Four equal steps: inhale, hold, exhale, hold – in a calm square rhythm.
Your benefit: Calms the nervous system within minutes and is the perfect warm-up before any apnea session.
How the exercise works
- 1.Inhale through the nose for 4 seconds
- 2.Hold for 4 seconds – stay loose
- 3.Exhale for 4 seconds
- 4.Hold for 4 seconds on empty lungs, then repeat
- 5.When 4 feels easy, increase to 5 or 6 seconds
Start with 4 seconds per step and increase when it feels easy. Breathe through the nose and let the exhale fade out softly. Box breathing comes from professional sports and is also used by military and rescue units for rapid calming. For freedivers it is the ideal warm-up before the tables: it lowers heart rate and baseline tension and settles your breathing into a calm, even rhythm.
Practise breath-hold exercises on dry land only, never alone in the water, no hyperventilation. Stop immediately if you feel unwell.
