Box Breathing or Sama Vritti is a pranayama which is excellent as a tool to help manage stress and calm the nervous system. Building on the practice of Triangle Breath, this practice works with more retentions, enhancing its calming benefits.
Benefits of Box Breathing
Pranayama is an important element of any yoga experience and it is a great way to encourage a little bit of calm into the body and mind. Sama Vritti can be practiced anywhere, and I’ve used it to help calm my nerves before an interview. With no physical movements, box breathing is the perfect way to encourage a calmer mindset without drawing attention to what you’re doing.
A few more benefits of this practice include –
- lowering heart rate and blood pressure
- reduction in stress hormones
- may support pain management
- improves mood and self-regulation
- supports a better sleep
How To Practice Box Breathing
Box breathing is a simple technique and you’ll find this video useful as I guide you through how to practice. Use this at the end of your yoga practice before starting a meditation, or as part of your evening wind-down routine.
Essentially, we inhale for a count of 4; hold the breath for a count of 4; exhale for 4 and retain the exhale for another count of 4. This is one round, which should then be repeated for up to 5-minutes.
Initially take it easy, aim for 3 or 4 rounds, building up the time you are practicing for. If the count of 4 does not work for you, feel free to increase or decrease the duration of the breaths and retentions – but they should all be kept even.
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