Have you tried box breathing?

One of our personal training practices -

We believe in working on exercise, nutrition, and wellness (stress & sleep management.) Let's do a quick dive in to one of our practices, meditating. An action that sounds simple, yet can become very complex, even scary knowing you have to be alone with your own thoughts. Not only that, but with so many resources on how to meditate, it can often become overwhelming not knowing where to begin. Thus, this is why we here at SoFit SoCal recommend a beginner friendly meditation known as box breathing. The name of the meditation resembles a box because many people envision themselves creating a box with the breathwork involved. Box breathing, also known as 4x4 breathing, is a very convenient meditation due to how it can be done anywhere and can be guided or done on your own.

Here are the steps on how to box breathe:

1. Find an area to sit (or lie down) where there are little to no distractions. 2. If sitting, ensure your spine is straight and your shoulders are relaxed. If lying down, make sure you have some sort of support under your head such as a pillow. Not only that, but make sure to have your feet about hip width apart. 3. Once completed, take about three to five deep breaths to help relax and prepare you for this meditation. 4. To officially dive into box breathing, inhale for four seconds. You can envision yourself completing the left side of a box as you are inhaling. 5. Next, hold your breath for another four seconds. (If envisioning a box, this would be the top side of the box) 6. After the breath hold of four seconds, you are then going to exhale for four seconds. (The right side of the box.) 7. After the exhale, hold your breath once again for four seconds, completing the bottom part of the box. 8. One completion of the box is one round of box breathing. Repeat steps 4-7 for another three to four rounds to feel the full effect of this meditation.