Breathwork Follow-Along Session: 10 Minutes to Complete Calm (Step by Step)
Follow this breathwork session exactly as written — technique by technique — and you'll reach a measurably calmer state in 10 minutes. This is breathwork you can do right now.
This is a complete follow-along breathwork session. Read through once, then close your eyes and follow the sequence. It takes 10 minutes and will leave you measurably calmer, clearer, and more present than when you started.
Sit comfortably — upright, feet on the floor if in a chair. Silence your phone. Start when you're ready.
Phase 1: Release (2 minutes)
Purpose: Discharge accumulated tension before building the practice.
Take three deep, natural breaths. Don't control them yet — just breathe fully and let them go.
Now, on your next exhale, sigh audibly — "hahhh." Let your shoulders drop. Feel your jaw loosen. Do this three times.
Notice where your body is tight. Don't try to fix it — just notice.
Spend the next minute simply breathing naturally, observing without changing. Feel the weight of your body in the chair. Feel your feet on the floor.
Phase 2: Regulation (4 minutes)
Purpose: Activate the parasympathetic system via box breathing.
We're moving into box breathing now — 4 counts in, 4 hold, 4 out, 4 hold.
Begin.
Inhale through your nose... 1, 2, 3, 4.
Hold... 1, 2, 3, 4.
Exhale through your nose... 1, 2, 3, 4.
Hold at the bottom... 1, 2, 3, 4.
Again. Inhale... 1, 2, 3, 4. Hold... 1, 2, 3, 4. Exhale... 1, 2, 3, 4. Hold... 1, 2, 3, 4.
Continue this for 8 full rounds. Count in your head. When your mind wanders, simply return to the count. There's nowhere to be but here.
After 8 rounds, pause. Breathe naturally for three breaths. Notice the stillness.
Phase 3: Deepening (3 minutes)
Purpose: Deepen parasympathetic activation with extended exhale.
Now we extend the exhale. Inhale for 4 counts, exhale for 7 counts. The long exhale is where the deeper relaxation lives.
Inhale 1, 2, 3, 4. Exhale 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
Let the exhale be gentle — not forced. Imagine you're fogging a mirror very slowly.
Inhale 1, 2, 3, 4. Exhale 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
Continue for 8 rounds. With each exhale, feel your body settling a little more. Your shoulders softening. Your face relaxing. Your belly releasing.
By round 6 or 7, you may feel heavy — in a good way. That's your nervous system finding safety.
Phase 4: Integration (1 minute)
Purpose: Settle into the state you've created.
Stop counting. Let your breath return to its natural rhythm.
Sit with eyes closed for one full minute. Simply be here. Notice what has changed — in your body, your heartbeat, the quality of your thoughts.
You don't need to do anything with this state. Just inhabit it.
Coming Back
When you're ready, take one deeper breath in and let it go. Open your eyes slowly. Let the outside world in gradually.
You've just completed a full breathwork session. The calm you feel is not a trick — it's a measurable physiological state, with lower cortisol, reduced heart rate, and increased HRV compared to ten minutes ago.
This sequence is available in the Selah app with animated visual pacing and voice guidance — so you can follow along with eyes closed, no counting required. Practice it daily and the time to reach this state shortens week by week. Join the waitlist for free early access.
Ready to practise?
The Selah app guides you through every technique in this article — with animated breath cues, voice guidance, and progress tracking. Free to start.