Five minutes every morning, same chair, plus the one-breath moves whenever the day hands you a reason. That is the book’s four-week plan. The morning five is the training; the moments are the match. More is fine if you enjoy it; more is not required, and a daily five you keep beats a daily thirty you abandon.
The steps
- Morning: five minutes, six breaths a minute, exhale longer, same chair.
- Through the day: micro-recovery once an hour, forty seconds.
- At thresholds: the Door, one exhale.
- Before anything that matters: a Soundcheck and one sigh.
- Night: the in-bed sequence, however short.
- Weekly: notice the Soundcheck numbers. Do not chase them.
When not to, and when to get help instead
Light-headedness means the breaths are too big; make them smaller. If daily practice is becoming one more thing to feel bad about missing, drop to the one-breath moves for a week; the pilot light was designed for exactly that person.
What the research says
The review of 58 trials found multiple sessions and long-term practice associated with effectiveness, and session length beyond five minutes not. The blood pressure trials used at least five minutes on at least three days a week for four weeks. That is the floor, and the morning five clears it.
Other methods people use
Meditation teachers say twenty minutes; the trials of apps find ten is where most people land. HRV biofeedback protocols use twenty minutes daily. I would rather you did five and kept it.
Questions people also ask
Is it better to practice breathing in the morning or at night?
Morning for the training, because it happens; night for sleep, because that is when you need it. If you can only do one, morning.
Can you do too much slow breathing?
You can do it too big, which causes light-headedness. Twenty minutes a day is the upper end of what trials used; past that you are meditating, which is fine.
In the book
Techniques
Rooms
Two rules, no exceptions
Never practice any technique on this site while you are driving, operating machinery, or doing anything that needs your full attention. The slow ones can make you drowsy, faster than you’d expect. And never practice a breath-hold, bellows breath, or any vigorous breathing in or near water. Read Before you begin for the doctor’s list and the rest.
More in “Practicing”
- How long until breathing exercises work?
- Is it normal to feel dizzy or tingly during breathing exercises?
Written by Eric Bradley. Last reviewed October 2026. One performer’s craft, offered for general information; not medical advice, mental health treatment, or a substitute for care.