Natur crossed her legs like Sage's and attempted to make herself comfortable, but it was hard because the lump on her back made her spine and especially her neck hurt. Looking at the old man ready to ask a question, Sage immediately started talking.
"True power lies within us, and not on the outside. Although an army seems powerful because they can destroy and intimidate with violence, that is not real, nor is it the source of the power that I speak of. "
Growing silent for a moment, Sage leans over and reaches out to Natur, adjusting how she was sitting. By moving one of her legs just a little higher he was able to relieve some of the pain that she was feeling in her back and neck.
"Now young maiden I want you to breath."
Natur took a deep breath through her mouth filling her chest with air and released it through her mouth. Sage was watching and began to laugh. Natur was totally confused by his laughter, and wanted to know what the problem was.
"Old man what is so funny about my breath."
Sage stoped laughing and looks Natur straight in her eyes.
"Nothing if you are an antelope, or a simba, but you are a human. Human's breath through their nose, unless they need large amounts of air after exerting themselves. I want you to try again but this time I want you to breathe in through your nose and out through your nose."
Natur attempted again this time to pull air in through her nose filling her chest, and then released it from her nose, but to her surprise she began to choke. Sage jumped up and started patting her on her back.
" Young princess takes your time. This method takes a few moments to get used to, especially if you have been used to breathing through your mouth. Now Let's try it again, this time I want you to try the breath, but I want you to try to pull the breath into your belly."
Natur looked at Sage with confusion.
"Did you say to pull the breath down into my belly? I thought that the chest was for the breath."
Sage just smiled. "You are right but the chest is only part of the breathing mechanism. When we pull the breath down into our belly, we allow for the whole lung to be filled. By stopping the air at the chest, we do not use the full capacity of our lungs. This time when you pull air in, I want you to imagine your belly being filled with air and push it (belly) out as you pull air down. When you breathe
out allow the belly to collapse helping the air to leave your body."
Natur tried again this time she did it slower and followed all of Sage's directions. After she completed three breaths, Sage stopped her.
"That is enough for today. I will see you at the same time tomorrow."
The next-day Natur came home from school, and Sage was ready for her next lesson. She walked directly over to him, and she sat down as she had before. He helped to adjust her legs, and then he instructed her to take a breath. Natur took a slow and deep breath, this time allowing the breath to flow into her belly. Sage looked at her approvingly.
"Now young maiden we will move to the power development part of the exercise. First, I will help you learn to set a personal rhythm. I will count for you at first but after some practice, you will be able to hold the rhythm yourself."
Sage then checked her posture by pushing lightly on her back and adjusting her legs slightly.
"When you do this exercise try to get comfortable. You will progress to a point, where you will be able to sit like I do, but that will take practice, practice and more practice."
Sage then assumed a sitting posture across from her. He sat on the ground with his knees bent crossed his feet and placed his hands on his knees. He then closed his eyes took a deep breath and adjusted his body and opened his eyes and looked directly at Natur.
"How does this position feel to you?" Sage asked Natur with a smile.
"Well it feels better than yesterday, but it is still tough to sit here like this."
"The more you do it, the easier it will become for you, now let's move to the next step."
Sage closed his eyes, took a breath. Natur could see the cloth covering his belly rise as he took a breath in, and when he released it out through his nose, she noticed the cloth falling slowly. Sage then opened his eyes looking into her brown eyes.
"Now young maiden it is time for you to learn how to keep your rhythm as you breath. I will teach you to count as you practice your breath."
Pausing Sage continued his on breathing.
"Now young maiden, when I say breath in you will pull in your breath through your nose to your belly, then I will say hold, and you will hold your breath. Then I will instruct you to breath out, and you will release your breath through your nose, and afterwards I will instruct you to hold (your breath) once again. At that point the whole breathing cycle starts over, understand?"
Natur shook her head signaling that she understood.
"This is called the rhythmic breath, and it will sound like this.... breath in, 2....3....4...hold...2...3...4...breath out...2...3...4...5...6...hold...2, and then we repeat. I will keep the rhythm for you at first, but the goal will be to get you to hold it on your own."
Sage paused to make sure she understood the instructions, when he felt she grasped the idea he began. Natur sat with her eyes open trying to keep the rhythm as Sage counted, she found it very hard to control her breathing. When Sage noticed that she was getting frustrated, he dismissed her.
Natur went to her room and tried to practice on her own, but she forgot the rhythm, and eventually went to bed frustrated with herself. When she woke, while getting ready for school, she realized she was looking forward to continuing her lesson on power. Even though she did not understand what learning to breathe had to do with power.
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