Journeva
🇬🇧 English · Health Tips · A1–B2

Four-Count Breathing

A ship captain's trick for rough weather works just as well ten minutes before an exam.

Level A1 · Beginner

Ten minutes before her exam, Lena's heart was beating fast. Her hands were shaking.

Her grandfather was an old ship's captain. He taught her something. "Breathe in. Count to four. Hold the air. Count to four. Breathe out. Count to four. Hold again. Count to four."

Lena tried it. In, two, three, four. Hold, two, three, four. Out, two, three, four. Hold, two, three, four.

After one minute, her hands were calm. Her heart was slower. She felt ready.

This simple method works for many people. It is free. You can use it anywhere, at any time.

The same story, one level up

Every Journeva story exists at four levels — same plot, same characters, richer language each step. Here is how this one begins at each level.

A2 · Elementary

Ten minutes before her exam, Lena's heart was racing and her hands would not stay still. …

B1 · Intermediate

Ten minutes before her exam, Lena's heart was racing and her hands refused to stay still. …

B2 · Upper intermediate

… Her grandfather, who had spent decades as a ship's captain, taught her what he used to rely on in genuinely rough weather: breathe in and count to four, hold the breath and count to four, breathe out and count to four, then hold once more and count to four. …

Read the whole story at A2, B1 and B2

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This story in other languages

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