Box Breathing: How to Do It (Free 4-4-4-4 Timer)

Box breathing has four equal sides: in, hold, out, hold, four seconds each. Mark Divine, a former US Navy SEAL and the founder of SEALFIT, described it in TIME in 2016 as the technique he uses to stay calm and focused, and it's simple enough to remember when you're under pressure.

What is box breathing?

Box breathing uses four equal phases. Divine calls it box breathing because the practice has four parts, and he describes a "four-four-four-four ratio": empty lungs held for four counts, a four-count breath in through the nose, a four-count hold, then a four-count breath out (Divine, TIME, 2016). He says he first learned to control his breathing through martial arts during his SEAL training.

Because every count is the same, there's no ratio to remember. You only have one rhythm to follow when you're overwhelmed.

What the research says

A 2018 systematic review of 15 studies linked slow breathing, under 10 breaths a minute, to higher heart rate variability (HRV) and more activity in the parasympathetic, or "rest and digest", nervous system (Zaccaro et al., Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2018). HRV measures how much the gap between heartbeats varies. At 16 seconds a round, box breathing runs at under 4 breaths a minute, well inside that range, although the review didn't test box breathing itself.

Gerritsen and Band propose that the regulated breathing used in practices like meditation and yoga stimulates the vagus nerve, the main nerve of the parasympathetic system (Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2018). It's a model rather than settled fact, but it offers one explanation for why slow breathing might calm the body.

The most direct test is a 2023 Stanford trial by Balban and colleagues (Cell Reports Medicine, 2023). For a month, 108 adults practised box breathing (with each phase set per person, from 3 to 10 seconds), cyclic sighing, cyclic hyperventilation or mindfulness meditation for 5 minutes a day. Taken together, the breathing groups had a bigger rise in positive mood and a bigger drop in resting breathing rate than the meditation group. Cyclic sighing was the only single practice that stood out from meditation; box breathing didn't on its own. Anxiety fell in every group.

How to do box breathing

These steps follow Divine's description, which starts from empty lungs.

1. Breathe out fully, then keep your lungs empty for a count of four.

2. Breathe in through your nose for a count of four.

3. Hold the air in for a count of four. Divine advises against clamping down during the hold, so keep your chest feeling open.

4. Breathe out smoothly through your nose for a count of four.

5. Repeat. Divine suggests at least five minutes. The Stanford trial also used 5 minutes a day, and one round takes 16 seconds.

If you feel dizzy or uncomfortable, stop and breathe normally.

When to use it

Because the count is simple, box breathing is easy to do before a hard meeting, before focused work, or whenever your thoughts are racing and you want one thing to hold your attention.

If anxiety is showing up most days, breathing exercises are a support, not a treatment. What to expect from therapy for anxiety is a good next read, and emotional regulation therapy explains how therapy helps with feelings that escalate fast.

Box breathing and other techniques

Box breathing gives every phase the same length. 4-7-8 breathing uses a 4-second inhale, a 7-second hold and an 8-second exhale. For something shorter, try the physiological sigh: two breaths in and one long breath out, with no hold.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is box breathing?

A breathing pattern with four equal phases of four counts each: breathe in, hold, breathe out, hold. Former Navy SEAL Mark Divine described it in TIME in 2016 as a technique he uses to stay calm and focused.

How long does box breathing take?

One round takes 16 seconds. Divine suggests practising for at least five minutes, and the 2023 Stanford trial used 5 minutes a day for a month.

Is box breathing backed by research?

Partly. Slow breathing in general is linked to higher heart rate variability (Zaccaro et al., 2018). In the 2023 Stanford trial, breathwork as a group lifted mood more than meditation, but box breathing on its own didn't differ significantly from meditation. Cyclic sighing did.

Is box breathing the same as 4-7-8 breathing?

No. Box breathing uses equal counts for all four phases. 4-7-8 breathing uses a 4-second inhale, a 7-second hold and an 8-second exhale, with no hold after the exhale.

Should I breathe out through my nose or my mouth?

Divine's version breathes in and out through the nose. If that feels uncomfortable, stop and breathe normally.

Sources

• Divine M. The breathing technique a Navy SEAL uses to stay calm and focused. TIME. 4 May 2016.
• Zaccaro A, Piarulli A, Laurino M, et al. How breath-control can change your life: a systematic review on psycho-physiological correlates of slow breathing. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 2018;12:353.
• Gerritsen RJS, Band GPH. Breath of life: the respiratory vagal stimulation model of contemplative activity. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 2018;12:397.
• Balban MY, Neri E, Kogon MM, et al. Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal. Cell Reports Medicine. 2023;4(1):100895.