Extended exhale breathing: 4-8 breathing with no holds
A four-second breath in and an eight-second breath out, with no holds and room to stop.
Meditly Team··4 min readYou’ve just sent a difficult email, and your hand is still resting on the mouse. Extended exhale breathing gives you something small to do in that gap: four seconds in, eight seconds out.
The breath out takes twice as long as the breath in, and nothing is held in between. Below you’ll find one round step by step, the signs that it’s time to stop, and how the pattern compares with 4-7-8.
- In for four seconds, out for eight. No holds at the top or the bottom.
- Take an ordinary-sized breath. There’s no need to fill up first or squeeze the last air out.
- If eight seconds feels long, let the breath out end early and wait for the next one.
What extended exhale breathing is
The name says most of it. “Extended exhale” means the breath out is the long part. Here it lasts eight seconds, against four for the breath in, so each round takes twelve seconds.
There’s nothing else to keep in mind: no shape to picture, no word to repeat. You might notice the air leaving through your nose or mouth, or how much of your attention the counting takes. Whatever you notice can stay as it is.
If focusing on breathing feels uneasy, leave this exercise and look around the room instead.
Four seconds in, eight seconds out
Keep the numbers as seconds: in for 4, out for 8. When the breath out ends, the next breath in begins. There’s no pause to add after either one.
A long exhale doesn’t call for a huge inhale. Take in about as much air as you would anyway, then let it leave slowly through your nose or mouth, whichever is easier. You don’t need to empty your lungs at the end.
Read the steps once before you start, so you aren’t reading and counting at the same moment. A clock with a seconds hand works, and so does the moving circle in the app.
How to do extended exhale breathing
- Settle where you are. Sit with your back supported if you can, hands resting. Eyes open or closed, as you like.
- Leave your breath alone for a moment. There’s no special first breath to take before you begin.
- Breathe in for four seconds. Gently. If your shoulders start to creep up, let them stay down.
- Breathe out for eight seconds. Smooth and unhurried, straight on from the breath in, with no hold.
- Go again, or stop. Another round if it feels easy. If not, let your breath find its own pace again.
One round is enough to get a feel for it. If you carry on, take it a round at a time instead of aiming for a number. Stopping halfway through a count is fine.
Afterwards, put the timer away and go back to whatever comes next: the reply, a glass of water, a walk to the window.
When to stop
Eight seconds is longer than it sounds. If you run out of comfortable breath before the count ends, let the breath out finish early and rest until the next breath in. Pushing the last air out, or waiting without breathing to reach eight, isn’t part of the pattern.
If you feel light-headed, stop and breathe normally. If it doesn’t ease once you breathe normally, get medical help.
It’s also fine to stop simply because watching your breath isn’t for you today. Put the phone down, look out of a window, and leave the exercise for another time.
How it differs from 4-7-8
The numbers overlap, which can be confusing. 4-7-8 breathing has three parts: in for four, hold for seven, out for eight. Extended exhale drops the hold altogether, so it’s a pattern of its own rather than 4-7-8 with a step missing.
Two other patterns also skip holds. Coherent breathing keeps the in and out even at 5.5 seconds each, and belly breathing uses four in and six out. Box breathing, by contrast, has two holds. A longer count isn’t a better one; go with the instructions that feel easiest to follow.
Try it in Meditly
Open Meditate → Breathe and tap Extended exhale. It’s a Premium pattern, listed at three minutes, with four seconds in, eight out and no holds. Physiological sigh, box breathing and 4-7-8 are free in the same list.
The circle keeps time for you, so there’s nothing to count. In the app’s own words: if eight counts feel long, let it end early and rest until the next breath in.
When to get extra support
Breathing exercises are an everyday tool, not a treatment. If stress or worry is affecting your sleep, work or relationships for weeks at a time, it is worth talking to a doctor or a mental health professional.
If chest pain or trouble breathing comes on suddenly or feels severe, call your local emergency number.
If you ever feel unsafe, or have thoughts of harming yourself, please don’t wait. Call your local emergency number, or find a free line near you at findahelpline.com. In Meditly, Profile → Get support now lists numbers for your country.
Frequently asked questions
How do you do extended exhale breathing?
Breathe in gently for four seconds, then out for eight, with no holds in between. Use an ordinary-sized breath, and stop if it starts to feel strained.
Does extended exhale breathing include a hold?
No. The breath in flows straight into the breath out, and the next breath in follows without a pause.
Is extended exhale breathing the same as 4-7-8?
No. Extended exhale uses four seconds in and eight out, without holds. 4-7-8 adds a seven-second hold between the breath in and the breath out.
What if I can’t breathe out for eight seconds?
Let the breath out end when it ends, and rest until the next breath in. Eight is a guide, and you can stop the exercise at any point.