe with me" and follow the circle.

The one rule to remember

Long exhale, calmer you. When you breathe out longer than you breathe in, you lean on the body's brake (the parasympathetic side of your nervous system: rest, digest, recover). Strong or long inhale, more energy. Fast, powerful breathing leans on the gas (the sympathetic side: alert, ready, go). You choose which one you need.

Calm downLonger out than in. Turns the volume down.

  • The double inhale

    Physiological sigh

    When stress spikes and you need calm in under a minute.

    1. Breathe in through your nose.
    2. At the top, take one more short sip of air through the nose.
    3. Let it all out slowly through your mouth, longer than you breathed in.

    Your body already does this on its own: it is the sigh you let out after crying or a long day. The long exhale is the part that tells your nervous system it can stand down.

    More about this breath

    Two short inhales open up the tiny air sacs in your lungs a little more, and the long exhale slows your heart rate down a touch. One to three sighs is often enough. It is the fastest reset on this page.

    How often: Any time. Even in a meeting, nobody will notice.

    1 min

  • The perfect breath

    Resonant breathing, 5.5 in, 5.5 out

    Every day. Before sleep, before a hard talk, at your desk.

    1. Breathe in softly through your nose for 5.5 seconds.
    2. Breathe out through your nose for 5.5 seconds.
    3. No pauses, no force. About five and a half breaths a minute.

    James Nestor calls this rhythm the perfect breath in his book Breath. Slow, even breathing like this is what many people use to settle heart and mind into one calm rhythm.

    More about this breath

    At around five and a half breaths a minute, breathing, heart rhythm and blood pressure tend to move in step. Researchers call that resonance or coherence. It feels like nothing special while you do it, and quietly calmer afterwards.

    How often: Five to ten minutes a day, or whenever you remember. It's the one to make a habit.

    5 min

  • Box breathing

    4 in, 4 hold, 4 out, 4 hold

    When your head is racing and you need to focus again.

    1. Breathe in through your nose for 4.
    2. Hold gently for 4.
    3. Breathe out for 4.
    4. Hold empty for 4. Repeat.

    Four equal sides, nothing to think about. Counting gives a busy mind one small job, which is often all it needs to slow down.

    More about this breath

    Equal parts in, hold, out and hold. The holds stop you from rushing, and the count keeps your attention on the breath instead of on your thoughts. It became famous as the breath Navy SEALs use to stay steady under pressure.

    How often: Two to five minutes, before anything that needs a steady head.

    3 min

  • 4-7-8

    The falling-asleep breath

    In bed, lights off, when sleep won't come.

    1. Breathe in quietly through your nose for 4.
    2. Hold for 7.
    3. Breathe out through your mouth for 8, with a soft whoosh.
    4. Start with four rounds. That's enough.

    Made popular by Dr. Andrew Weil. The exhale is twice as long as the inhale, and the long hold slows everything down. Many people are asleep before round four.

    More about this breath

    The long hold and the even longer exhale slow everything down. Do it lying down, keep the tongue resting behind your upper front teeth, and don't worry if you can't hold for seven at first: keep the ratio and go faster.

    How often: Four rounds at bedtime. Not more at the start.

    4 rounds

Find balanceEven and slow. Calm, but awake.

  • Alternate nostril

    Nadi shodhana, an old pranayama

    When you feel scattered and want to land. Calm, but awake.

    1. Close your right nostril with your thumb. Breathe in through the left.
    2. Close the left with your ring finger, open the right. Breathe out.
    3. Breathe in through the right. Switch, and breathe out through the left.
    4. That is one round. Keep it slow and quiet.

    One of the oldest breathing practices from yoga. Switching sides gives your hands and your attention something to do, and the slow pace does the rest.

    More about this breath

    You guide the air through one side at a time. It needs a little concentration, which is exactly why it works when your thoughts run in circles. If your nose is blocked, just imagine the switch and breathe through both sides.

    How often: Three to five minutes, in the morning or before deep work.

    3 min

Wake upLonger or stronger in. Turns the volume up.

  • The wake-up ratio

    Long in, short out

    Mornings, after lunch, before you need to show up.

    1. Breathe in deep through your nose for 4, all the way to your belly.
    2. Let it out in 2, short and easy.
    3. Sit or stand tall. One or two minutes is plenty.

    Flip the calming rule: when the inhale is longer than the exhale, the body tends to turn up instead of down. A gentle way to wake up without another coffee.

    More about this breath

    A deep, long inhale and a quick, easy exhale. It's the gentle opposite of the calming breaths: a little more oxygen in, a little more alertness. No forcing, no dizziness.

    How often: One or two minutes when the energy dips.

    2 min

  • Skull shining breath

    Kapalabhati pranayama

    When you want real energy and a clear head. Sitting, never standing.

    1. Sit tall. Take one easy breath in.
    2. Push the air out through your nose in short, sharp bursts by pulling your belly in.
    3. Let the inhale happen by itself. Thirty bursts, then rest and breathe normally.
    4. Three rounds. Stop the moment you feel dizzy.

    A classic pranayama from yoga. Fast, strong breathing switches the body into go mode for a while. It is the opposite of the calm breaths above, so keep it for the moments you want the push.

    More about this breath

    The work happens on the exhale: a quick pull of the belly pushes the air out, the inhale comes by itself. After thirty bursts you rest and let your breathing settle. Many people feel warm, awake and clear-headed after three rounds.

    How often: Once a day at most, in the morning, on an empty stomach. Sitting, never in water or while driving.

    3 rounds

Three habits from Breath

  1. Nose, not mouth. Breathe through your nose, day and night, unless an exercise says otherwise.
  2. Slower. Most of us breathe faster than we need to. Slow down, even a little.
  3. Breathe out all the way. A full exhale makes room for a better inhale.

Your friend learned most of this from James Nestor's book Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art. If one book on this page, then that one. Why it matters to your friend →

Be kind to yourself

These are simple breathing exercises, not treatment. Breathe gently and stop if you feel dizzy, tingly or unwell. Never practise them while driving, in or near water, or standing up for the activating ones. If you are pregnant or live with a heart, lung or blood pressure condition, epilepsy or panic attacks, talk to your doctor before trying the fast breaths.

Make it a daily ritual.

Two minutes a day does more than an hour once a month. Pick your moment, and your calendar reminds you. One tap opens the exercise.

Apple, Outlook & othersGoogle Calendar

The reminder lives only in your own calendar. We don't store or send anything.

One note a week. Sunday evening.

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