Dr. Andrew Weil’s 4-7-8 Breathing technique is widely used to fall asleep and wake up better recovered. It is based on the yogi technique called Pranayama, which focuses on the regulation of breath and comes with some very specific instructions.
How to do the 4-7-8 breathing technique
Get into a comfortable position and start the 4-7-8 breathing exercise in Breath Ball.
If you haven’t downloaded Breath Ball yet, you can do so free of charge by following one of the links below:
After starting the 4-7-8 breathing exercise, Breath Ball will show an animation similar to this:
4-7-8 breathing technique.
Now breathe in the rhythm of the ball:
- Inhale through your nose for four seconds with your mouth closed.
- Hold your breath for seven seconds.
- Exhale through your mouth for eight seconds. Mind the following:
- Rest the tip of your tongue on the roof of your mouth, directly behind your upper front teeth.
- Release any tension from your body by pushing the air through your lips, so it makes a whooshing sound.
- Repeat for four times.
- Practice it at least twice a day.
- Exercise for at least once month before slowly increasing to up to eight iterations.
The most important phase of the 4-7-8 breathing technique is holding your breath, which, according to Dr. Weil, allows the oxygen to circulate throughout your body, which causes you to relax. Speaking of relaxation: Try to keep your jaw muscles and your shoulders loose. If you’re used to making fists with your hands, open up your palms a little to relax your hands.
The 4-7-8 ratio is more important than the specific amount of time
Here’s an important detail: The 4-7-8 ratio is more important than the specific amount of time spent on each phase. So feel free to speed the exercise up, or slow it down, until it feels right to you. Breath Ball provides a handy breathing rhythm control that enables you to adjust the pace during the breathing exercise.
It will happen that your mind starts to wander during this exercise. It’s a natural thing before falling asleep. When you notice it, gently direct your thoughts back to the breathing technique and continue until you softly fall asleep.
As with every breathing exercise, it will take some time until you’re used to it and till you start getting good results. Please try to stick with it for at least five days in a row. Once you’ve figured it out, the 4-7-8 breathing technique can get you to sleep in just a few minutes.
Downloads for 4-7-8 breathing
The 4-7-8 breathing animation can be downloaded via the link. For best results, practice it with the Breath Ball app. Here are the links to the free downloads:
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Finally, a link to further breathing exercises. It’s well worth taking a look: