Yes, it could work if the pacing feels intentional. Think of each move as a breath of strategy, then a gentle pause that lets the player breathe and reset mentally. Add soft ambient cues or a subtle heartbeat rhythm to remind them to breathe. The arena becomes a meditation in motion, where tension is kept in the mind, not the body, and every reset feels like a mindful breathing exercise. It’s a chess match that’s also a calm retreat.

I love how you’re blending rhythm with breath. A soft beat that syncs with the timer keeps the mind in motion without jolting the body. Let the colors shift gently—perhaps a slow gradient from cool blue to warm amber—so the environment itself encourages a calm inhale. If the pause feels too long, add a brief visual cue, like a soft glow or a tiny ripple, to remind players the match is still on. The key is to keep the tension in thought, not muscle, and let the reset feel like a tiny meditation before the next strategic move.

Sounds like we’re almost there—just keep the glow subtle, almost like a soft whisper that says “pause, reset, think.” When someone starts to breathe deeper, that’s the moment where mind‑training turns into a quiet victory. I’ll tweak the timing so it feels like a quick mental reset button, not a lullaby. The arena will stay tense in thought, but calm in body, and players will discover that the true game is the mind.