A deep inhale, a short extra sip of air, then a long exhale: 2 + 1 seconds in, 6 seconds out.
A physiological sigh is a breath your body already knows: two inhales in a row through the nose, followed by a long, slow exhale. People sigh like this naturally as they drift off to sleep, after crying, or when relief arrives. Done on purpose and repeated, it is called cyclic sighing. The second inhale helps re-open the small air sacs of the lungs, and the long exhale that follows lets the body let go.
The physiological sigh is the pattern to reach for in real time: in a stressful moment at work, stuck in traffic as a passenger, or just before you walk into a room. It takes only a few seconds and needs no preparation. As a daily five-minute routine, it was the most effective practice in the study described below.
In a 2023 study from Stanford University (Balban et al., Cell Reports Medicine), volunteers practised one of four five-minute routines every day for a month: cyclic sighing, box breathing, cyclic hyperventilation or mindfulness meditation. All were associated with improvements in mood, but the breathing practices, cyclic sighing in particular, produced a larger rise in positive mood than mindfulness, and cyclic sighing was also linked to a slower breathing rate at rest. It was a single study in healthy adults, so the findings are promising rather than conclusive.
Practice sitting or lying down; never in water or while driving. Stop if you feel dizzy.
Take the second inhale gently; it should be a small top-up, not a forced gasp. If you feel light-headed, pause between sighs and breathe normally.