How to do it
Stand up or sit tall. Opening a window or stepping outside helps too.
- Breathe in strongly through your nose for four counts, filling up from your belly to your chest.
- Hold for two counts at the top.
- Breathe out quickly for two counts, through your mouth if you like.
- Go straight into the next breath in.
Ten rounds takes about a minute and twenty seconds. That's plenty. Stop sooner if you feel dizzy.
The details. In 4, hold 2, out 2, with no hold at the bottom. One round takes 8 seconds; ten rounds is 1 minute 20 seconds. In Orris, this pattern is called Morning Boost.
When to use it
Use it when you want a lift, not when you want to wind down.
- First thing in the morning, before coffee
- Before a workout or a run
- During the mid-afternoon slump
- After sitting still for too long
Skip it in the evening. It's meant to wake you up.
What's normal
- You feel tingly or lightheaded.
- Quicker breathing can do that. Slow down, or stop and breathe normally until it passes. If you're pregnant or have a heart, lung, or blood pressure condition, check with your doctor before doing energizing breathing.
- The quick breath out feels rushed.
- It should feel brisk, not forced. Let the air go rather than pushing it out.
- You don't feel more awake.
- Try it standing up, near daylight, and follow it with a glass of water or a short walk.
Why it wakes you up
Your heart speeds up a little when you breathe in and slows down when you breathe out. Calming patterns stretch the breath out. This one stretches the breath in and keeps the breath out short, so you spend most of each round in the speeding-up phase. The result is a gentle lift in alertness, no caffeine required.
There's much less research on energizing breathing than on calming patterns. In a 2023 Stanford study, people who did five minutes of breathing a day, including an energizing technique with longer breaths in, reported better moods after a month.
Sources
- Balban MY, Neri E, Kogon MM, et al. Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal. Cell Reports Medicine, 2023.
Make it your own
- Go gentler.
- Drop the hold and keep it to four in, two out at a relaxed pace.
- Move while you do it.
- Raise your arms on the breath in and lower them on the breath out.
- Want calm instead?
- If you'd rather feel settled than energized, try coherent breathing.
Questions people ask
Can breathing really give you energy?
It can give you a short lift. A long breath in nudges your heart rate up and wakes your body a little. It won't replace sleep, but it's a nice way to start the day.
Is energizing breathing safe?
For most people, yes, at this gentle pace. Stop if you feel dizzy or tingly. If you're pregnant or have a heart, lung, or blood pressure condition, check with your doctor first.
When should I avoid it?
In the evening, or any time you're trying to calm down or fall asleep.
A guide for your mornings
Orris guides this pattern, called Morning Boost, with a glowing shape and gentle vibrations, and suggests it automatically in the early morning. It's free, with no account and no ads.
Last updated October 2026. Orris is a wellness app and doesn't replace medical advice.