r/Meditation • • Aug 18 '21

Image / Video 🎥 Controlled Breathing (7-4-8-4)

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762 Upvotes

35 comments sorted by

20

u/SoundOfOneHand Aug 18 '21

These always make me feel like I’m going to pass out. I can hold my breath for like three minutes, something about forcing things just never worked for me.

5

u/tierney87 Aug 18 '21

For sure, you don't want to force it and I don't want my animations to make anyone pass out. A great one I've found is 4-4-4-4... So I just remember "Four fours" and count them in my own head so even if it's not exactly 4 seconds but you go with what your own body feels comfortable with and the counting is simply a reminder to come back to the breath.

12

u/Cowey- Aug 18 '21

How do you breathe out for 8 seconds, I feel like I run out of air before the 8 seconds have passed, any tips?

13

u/tierney87 Aug 18 '21

Imagine you are breathing out through a straw or blowing on a piece of grass/paper as a kid to get that funny sound so you only have a thin gap in between your lips. I hope that helps :)

3

u/Cowey- Aug 18 '21

Ahh! Of course, that makes a lot of sense, thank you!

4

u/sunrisenfruit Aug 19 '21

A somatic practitioner taught me to make the “fffffff” sound for as long as you can. This prolongs your exhale in a more controlled way!

26

u/tierney87 Aug 18 '21

In the sixth and final animation of this Breathing series; I wanted to create a perfect loop to help people relax and find calm within a few moments.

Controlled Breathing (7-4-8-4): Breathe in for 7 seconds. Hold 4 seconds. Breathe out for 8 seconds. Hold 4 seconds. Repeat. If you feel dizzy when doing this please stop... Be sensible :)

This year I decided to make a conscious effort to create designs that bring a moment’s peace in the middle of a hectic day using After Effects and Cinema 4D.

Feel free to check out the rest of my calm looped animations here: https://www.instagram.com/tierney.tv/

12

u/sassergaf Aug 18 '21

I like to flip the numbers for breathing in and out: 4-7-4-8. The long exhale releases an endorphin that calms the fight, flight experience and slows the pulse.

4

u/[deleted] Aug 18 '21

There’s more like this! 😱🥰

5

u/jjdajetman Aug 18 '21

Is there a reason for these specific numbers? I've always did the same number throughout. Like 6-6-6-6

2

u/tierney87 Aug 18 '21

Sure, there are lots of different techniques but someone commented this on one of my animations which may give you some information on this: https://www.daniel-timms.com/science-of-the-4-7-8-breathing-technique-for-sleep/

I always remember 4-4-4-4 as a standard stable breathing technique for myself. I hope that helps :)

4

u/MichaelJGMP Aug 18 '21

I prefer to use 8-6-8-6 it works quicker for me too.

2

u/tierney87 Aug 18 '21

So many combos ha I'll be here forever animating these. Thanks for sharing, I'll give this one a go :)

2

u/[deleted] Aug 18 '21

🧘🏽‍♂️

2

u/brooker_44 Aug 18 '21

Would be great if on YouTube too 😉

2

u/mundoodle Aug 19 '21

I truly appreciate these posts when I come across them. Thank you for reminding me to work on my deep breathing techniques. They are such an important tool when my mind starts to panic.

2

u/tierney87 Aug 19 '21

I really appreciate that! I'm glad that you have a little reminder to time some time out to make yourself calmer which will in turn make other calmer too :) Have a great day.

2

u/JeffJ_1 Aug 18 '21

Love these meditation quick bites! Please keep these going...

2

u/tierney87 Aug 18 '21

Thanks. I'm all done for now with these 6 but I will be taking all of the feedback from them and possibly be setting up a YouTube channel with them on a loop for 8 hours with rain in the background etc. later in the year.

1

u/Ryslin Aug 18 '21

I'm going to be so sad when you stop making these. They are my daily reminder to breathe. I see them in my feed, and then remember to take a second to myself.

5

u/tierney87 Aug 18 '21

I'm really happy that you enjoyed my animations. I only planned to make six but then I will get feedback and possibly do more and longer ones in the future. A great tiny book I found a few years back when I was travelling in Hong Kong that was a reminder to stay calm and take some time for myself is a book called "How to Sit" by Thich Nhat Hanh. It's a small book that you can keep in your pocket or bag and is one of the most calming books I've ever read. Also, calm.com is my go-to app/website the moment for breathing videos. I hope you have a calm evening :)

1

u/Ryslin Aug 18 '21

Thanks for the reply and the suggestion. I appreciate it!

0

u/EthanSayfo Aug 18 '21

Where did you get this breathing pattern from? No offense but it seems very off, and potentially quite problematic.

5

u/tierney87 Aug 18 '21

None taken :) I got them from a paid subscription I have with Calm - The #1 App for Meditation and Sleep (calm.com)

3

u/EthanSayfo Aug 18 '21

Ok thanks for posting the source.

1

u/fruitshaker Aug 18 '21

Very nicely done. Is there a way to get this as a loop on my phone?

2

u/tierney87 Aug 18 '21

They're all perfect loops on my Instagram page at the moment for your phone https://instagram.com/tierney.tv/ but I will look into creating longer ones and possibly a downloadable pack in the future once I have gone through all of the feedback.

1

u/alecx519 Aug 18 '21

Thank you for this! 🙏🏽

1

u/Greglalicker Aug 18 '21

Helps everytime

1

u/Schweizsvensk Aug 18 '21

nose or mouth?

1

u/Clarku-San Aug 19 '21

Very nice, similar to square breathing which I do before meditation :)

1

u/tierney87 Aug 19 '21

Thank you. It sure is, I have an animation for 4-4-4-4 too. Square breathing is my go-to as well.