Breathe in, breathe out

I learned about pranayama, the yoga practice of controlling your breath, in an interview with James Melouney and Selene Urban. As Selene explained, a particular type of pranayama called sama vritti (equal length in the Sanskrit language) consists of breathing in and out in equal-length intervals. Say, counting four as you breathe in, hold, breathe out, and hold again. I added a bonus recording at minute 1:37:50 of this podcast episode, in which Selene guides us through a five-minute breathing session that you can use to relax, meditate, and calm down.

Breathe in.
One, two, three, four.
Hold.
Four, three, two, one.
Breathe in.
One, two, three, four.
Hold.
Four, three, two, one.