Waiting to Exhale

In her new book, Breathe, breathwork teacher Shanila Sattar ’12 outlines 33 easy breathwork techniques that she says “can support well-being and can be life changing.” For Smithies, she recommends the exercises in the Relaxation and Grounding section of the book, particularly the so-called 6-7-8 Breath—“for those days when you are taking care of everyone else but yourself.”

The Practice

1. Stand, sit, or lie down just where you are.
2. Breathe in through your nose for six full seconds, counting down in your head: 6-5-4-3-2-1.
3. Hold this breath for seven seconds, counting down in your head: 7-6-5-4-3-2-1.
4. Exhale out your mouth for eight seconds, counting down in your head: 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1.
5. Repeat for as long as you’d like.

BREATHE
Shanila Sattar ’12
Rock Point, 2022

This story appears as part of the Smithies Create column in the Fall 2022 issue of the Smith Alumnae Quarterly.