Breathing Styles Novels & Stories

he whispers. "I know," I soothe him, and I begin to rub my hand up and down his side in a slow, rhythmic motion. "Focus on my breathing. Take a breath when I do, and let it out when I do. We are going to pace through the pain." I exaggerate my breathing so he can feel my chest rise and fall against his back. Beau tries to match my rhythm. His first few breaths are jagged and uneven, but he slowly falls into sync with me.

One breath at a time. Kael lay flat on his back, arms at his sides, eyes open. He didn’t stare at me. Didn’t try to read me. He just watched the stars through the branches above, like they might burn out if he looked away. His breath came in long, even pulls. Not tense. Not guarded. Just... steady. I listened to it until I found myself matching him. Inhale. Hold. Exhale. Our rhythm synced. Soft. Subtle. No bond. No magic. Just lungs relearning trust.

“I won’t let it. Not with you.” “Then we’ll figure out how to make sure it doesn’t,” Aria said, her voice firmer than she felt. “First—breath.” She placed her palm on her chest, showing the rhythm. “Four in, four hold, four out, four rest. Together.” Kai followed. His shoulders began to loosen. His hands still trembled, but the shaking retreated to his fingertips.

He grabbed onto my shoulders and we both locked eyes. "Just breathe Diana," He pursed his lips and inhaled deeply, encouraging me to do the same. I nodded and joined in the same breathing pattern, taking in the oxygen slowly and releasing it at a steady pace. A minute past. I pursed my lips, allowing for more air to escape. My mind solely focused on my breaths. There was silence. My lungs moved steadily to Damian's breathing. Taking in the air. And out. Repeating the same pattern over. Taking in the air.

Then he tried doing some katas, shooting the lightning in every moves that involved him punching his hands forward or kicking his feet forward. When that was done, he took a one minute break. He ensured he was breathing normaly while calculating in his head about his next moves. Then he started everything again. However, this time, he reduced the shots to only when he wanted it to be shot. When that was done too, he took in a deep breath and repeated the same process with different fighting styles. He did that for more than an hour, initiating patterns he had planned in his head. Taking a deep breath, recalling the spark, doing some katas, and a short rest.

“I… I don't know. I… I can't breathe. I feel faint. What's wrong with me? What's… what's happening? I… I can't breathe—” “Shit! Shit! Shit.” I felt the bed dip and she pulled me into a hug, my head against her chest. “Follow my breathing method, okay?” I nodded. “Now, shut your eyes. On the count of three, okay?” I nodded again, my chest tight. “One, two, three. Go.” She drew a deep breath and I struggled to copy her. And when she exhaled, I did also. “You're doing amazing,” she said softly. “Now let's keep going.”

He did not say anything about it. Sophia saw it too. He knew she saw it because her shoulders adjusted — not relaxing, not yet, but the specific micro-shift of someone incorporating new data. Ethan was breathing. He had the sequence Dr. Sable had given him — the inhale count, the hold, the exhale — and he was executing it with the focused discipline of a child who had been doing breathing exercises every morning for three weeks and had understood from the beginning that understanding why something worked made you more likely to do it correctly.

Darryl threw his hands in the air. “Hold it. Hold it. What are you doing?” he chuckled while shaking his head. When she looked at him with bewilderment he continued, “Do me a favor and just stand still for a minute. Just stand still and take a deep breath. Use your gut to breathe in. Fill your lungs all the way. Like this.” He took a slow, deep breath, while he demonstrated to Pam the proper way to breath. “You need to use the gut. You are using the chest. Look again.” With a look of patient determination, he demonstrated the proper method of breathing one more time. “Now you try it.”

I sat cross-legged on the rock, mimicking his posture. "Close your eyes. Breathe in slowly through your nose, counting to four. Hold for four counts. Then exhale through your mouth for four counts. The rhythm helps quiet your mind and opens channels for your power to flow." We practiced the breathing for what felt like hours. Every time my mind wandered—which was constantly—Hayden gently redirected my focus back to my breath. "Good. Now, whilst maintaining that breathing pattern, I want you to reach out with your wolf senses. Can you feel the life around us? The trees, the grass, the fish in the river? Everything living has an energy signature. Learn to sense it."