Box breathing
Inhale, hold, exhale, hold, each for a count of four, repeated for a few minutes
Breathe in for four, hold for four, out for four, hold empty for four. Repeat. That is the whole technique. Slowing the breath to an even square brings heart rate down and takes the edge off alarm, so it shows up in military training and meditation apps alike. One round takes sixteen seconds and needs nothing, which is why people run it in the car, backstage or between sets.
Who backs it
Sorted by strength of stance
- Chris HemsworthDoes it
Actor · Limitless and Centr
Dr. Modupe Akinola taught him the four-count pattern before he stepped out onto a crane 900 feet up for Limitless, and he says how well it gathered him in that moment surprised him. He calls it a really useful tool for intense feelings when the pressure is on.
Source: Centr: Train your mind with Chris Hemsworth's favorite meditations“This is a technique that Dr. Modupe Akinola taught me when I was preparing to step out onto a crane 900 feet in the air for Limitless … the power of this simple breathing technique to help gather yourself in high-stress situations really surprised me.”
Centr: Train your mind with Chris Hemsworth's favorite meditations (opens in a new tab) · 18 Apr 2023
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under stress or focus.
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Cookie jar
A mental store of past wins to draw on when you want to quit
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Backed by 1 of 44 stacks: 0 do it, 1 recommend it, 0 have discussed it
Protocol entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.