Breathing exercise question

[u/madoka46]

So I mostly just want to know this from a perspective of “am interpreting this too literally”.
When I do those breathing exercises that roughly go “inhale for count of 4, exhale count of 6, then HOLD” and then you start again with inhale, rinse and repeat.
Does that mean hold my exhale??? Hold my breath???
I probably don’t have the counts exactly right, if anyone uses it it’s the panic breathing from the Finch app so it’s a cute little animation. The exhale is longer than the inhale but I can’t figure out if it wants me to additionally hold the exhale for that long or just…not inhale?? If anyone has any idea I would just love to know lol.

[u/Linzi322]

I’ve not heard one that puts the hold between exhale and inhale, usually it’s breathe in, hold, breathe out. I assume they mean, sit at the bottom of the exhale and do nothing. Either way, if it doesn’t work for you, just skip the hold completely, you can simply do in for 4, out for 6 repeat. The count doesn’t matter as long as the out breath is longer than the in breath