Four Count Box Breath
A Pranayama Practice
Here is the audio to follow for the pranayama practice.
TRANSCRIPT:
Hello and welcome to Cultivating Chill.
My name is Vikki Velasquez and thank you for joining me as we explore the four phases of the breath with a 4-count box breath.
Perfect for exploring the breath, the typical box breath is when the inhale, exhale, and suspension of breath are each for an even count, like for a count of three or a count of four. Some variations include an extended or shortened exhale or inhale or breath holds.
The four parts of breath invite the visualization of a box. Each breath phase represents a line in the box, hence the name, box breath.
Before we begin – Please note - If you are experiencing a shortness of breath or experience chronic breathing disorders, please do not participate in the practice but feel free to observe. Also, if at any time you feel overwhelmed or short of breath, let go of practice and let your breath breathe itself.
For this session, we’re going to inhale for a count of four, hold for a count of four, exhale for four, and then hold for four, repeating the cycle for about 5 minutes. I will cue your inhales, exhales, and breath holds.
Find a comfortable seat, either on the floor in Easy Pose or sitting comfortably in a chair or on the bed. Sitting on a cushion or yoga block or folded blanket will elevate the hips over the thighs, creating more space for the air to flow through the body.
You can rest your hands on your thighs or knees, palms up or down.
Palms up means you are allowing energy to flow in and out and through you.
Palms down means you are trying to conserve energy. You are taking energy in through the breath but keeping energy flow circulating internally.
I invite you to gently close your eyes.
For the moment, just let your breath breathe itself.
As you breathe, use your inhale to lengthen the spine so the back, neck, head become aligned and chest and belly have plenty of space to move with the breath.
Use your exhale to relax the shoulders away from the ears, release any tension from the jaw, the ears, the spaces around the eyes.
Inhale to stretch and find space.
Exhale to relax and take up space.
Take a few more natural, full breaths through the nose, preparing yourself for pranayama.
(about three to five natural breaths)
Let’s begin practice by taking a breath to align with one another. Inhale–exhale.
Inhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1. Exhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1.
Inhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1. Exhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1.
Inhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1. Exhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1.
Inhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1. Exhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1.
Inhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1. Exhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1.
Inhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1. Exhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1.
Inhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1. Exhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1.
Inhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1. Exhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1.
Inhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1. Exhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1.
Inhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1. Exhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1.
Inhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1. Exhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1.
Inhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1. Exhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1.
Inhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1. Exhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1.
Inhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1. Exhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1.
Inhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1. Exhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1.
Inhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1. Exhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1.
Inhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1. Exhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1.
Inhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1. Exhale–1, 2, 3, 4. Hold–4, 3, 2, 1.
Inhale and let the breath breathe itself.
Release your practice and just breathe.
(three to five breaths)
If your eyes are closed, whenever you are ready, feel free to gently open your eyes.
Let’s bring our hands to a prayer position, hands to heart center.
The light in me honors the light in you.
Namaste.
Cultivating Chill hopes you found the information and breathing practices informative and helpful. If you have any questions or want to share anything, please feel free to leave a comment.