Also known as square breathing, this technique helps slow down your breath and works by distracting your mind as you count the breaths in and out. This calms your nervous system and decreases stress in your body by lowering the blood pressure and levels of Cortisol — a stress hormone — which can improve your mood.

Anyone can practice this technique and it’s useful in stressful situations when you want to re-center yourself or improve concentration. The Army and Navy Seals use this technique frequently to help maintain focus in challenging situations.

Box breathing can be useful in many situations such as:

• When you are feeling overwhelmed, by helping take the focus from the panic and enabling you to control your response

• When you are finding it hard to fall asleep

• When you are finding it hard to concentrate or focus

• When you are feeling worried or panicky

• When you want to be calm

• When you are preparing for a big day

• When making an important decision

• When having a panic attack or hyperventilating

One further benefit of box breathing is that you can practice it anywhere – at home at work, in public and in any stressful situation. This doesn’t mean you should reserve it only for stressful times, it is an enormous boost to your physical and mental well-being if practice on a regular basis simply to bring some calm and peace into your day.

No prior knowledge or experience of meditation is required, simply lie back, and follow along. If you enjoyed this, please check out my other guided meditations, each with a different theme, or tune in to one of the relaxing music videos where you can listen to the blissful tunes and watch incredible imagery of our planet.

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