Aspects of the present disclosure provide methods, apparatuses, and systems for dynamic starting rates for guided breathing. According to an aspect, a user's initial breathing metric is determined. A multiplier is then determined, where the multiplier varies as a function of the initial breathing metric within a range. The level of intensity of the multiplier may vary, and may be a dynamic feature based on the determination of the user's initial breathing metric. Once the multiplier is determined, the multiplier is applied to the user's initial breathing metric to determine a starting breathing metric for guided breathing. The starting breathing metric is slower than or equal to the user's initial breathing metric.