Have You Tried Box Breathing?

Your body is designed To begin practicing box breathing, get in a quiet place where you can concentrate and maintain good posture.TheZAStudio/Shutterstock

Specific breathing techniques trigger the nervous system to calm itself, which reduces anxiety and stress. This technique is used by SEALS in high stress situations; it will work for you too.

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

• Box breathing is a form of breath control that triggers the parasympathetic nervous system to help manage stress and improve relaxation so you can take control of your health
• This technique, also called square breathing or four-square breathing, is used by Navy SEALS to help reduce stress in high-pressure situations
• It involves nose breathing to slow over-breathing and raise CO2 levels to balance oxygenation. Use a simple technique to measure your CO2 tolerance, a predictor of physical health
• Nose breathing raises production of nitric oxide, which offers antiviral benefits. Consider the four-minute Nitric Oxide Dump to promote blood flow and normalize blood pressure

Breathing is universal, habitual and nearly always automatic. When you get stressed, your breathing pattern and rate change. This often results in more chest breathing in response to a “fight or flight” situation, a response triggered by the autonomic nervous system.¹

In April 2019, a headline in The New York Times announced, “Americans Are Among the Most Stressed People in the World …”² This was slightly less than one year before the COVID-19 pandemic raised stress levels even further.