Get the Breathin' EZ; crush your chaos on the 4-7-8

Living Well

A Column By Donna Henderson

If you’ve ever visited with me as a client, you are probably already aware of how enthusiastic I am —in a very calm way, of course— about a simple breathing exercise known as “4-7-8” breathing, or more descriptively, “Relaxing breath”.

Many different breathing techniques effectively activate our parasympathetic nervous system, which is that part of our nervous system designed to calm us down. Among the several I know, I and my clients have found 4-7-8 breathing to be especially effective in quickly reducing anxiety, agitation and other symptoms of distress.

I learned about the technique from a friend who, hoping to avoid or reduce medication for recently-diagnosed hypertension, visited Dr. Andrew Weil’s website. He was hoping to find some effective integrative (combination) medicine approaches. He found the directions for this technique there, and to his happy surprise, he reported he significantly reduced the amount of medication needed to lower his blood pressure to healthy parameters by using this technique regularly.

Visiting Dr. Weil’s website and others to learn more, I found that 4-7-8 breathing may help with many conditions, including anxiety, managing cravings, controlling or reducing anger responses, and insomnia,. In an article in Medical News Today, some people reported being able to drop off to sleep in one minute by using this technique.

What’s not to like?

Here’s how to do the technique:

1. Find a comfortable sitting position and place the tip of your tongue on the spot where your top front teeth meet the roof of your mouth.

2. Empty your lungs by breathing out through the mouth once, fast and forcefully enough to make a “whoosh” sound.

3. Breathe in quietly through the nose to the count of 4 (about 4 seconds)

4. Hold your breath for a count of 7 (about 7 seconds)

5. Exhale through the mouth, pursing the lips for 8 counts/seconds

6. Immediately breathe in through the nose again to begin the next round (you don’t do that initial “whoosh” again between rounds), and repeat the cycle 4 times.

Note that the speed of the count is less important than keeping a steady rhythm. The friend who told me about the technique (a musician) uses a metronome, but as long you feel the count is “even,” and the speed of the count feels comfortable to you, you’re doing it right, even if your count is faster or slower than one second per count.

Dr. Weil recommends practicing the technique at least twice a day since its effectiveness in moments of immediate need increases the more regularly it is practiced otherwise. He also suggests that people avoid doing more than four breath cycles in a row until they have more practice with the technique. And since the practice makes some people feel lightheaded, it’s a good idea to try it when sitting or lying down to prevent dizziness or falls.

As anyone familiar with yoga is aware, rhythmic breathing is a core element of yoga practice, and many yogic breathing techniques can be powerfully effective in reducing mental, emotional and physical distress of various kinds, not just during yoga practice, but in life “off the mat.”

So, as the days shorten and cool, and we approach the seasons in which many of us spend more time indoors, consider refreshing or beginning a yoga practice; your body-mind will thank you for it!

Meanwhile, to learn more than you even knew there was to know on the science, cultural history and health-maximizing practice of breathing, I strongly recommend James Nestor’s 2020 book, “Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art.”

Finally, if you have any serious medical condition, especially a cardiovascular or pulmonary one, it is always a good idea to run any new practice —including a breathing technique— by her/him/them, to ensure that there isn’t a reason that it might not be right for you.