Samavritti breathing, otherwise known as “box breathing” or “even breathing,” is an accessible practice I most often teach to patients. Samavritti breathing involves syncing your exhale and inhale in order to strike a balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. It can be practiced anywhere by anybody and can be personalized to fit your breath.
Just like professional athletes practice in order to prepare for the pressure of game time, this breath exercise is meant to be practiced when calm to more easily access during times of high stress or emotionality. To practice even breathing, choose a breath count to start with that feels comfortable, without straining excess effort, typically a count of three or four is recommended to start.
To start you will seal your lips and inhale softly and slowly through the nose while counting “Inhale 2-3-4,” pause briefly, and exhale softly and slowly through your nose counting “Exhale 2-3-4.”
Maintaining an even breath count or a longer exhale signals to the parasympathetic nervous system that it is okay to relax, regardless of what the mind is communicating, bypassing thought to calm the nervous system.
Continue with this breathing practice until the body or mind feels calmer, or you can’t focus on it and you can always return to it at any time or anywhere. This and other breath practices may be combined with a postural yoga practice, meditation practice and makes for an excellent compliment to therapy.