4-7-8 breathing, paced by sound
Breathe in
4
In for four, a pause for seven, then a long breath out for eight.
The best-known evening count, with one pause after the in-breath.
Once it starts you can close your eyes. The sound changes with each phase, and the pause is silence.
You're in. Keep going, or take it with you:
Continue in the appHow to do 4-7-8 breathing
- In for four.
- Hold for seven.
- Out for eight.
- Start again, with no pause after the out-breath.
It is slower than it looks: about three breaths a minute. The one pause comes after the in-breath.
Breathe softly: there is no need to fill your lungs. Sit or lie down: it is not one to do standing.
Start with three minutes.
If the pause feels tight
If the pause makes you tense, switch to Settling: the same long out-breath, nothing held.
4-7-8 or box breathing?
4-7-8 is in for four, a pause of seven with the breath held in, and out for eight. Box breathing is four equal counts, with a short pause after the in-breath and another after the out-breath.
New to this? Start with 4-6 breathing or First Week.
At the end of the day
In AERSŌMA, 4-7-8 sits with the evening practices. It is not a way to make yourself sleep, only something slow to follow while you wind down.
Before you start
Stop and breathe normally if you feel light-headed. Not while driving or in water. If you are pregnant, or you have a heart or lung condition or epilepsy, talk to a doctor before practising breath holds.
Take it with you
Four Seven Eight and Settling are in the app, with the same sound. Free, no ads, and it works without a signal.
On Android now. iPhone later.
Try a rhythm: Box breathing · 4-6 breathing · Resonance breathing · Deep breathing: slower, not deeper · Breathing timer · Global Rhythm