Five patterns, written out as counts

2 · 1 · 6 — 9s a round

A short breath in through the nose, then a second small sip on top of it without letting any out — then one long exhale through the mouth, slow, as if through a straw. Three to five rounds is the whole practice, so it fits in the gap between two things.

1. Breathe in2s
2. Inhale fully1s
3. Long exhale6s

4 · 4 · 4 · 4 — 16s a round

Four counts in, four held, four out, four held again. The four equal sides are where the name comes from, and they are what makes it easy to keep the count in your head once the screen is off.

1. Breathe in4s
2. Hold4s
3. Breathe out4s
4. Hold4s

4 · 7 · 8 — 19s a round

Four counts in, seven held, eight out. The exhale is the longest part of the round and the hold is the part people shorten first — if seven is too long, take fewer rounds rather than a shorter hold.

1. Breathe in4s
2. Hold7s
3. Breathe out8s

5 · 5 — 10s a round

Five counts in, five counts out, with no hold at either end. A round takes ten seconds, which works out at about six of them a minute.

1. Breathe in5s
2. Breathe out5s

4 · 6 — 10s a round

Four counts in, six counts out. No hold, and the exhale is half again as long as the inhale — the smallest change you can make to an ordinary breath and still be doing something deliberate.

1. Breathe in4s
2. Breathe out6s