Square Breathing Meditation Exercise

This breathing meditation, or some may know it as the Box breathing exercise, is a very simple method to focus the mind, this time using controlled, deliberate breathing.

Benefits of Practicing this Breathing Meditation

Looking for a simple way to melt away tension during a stressful day? Or maybe need a break to refocus your attention? Square breathing is a simple and effective way to calm yourself down at the moment when you meet it. Plus you can enjoy a few minutes of peace.

How to Practice the Square Breathing Meditation

Square breathing is very simple. 

A square has four equal sides.

Square breathing has four equal sections. 

Inhale for 4 seconds. Hold it for 4 seconds. Exhale for 4 seconds. And then hold it for 4 seconds again, and then repeat. If you find it hard to hold your breath for 4 seconds in this cycle, count to 3 when going around your square instead.

It can also be helpful to imagine moving along the edges of a square object. Visualize yourself breathing around the 4 corners of a square, a box, a window, a photo frame, or anything else that’s square

Continue this activity for around 4 to 6 cycles, and as you get used to it, expand the amount of time you continue this deeper, calm breathing pattern to 10 or 15 minutes.

Namaste!

Timestamps

00:00 Welcome to this Mindfulness of breathing meditation practice

00:34 Square Breathing meditation technique explanation

02:40 The Square Breathing exercise

05:33 Thanks for joining me in this powerful breathing practice

Additional Resources

How to Get Started With Meditation

The easiest way to get started if you’re a beginner is to try guided meditation like this one. Guided meditation means using a pre-recorded script that will talk you through everything you must do at any given stage.

Essentially, this helps direct your attention and show you what you need to reflect on or pay attention to at any given time.

Learning to meditate and making it a part of your life are two very different things. And you may find it challenging to adopt this new behavior in a meaningful way. Read this article where I share 4 essential tips for how to meditate successfully with ease. 

And lastly, if you’d like to better understand Mindfulness and its practices, join me inside the Mindfulness for Beginners Workshop Experience.