How to read a breath pattern

A breathing pattern on this site is written as a short row of numbers, such as 4-6. Each number is a length of time in seconds, and each one belongs to a part of the breath.

The pattern is a pacer. It gives your breath something to follow, and it is meant to feel easy. If it does not, the numbers are what change, not you.

Reading the numbers

Read the numbers from left to right. The first is the in-breath and the last is the out-breath. A pattern with two numbers has no pause in it, and the Tier A practices on this site never add a held breath.

In 4-6 you breathe in for about four seconds and out for about six, so the out-breath is the longer one. Some teaching, such as the American Lung Association's, suggests breathing out for longer than you breathe in, and several practices here use that shape.

The screen keeps the count. You do not need to count in your head, and you do not need to land on each number exactly.

The Scale control

Every counted pattern has a Scale control on the practice screen. It stretches or shrinks all the numbers together, so 4-6 can become 3-4.5 or 5-7.5. The ratio stays the same: the out-breath is still one and a half times the in-breath.

Start with the scale that feels unhurried. If you notice yourself gulping air, or the turn between breaths feels tight, choose a smaller scale. No setting is better or worse than another.

Product defaults

Some sources describe the shape of a breath without fixing the seconds. When that happens, this site picks a count and says so on the practice page as a product default. It is a starting point, not a rule from the source.

When to stop

Stop and breathe normally if you feel dizzy, light-headed, short of breath, or tingly. A pattern is a suggestion for a few minutes, and ordinary breathing is always fine to return to.

Try it

Open the four-six practice and watch the guide for a few rounds before you follow it. Notice which part of the breath feels longer, and let the screen do the counting.