This simple technique is a quick, easy way to calm your nerves and soothe your mind.
Breathing techniques are nothing new. 4-7-8 is a type of pranayama breathing: a way of controlling the breath in different styles and lengths and originates from yoga practices in India. In Sanskrit, ‘prana’ means life force and ‘yama’ means regulation, and 4-7-8 is a specific type of pranayama breathing that's credited to integrative medicine doctor Andrew Weil, MD.
So, what is 4-7-8 breathing? It really couldn't be easier, and is just four simple steps: inhale for 4 seconds, hold your inhale for 7 seconds, exhale for 8 seconds, repeat twice.
Carlos Concepcion, a founding instructor at Mind Body Project in New York City, says that one perk of 4-7-8 breathing is that its effects are immediate; it’s one reason why the breath cycle only has to be repeated twice.
Apart from helping to alleviate stress, anxiety - and, even, anger - it can also help you sleep. If having a racing mind is preventing you from getting good quality sleep, David Perls (who teaches mindfulness-based stress reduction at UCSF), says 4-7-8 breathing could help you out. “At the same time that it’s activating the parasympathetic nervous system and calming the body down, it also gives you something to do and focus on,” he says. Instead of creating a mental tornado with your spiralling thoughts, you’ll be counting your inhales, holds, and exhales instead.
A small scientific study shows that 4-7-8 breathing could help lower blood pressure. This is because when you slow down your breath, you take in more oxygen which helps with blood flow and improves blood pressure.
Whilst nobody claims that this breathing technique works for everyone, why not try it for yourself and see how you get on. As always, if in doubt, ask your doctor before trying it.