How a Navy Seal Used Box Breathing to Reduce Stress and Improve Performance

Box breathing, also known as square breathing, is a deep breathing technique that can help reduce anxiety, relieve stress, and improve focus, especially during stressful situations. Here’s what you need to know.

What is Box Breathing?

Box breathing is a breathing exercise that stimulates a response from the parasympathetic nervous system to calm the body when our fight-or-flight mode has been triggered by stress or danger.

Individuals who work in high-stress environments such as military personnel and emergency room nurses may use box breathing to maintain their composure and concentration during extreme situations.

Mark Divine, a former Navy SEAL commander and founder of fitness programs SEALFIT and Unbeatable Mind, has used the box breathing technique since 1987 and claims that it’s been a true lifesaver.

In a Forbes article written in 2019, Divine shared how box breathing allowed him to perform, “exceedingly well in the SEALS:”

“It [box breathing] was instrumental in saving my life several times in crises…I was able to remain calm and focus clearly to avoid reactionary thinking, or worse, panic.” — Mark Divine, former US Navy SEALs Commander, NYT bestselling author of The Way of the SEAL.

The Benefits of Box Breathing

Everyone can enjoy the benefits of box breathing to improve their mental health and well-being. Box breathing may help you:

• increase mental focus and energy
• stay calm in stressful situations
• get better sleep
• help treat insomnia
• manage pain
• decrease inflammation
• impulse control
• prevent hyperventilation
• lower blood pressure
• decrease cortisol levels
• reduce stress
• improve mood
• relieve anxiety

How to do Box Breathing

Find a place to sit down or lie down, whatever feels most comfortable, then follow these four simple steps:

Step 1: Inhale for 4 seconds.

Breathe in through your nose and take a full deep breath.

Step 2: Hold for 4 seconds.

Hold your breath and count to four.

Step 3: Exhale for 4 seconds.

Breathe out through your nose or mouth until all of the air is out of your lungs.

Step 4: Hold for 4 seconds.

Hold your breath and count to four.

Repeat Steps 1–4 at least six or more times.

• Start with 2–3 seconds if 4 seconds is too challenging in the beginning.
• For a more relaxing effect, extend the exhale to 6 seconds and shorten the last hold to 2 seconds (this will activate an even deeper calming response from the parasympathetic nervous system — great for sleep!).

Key Takeaways

Let’s sum this up with three key takeaways.

1. What are the benefits of box breathing?

Box breathing triggers the parasympathetic nervous system to calm the body’s stress response, which can lead to many benefits including better sleep and lower blood pressure. Box breathing can also help maintain calmness and composure during high-stress situations.

2. What is box breathing?

Box breathing is a deep breathing exercise that can be used to reduce anxiety, relieve stress, and improve focus.

Box breathing is a deep breathing exercise that can be used to reduce anxiety, relieve stress, and improve focus.

3. How do you perform the box breathing exercise?

Inhale for 4 seconds; hold your breath for 4 seconds; exhale for 4 seconds; hold your breath for 4 seconds; repeat 6 or more times.

I hope you found this helpful. Follow The Inner Observer for more insights to improve health and well-being.

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Michael G. Jasper, The Inner Observer

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