Eight minutes, five segments. Counted breathwork is unforgiving — practise the four-count once before you hit record.
Setting up
1 min 30[steady and clear — give the step-down option room, don't rush past it]
Welcome. This is box breathing — a simple pattern of four counts in, four held, four out, four held. Eight minutes, and you'll want to be sitting upright rather than lying down.
One thing before we start. If holding the breath feels uncomfortable at any point, shorten the holds to two counts, or drop them entirely and just breathe in for four and out for four. This should feel steady, never strained. If you feel lightheaded, stop and breathe normally. [pause for 10 seconds]
Sit so your back is upright but not rigid. Feet flat. Hands on your knees or in your lap. You can close your eyes or leave them open.
Take one ordinary breath first, just to see where you're starting from. [pause for one full breath]
Finding the count
1 min 30[roughly one count per second — metronome-steady, but warm rather than clinical]
We'll start with just the in and the out, no holds, so you can find the pace. In through the nose for four. Two. Three. Four.
And out through the nose. Two. Three. Four. [repeat that in-and-out cycle three more times, counting aloud, same tempo throughout]
Good. That's the tempo. Now we add the holds.
The box — first round
2 min 30[count every beat aloud here — this is the segment they learn from, don't get economical yet]
In through the nose. Two. Three. Four.
Hold. Two. Three. Four.
Out through the nose. Two. Three. Four.
Hold empty. Two. Three. Four.
That's one round. Again. [repeat the full four-sided count three more times, aloud, with no commentary between rounds]
If the count is slipping away from you, that's normal. Come back to it on the next in-breath.
The box — dropping back
2 min[thin out the counting — this is where they stop following you and start doing it themselves]
I'm going to count less now. You keep the same rhythm.
In. Hold. Out. Hold. [leave the four beats of silence on each side; repeat this corner-only version four times]
Two more rounds on your own now. I'll stay quiet. [silence for two full rounds — about 32 seconds]
Letting the pattern go
30 sec[the comedown matters — don't drop them straight out of a counted pattern into daylight]
Now let the pattern go. Stop counting, stop holding. Let the breath find its own shape again. [pause for 20 seconds]
Notice how it's running now compared to when we started. You don't have to draw a conclusion from it. Just notice. [pause for 10 seconds, then lift the voice]
Open your eyes if they're closed. That's four minutes of steady breathing you can come back to any time — no audio required.