Box Breathing: Where It Really Comes From, What A Stanford Trial Found, And The Breath That Did Better
Box breathing: the short answer
Box breathing means breathing in, holding, breathing out and holding again, all for the same count, often four. It became famous through the military as a way to stay calm under pressure, and it works. But it is not new. Yoga has taught even-count breathing, called sama vrtti, for a very long time.
And when a Stanford trial put box breathing side by side with other breaths, a different one came out on top. Here is the article in short form:
- Box breathing is even-count breathing with holds.
- Its older name in yoga is sama vrtti.
- In a Stanford trial, the long out-breath lifted mood most.
- Box breathing counts; Ujjayi shapes the breath itself.
- Breath holds come later, for good reason.
- Pranayama adds a safe order, a set-up and a teacher.
A quick word on Iyengar yoga. Iyengar yoga is the style developed by Mr BKS Iyengar. In the 20th century he did more than anyone to set down traditional Indian yoga, and his book Light on Pranayama gave a careful, step-by-step way of learning the breathing practices. It is the style we teach at Flametree, in Darwin and live online.
Counted breathing is only one part of pranayama. The quality of the breath matters as much as the count.
Where does box breathing come from?
The name is new; the method is old. In pranayama (yoga’s breathing practice), counts and ratios are called vrtti. Sama vrtti means the counts are even. Visama vrtti means they differ, as in 4-7-8 breathing: in for 4, hold for 7, out for 8. Holding the breath is called kumbhaka.
So box breathing is sama vrtti with holds, and 4-7-8 breathing is a form of visama vrtti. This is not to knock either one. Box breathing has helped soldiers and nurses stay calm. It is simply worth knowing the family it comes from.
Does box breathing work for anxiety?
It helps, and one breath helped more. In a 2023 Stanford trial in Cell Reports Medicine, 108 adults did five minutes a day for a month of one of four practices: box breathing, cyclic sighing (a double in-breath, then a long, slow out-breath), fast breathing with a hold, or mindfulness meditation.
Every group felt less anxious and less low after each session. But cyclic sighing, the long out-breath, was the one practice that clearly beat mindfulness on its own. It also slowed people’s resting breathing over the month, and the more days people practised, the bigger the lift in mood.
Why would the out-breath matter so much? Each breath in speeds the heart a little. Each breath out slows it. Make the out-breath long and you hold the body’s brake down for longer.
The out-breath is the brake. Every breath in speeds the heart a little; a long breath out slows it.
Is box breathing the same as Ujjayi breath?
No. They answer two different questions. Box breathing is about counts: how long you breathe in, hold and breathe out. Ujjayi breath (Victorious Breath, AKA Ocean Breath) is about the quality of the breath: the soft ocean sound at the back of the throat, a long, smooth, even breath that fills the chest from the bottom ribs up.
One is the timing, the other is the texture. In the Iyengar way you usually do both at once. In Light on Yoga, Mr Iyengar says the even counts of sama vrtti are kept “in any type of Pranayama like Ujjayi, Surya Bhedana, Nadi Sodhana, Sitali”.
Most adults breathe 12 to 20 times a minute. Slow pranayama, as in Ujjayi, brings it to about six.
Get the free ebook Breathwork’s Original Toolkit. New to Flametree, or away for 3 months or more? You get 2 free classes + 2 ebooks, only available via this offer. Already coming to class? You can still get the book.
Is holding your breath safe?
Short, gentle pauses are, for most people. Long holds need care. In a 2023 German trial, 74 people with post-traumatic stress had therapy, and half also did pranayama that included breath holding. Those who had unpleasant reactions during the holds ended up worse off than those who had therapy alone.
That is why, in the Iyengar way, pranayama is learnt in a safe order. First you lie down and watch the normal breath. Then come long, smooth out-breaths and Ujjayi, still lying down. Holds and strong practices come much later, with a teacher watching.
If you feel dizzy, panicky or short of air with any breathing practice, stop and breathe normally. If you have a heart or lung condition, or a history of trauma, tell your teacher before class so they can adapt the practice.
The safe order: calm before strong. Holds, like those in box breathing, come later in the Iyengar way.
What does pranayama add to box breathing?
Three things many modern methods leave out.
- A safe order. Calm, slow breathing comes first. Fast breathing and breath holding come much later.
- A set-up. Blankets, a bolster, a chair and a belt let you breathe without strain.
- A teacher who watches. The breath is checked, and the practice is changed for you on the day.
Stuart, who teaches at Flametree, spent several weeks in Chris’s early pranayama class working on pauses in the breath before teaching his own classes. One morning a student asked him, “How much coffee did you have this morning?” His answer: “I had pranayama for breakfast.” Steady, clear energy, wrapped in calm.
How well each breathing idea is known: some from many trials, some from a few, some from long practice.
Pranayama is learnt lying down first, over a bolster, so the chest can open without strain.
Where can I learn breathing like box breathing in Darwin?
Flametree does not teach box breathing or 4-7-8 as such. We teach their older relatives, which we think offer more: Staircase breathing (Viloma), Ocean Breath (Ujjayi), Alternate Nostril breathing, Humming Breath (Bhramari) and, later, Shining Skull breath (Kapalabhati). If you came looking for box breathing in Darwin, try these.
Chris’s pranayama classes run at 6.30am on Tuesdays and Thursdays, in the studio and live online, and Stuart runs breath meditation at Coolalinga. Every beginner class also opens and closes with breath work.
See also Benefits Of Breathwork, Ujjayi Pranayama Iyengar Style and Is Pranayama Safe?
Breathwork’s Original Toolkit, our free ebook on pranayama and modern breathwork.
Your free copy of Breathwork’s Original Toolkit is waiting. New to Flametree, or away for 3 months or more? You get 2 free classes + 2 ebooks, only available via this offer. Already coming to class? You can still get the book.
Frequently asked questions
How do you do box breathing?
Breathe in for a count, hold for the same count, breathe out for the same count and hold again, often four each. In yoga this even-count breathing is called sama vrtti. Short, gentle holds suit most people; long holds need a teacher.
Is box breathing a yoga technique?
Its roots are. Even-count breathing is sama vrtti in pranayama, and holding the breath is kumbhaka. Box breathing is a modern name and packaging for a very old idea, made popular through the military.
Is 4-7-8 breathing better than box breathing?
They differ in the count. 4-7-8 is uneven-ratio breathing (visama vrtti) with a long hold and a longer out-breath. In a Stanford trial, a practice built on a long out-breath, cyclic sighing, lifted mood more than box breathing or mindfulness.
What did the Stanford breathing study find?
In 2023, 108 adults did five minutes a day for a month of box breathing, cyclic sighing, fast breathing with a hold, or mindfulness. All felt less anxious, but cyclic sighing, with its long out-breath, clearly beat mindfulness and lifted mood most.
Can box breathing make you dizzy?
It can if the holds are long or you force the breath. Stop and breathe normally if you feel dizzy, panicky or short of air. In the Iyengar way, holds are left until slow, smooth breathing has been learnt lying down.
What is the difference between counting the breath and Ujjayi?
Counting sets the timing of each part of the breath. Ujjayi sets its quality: a soft sound at the back of the throat and a long, smooth breath that fills the chest from the bottom ribs up. In Iyengar pranayama you usually do both together.
Who should not practise breath holding?
Anyone with a heart or lung condition, high blood pressure, pregnancy or a history of trauma should tell their teacher first, so holds can be left out or changed. In a 2023 German trial, people with post-traumatic stress who reacted badly to breath holds did worse.
Where can I learn breathing techniques in Darwin?
Flametree teaches pranayama at 6.30am on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the studio and live online, and breath meditation at Coolalinga. We teach the older relatives of box breathing: Ujjayi, Viloma, Alternate Nostril and Humming Breath.
Where to next
- New to yoga, or coming back? Start with our half price 10 class pass with 2 classes free, in Darwin or live online.
- For a workplace, team or group: book private yoga classes for groups, online, at a Flametree studio or at your venue.
- Want to see class times first? Look at the beginner timetable.
Flametree Yoga Studio, Darwin and live online. This article is general information, not medical advice. Feel free to check with your professional advisers if you wish, but also give yoga a try.
Sources: Balban MY and colleagues, Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal (108 adults), Cell Reports Medicine, 2023; Fincham GW and colleagues, breathwork and stress (12 trials, 785 adults), Scientific Reports, 2023; Zaccaro A and colleagues, slow breathing, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2018; German trial of pranayama with breath holds in post-traumatic stress (74 people), 2023; BKS Iyengar, Light on Yoga and Light on Pranayama; Richard Rosen, The Yoga of Breath, 2002. Further reading: Balban and colleagues, Cell Reports Medicine, 2023. Full references are in the Breathwork’s Original Toolkit ebook.
