4 Count Breathing
One of the most common breathing techniques for calming yourself down is
Four Count Breathing, also referred to as
Combat Breathing.
Four Count breathing requires you to consciously regulate the amount of
airflow your body is receiving over four second intervals. While it can
be a difficult technique to master under extreme stress, the principle
of the breathing is simple. Breathing is as follows:
- Slowly inhale a deep breath over 4 seconds.
- Hold the breath in for 4 seconds.
- Slowly exhale the breath out over 4 seconds.
- Hold the empty breath for 4 seconds.
- Repeat until your breathing is under control.
Use Four Count Breathing when you need to quickly get control of your
breathing. It will take focus and control to maintain this rhythm. This
technique may need to be used to silence any heavy and labored
breathing that you may have developed from a long run carrying lots of
gear. You may discover that an enemy is nearby and do not want to
announce your presence or give away your position with the sounds of
labored breathing.
