Box Breathing

A practice to sooth and shift anxiety…

We all feel anxious from time to time. Even without the larger stresses in life like a death in the family, or a major life or work change, the smaller, day-to-day stresses can build up until the physiological impact can become too disruptive to manage. So what is anxiety, anyway? Anxiety is the body’s natural response to life’s stress, or fear and apprehension of the unknown. It is a combination of physiological responses that heighten the senses by activating the body’s fight or flight response and pumping us full of hormones. It can be nauseousness or clamminess, our heartbeat in our ears or the taste of blood in our mouths. Whatever it is, it’s awful.

So what can we do? We can get back to the most essential function of life there is - respiration - we can breathe. Why connect with the breath? Because when we are breathing, we are living. We take oxygen in. our diaphragm pulls down, and we create space. The oxygen in the air we inhale passes through the membranes of the lungs into the blood and is carried around the body, feeding our cells. We nurture ourselves with every breath.

Yes, you feel anxious. Yes, there are scary things outside the castle walls. Yes, they might want to get you. You’re not crazy, and this is not all in your head. And…

…you are not alone.

You are surrounded by friends.

You are loved.

You are protected.

You are cherished.

You are a value to this world.

Take in a breath, deep and full. Take in a breath…and let it go. And on your next breath let yourself count as you breathe in for a full, slow count of four:

One…

Two…

Three…

Four.

And then hold your fullness for a count or four: One…two…three…four.

And then exhale for a count of four: One…two…three…four.

And then hold your emptiness for a count of four: One…two…three…four.

Inhale for four, hold for four, exhale for four, hold for four. Repeat. Inhale for four, hold for four, exhale for four, hold for four. Repeat. Inhale for four, hold your fullness for four, exhale for four, hold your emptiness for four. Repeat.

Repeat this exercise as many times as needed to move through your anxiety, get past it, and get back to the matters at hand. Breath is life. Breathing is life. As long as we are breathing, we are living, and everything else can be sorted out in it’s own time.

Blessed be.

💖

Note added later: I’ve found this is also an excellent exercise for folks who say they have trouble meditating because they find it difficult to still their mind. The counting will naturally fall away when it’s no longer needed.