BREATHWORK CLASSES AT ATHENA PERFORMANCE
Updated: Oct 1
BREATHING IS SOMETHING WE DO EVERY DAY WITHOUT THINKING ABOUT IT. BUT JUST LIKE STRENGTH, MOVEMENT AND FITNESS, THE WAY WE BREATHE IS SOMETHING WE CAN BECOME MORE AWARE OF AND PRACTISE.
IN MARCH 2026, WE INTRODUCED WEEKLY BREATHWORK CLASSES AT ATHENA PERFORMANCE IN REDDITCH, LED BY ATHENA CO-OWNER DAN ALLEN FOLLOWING HIS TRAINING WITH OXYGEN ADVANTAGE.
WHAT STARTED WITH A GREAT TURNOUT FOR OUR FIRST SESSION HAS NOW BECOME PART OF OUR MONDAY EVENING SCHEDULE, GIVING MEMBERS AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE FUNCTIONAL BREATHING, BREATHING MECHANICS, CONTROLLED BREATH HOLDS, MOBILITY, MOVEMENT AND RECOVERY.
THE AIM IS NOT TO SPEND AN HOUR SITTING STILL AND BREATHING BUT TO LOOK AT HOW BREATHING CAN BE UNDERSTOOD AND PRACTISED, BOTH AT REST AND DURING MOVEMENT, AND HOW GREATER AWARENESS OF YOUR BREATHING CAN COMPLEMENT THE OTHER TRAINING YOU DO AT ATHENA.
WHY WE INTRODUCED BREATHWORK CLASSES AT ATHENA PERFORMANCE
AT ATHENA, WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME THINKING ABOUT HOW PEOPLE MOVE.
WE COACH STRENGTH. WE DEVELOP FITNESS. WE WORK ON MOVEMENT QUALITY.
WE HELP ATHLETES PREPARE FOR THEIR SPORT. WE ALSO UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF RECOVERY AND MANAGING THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF STRESS BEING PLACED ON THE BODY.
BREATHING FITS NATURALLY INTO THAT APPROACH BECAUSE WE TRAIN HOW WE MOVE. WE TRAIN HOW WE LIFT. WE TRAIN HOW WE CONDITION OUR BODIES. BREATHING IS ANOTHER AREA THAT CAN BE PRACTISED.
DAN COMPLETED TRAINING WITH OXYGEN ADVANTAGE, A BREATHING EDUCATION METHOD THAT EXPLORES FUNCTIONAL BREATHING AND THE APPLICATION OF BREATHING TECHNIQUES TO HEALTH, FITNESS AND PERFORMANCE.
OUR MONDAY BREATHWORK CLASSES GIVE DAN THE OPPORTUNITY TO BRING SOME OF THOSE PRINCIPLES INTO ATHENA AND HELP MEMBERS DEVELOP A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF SOMETHING THEY ARE ALREADY DOING THOUSANDS OF TIMES EVERY DAY.
WHAT HAPPENS DURING A BREATHWORK SESSION AT ATHENA?
BREATHWORK IS A BROAD TERM, SO WE UNDERSTAND THAT SOMEONE SEEING “BREATHWORK CLASS” ON OUR SCHEDULE MIGHT NOT KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT.
OUR SESSIONS CAN INCLUDE A MIXTURE OF ASSESSMENT, EDUCATION, PRACTICAL BREATHING EXERCISES, MOBILITY, MOVEMENT AND RECOVERY.
A GOOD WAY OF THINKING ABOUT THE STRUCTURE IS:
ASSESS. LEARN. PRACTISE. MOVE. RECOVER.
OUR EARLY SESSIONS HAVE INCLUDED BOLT ASSESSMENT, DOWN REGULATION, BREATHING MECHANICS, GENTLE BREATH HOLDS, NASAL AND DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING, MOBILITY WORK AND THE INTEGRATION OF BREATHING INTO PHYSICAL MOVEMENT.
THAT MAKES OUR APPROACH TO BREATHWORK PARTICULARLY RELEVANT WITHIN A TRAINING ENVIRONMENT LIKE ATHENA.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR BREATHING WITH THE BOLT TEST
ONE OF THE TOOLS INTRODUCED DURING OUR BREATHWORK SESSIONS IS THE BOLT, OR BODY OXYGEN LEVEL TEST. THE BOLT IS USED WITHIN THE OXYGEN ADVANTAGE METHOD AS A SIMPLE WAY OF ASSESSING AN INDIVIDUAL’S RESPONSE TO A COMFORTABLE BREATH HOLD.
OUR BREATHWORK CLASSES PROVIDES A USEFUL STARTING POINT FOR BECOMING MORE AWARE OF YOUR BREATHING AND YOUR RESPONSE TO THE NATURAL BUILD-UP OF CARBON DIOXIDE THAT OCCURS WHEN YOU STOP BREATHING.
THIS ALSO GIVES MEMBERS SOMETHING MORE OBJECTIVE TO CONSIDER RATHER THAN APPROACHING BREATHWORK AS A COMPLETELY ABSTRACT PRACTICE.
LEARNING ABOUT BREATHING MECHANICS
IN FACT, ONE OF THE AREAS WE EXPLORE IN OUR BREATHWORK CLASSES IS SIMPLY BECOMING MORE AWARE OF HOW YOU BREATHE.
OUR SESSIONS CAN LOOK AT NASAL BREATHING, DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING AND THE MECHANICS INVOLVED IN BREATHING AT REST AND DURING MOVEMENT. THAT AWARENESS CAN THEN BE TAKEN INTO OTHER AREAS OF TRAINING.
SOMEONE ATTENDING OUR STRENGTH AND FITNESS OR STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING SESSIONS, FOR EXAMPLE, ISN’T JUST USING THEIR MUSCLES. BREATHING IS HAPPENING THROUGHOUT THE SESSION AND WILL CHANGE AS THE PHYSICAL DEMANDS INCREASE.
LEARNING TO NOTICE THOSE CHANGES CAN HELP SOMEONE BETTER UNDERSTAND THEIR OWN RESPONSE TO EXERCISE.
GENTLE BREATH HOLDS AND CARBON DIOXIDE SENSITIVITY
OUR BREATHWORK SESSIONS HAVE ALSO INCLUDED GENTLE EXPOSURE TO CONTROLLED BREATH HOLDS. WHEN YOU HOLD YOUR BREATH, CARBON DIOXIDE NATURALLY BEGINS TO ACCUMULATE. THE DESIRE TO BREATHE BECOMES STRONGER AS THE HOLD CONTINUES.
BREATH-HOLD EXERCISES CAN THEREFORE BE USED IN A CONTROLLED SETTING TO HELP MEMBERS OBSERVE THAT RESPONSE AND GRADUALLY BECOME MORE FAMILIAR WITH THE SENSATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH A SHORT BREATH HOLD. THE KEY WORD HERE IS CONTROLLED.
THIS ISN’T ABOUT COMPETING WITH THE PERSON NEXT TO YOU OR TRYING TO SET A PERSONAL RECORD. THE EXERCISES ARE INTRODUCED AS PART OF A STRUCTURED SESSION AND SHOULD ALWAYS REMAIN APPROPRIATE FOR THE INDIVIDUAL.
USING BREATHWORK TO DOWN REGULATE
NOT EVERY PART OF TRAINING NEEDS TO BE ABOUT DOING MORE BECAUSE ANOTHER ELEMENT OF OUR BREATHWORK CLASSES IS DOWN REGULATION.
SLOWER, CONTROLLED BREATHING PRACTICES CAN BE USED WHEN THE AIM IS TO MOVE TOWARDS A CALMER STATE, WHICH MAKES THEM PARTICULARLY INTERESTING AROUND RECOVERY AND WINDING DOWN.
OUR SESSIONS HAVE ALSO EXPLORED HUMMING AS PART OF THIS DOWN-REGULATION WORK.
FOR SOME PEOPLE, THESE TECHNIQUES MAY BECOME USEFUL TOOLS WITHIN A RELAXATION OR EVENING ROUTINE, PARTICULARLY WHEN THE GOAL IS TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE HIGHER LEVELS OF AROUSAL ASSOCIATED WITH A BUSY DAY OR HARD TRAINING SESSION.
IT IS ANOTHER REASON WE LIKE HAVING BREATHWORK AVAILABLE AT ATHENA PERFORMANCE. RECOVERY MATTERS TOO, JUST AS MUCH AS THE HARDWORK PUT INTO THE SESSIONS.
COMBINING BREATHING WITH MOBILITY AND MOVEMENT
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MAKES OUR BREATHWORK SESSIONS PARTICULARLY RELEVANT TO ATHENA PERFORMANCE IS THAT THE WORK DOESN’T NECESSARILY STOP ONCE PEOPLE START MOVING.
WE HAVE INCORPORATED MOBILITY WORK, INCLUDING MOVEMENT FOR THE MID AND UPPER BACK, BEFORE TAKING BREATHING PRACTICES INTO PHYSICAL EXERCISE. SESSIONS CAN INCLUDE MOVEMENTS SUCH AS WALKING LUNGES, CARRIES, SQUATS AND STEP-UPS.
THE OBJECTIVE IS NOT TO TURN THE BREATHWORK CLASS INTO ANOTHER HARD WORKOUT BUT INSTEAD, IT ALLOWS MEMBERS TO EXPLORE HOW NASAL AND DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING CAN BE INTEGRATED INTO MOVEMENT.
THIS IS AN IMPORTANT DISTINCTION.
BREATHWORK DOES NOT HAVE TO BE SOMETHING THAT ONLY HAPPENS WHILE YOU ARE LYING DOWN WITH YOUR EYES CLOSED.
FOR PEOPLE WHO ALREADY TRAIN, LEARNING TO PAY ATTENTION TO THEIR BREATHING WHILE THEY MOVE CAN MAKE THE SUBJECT FAR MORE RELEVANT TO THEIR EXISTING FITNESS ROUTINE.
BREATHWORK IS ABOUT MORE THAN RELAXATION
WHEN PEOPLE FIRST HEAR THE WORD BREATHWORK, THEY MAY ASSOCIATE IT WITH MEDITATION, MINDFULNESS OR RELAXATION.
THOSE AREAS CAN CERTAINLY OVERLAP WITH BREATHING PRACTICES, BUT THEY ARE NOT THE ONLY REASON SOMEONE MIGHT WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THEIR BREATHING.
OUR CLASSES TAKE A BROADER APPROACH.
WE CAN EXPLORE BREATHING MECHANICS, NASAL BREATHING, DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING, CONTROLLED BREATH HOLDS, MOBILITY, MOVEMENT INTEGRATION AND DOWN REGULATION WITHIN THE SAME SESSION.
THAT MAKES BREATHWORK RELEVANT TO A WIDE RANGE OF PEOPLE.
YOU MIGHT ALREADY TRAIN REGULARLY AND WANT TO UNDERSTAND YOUR BREATHING DURING EXERCISE. YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN LEARNING TECHNIQUES YOU CAN USE WHEN WINDING DOWN. OR YOU MAY SIMPLY BE CURIOUS ABOUT SOMETHING YOUR BODY DOES AUTOMATICALLY EVERY MINUTE OF EVERY DAY.
YOU DON’T NEED TO BE AN ATHLETE TO START LEARNING ABOUT IT.
CAN BREATHWORK COMPLEMENT EXERCISE AND PERFORMANCE?
AT ATHENA, WE WORK WITH EVERYONE FROM PEOPLE STARTING THEIR FITNESS JOURNEY THROUGH TO COMPETITIVE ATHLETES.
THEIR TRAINING REQUIREMENTS CAN BE VERY DIFFERENT, BUT BREATHING IS RELEVANT TO ALL OF THEM. AS THE INTENSITY OF EXERCISE CHANGES, SO DOES BREATHING.
LEARNING MORE ABOUT YOUR OWN BREATHING CAN PROVIDE ANOTHER AREA OF PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE TO UNDERSTAND AND PRACTISE, INCLUDING HOW YOU BREATHE DURING LOWER-INTENSITY MOVEMENT AND HOW YOU BRING YOUR BREATHING BACK TOWARDS A MORE RESTING STATE AFTER EXERTION.
BREATHWORK IS NOT A REPLACEMENT FOR STRENGTH TRAINING, CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS OR SPORT-SPECIFIC COACHING. IT CAN, HOWEVER, SIT ALONGSIDE THEM. THAT COMPLEMENTARY APPROACH IS EXACTLY WHY IT MAKES SENSE WITHIN THE WIDER ATHENA PERFORMANCE ENVIRONMENT.
SIX MONTHS OF BREATHWORK AT ATHENA PERFORMANCE
WHEN WE INTRODUCED OUR FIRST BREATHWORK CLASS IN MARCH 2026, IT WAS GREAT TO SEE SUCH A STRONG TURNOUT FROM PEOPLE INTERESTED IN LEARNING SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
SINCE THEN, BREATHWORK HAS CONTINUED AS PART OF OUR MONDAY EVENING SCHEDULE. FOR US, ITS SUCCESS ALSO REPRESENTS SOMETHING IMPORTANT ABOUT ATHENA.
WE DON’T WANT OUR COACHING TO STAND STILL.
DAN’S DECISION TO COMPLETE HIS OXYGEN ADVANTAGE TRAINING AND INTRODUCE BREATHWORK AT ATHENA HAS GIVEN OUR MEMBERS ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN, WHILE COMPLEMENTING THE STRENGTH, FITNESS, MOVEMENT AND PERFORMANCE COACHING ALREADY TAKING PLACE THROUGHOUT THE WEEK.
WE’RE PROUD TO SEE PEOPLE EMBRACING IT AND IF YOU HAVE SEEN THE BREATHWORK CLASS ON OUR SCHEDULE BUT HAVE NEVER BEEN QUITE SURE WHAT IT INVOLVES, THERE IS NO REQUIREMENT TO ARRIVE ALREADY KNOWING WHAT A BOLT SCORE IS OR HOW TO PRACTISE DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING AND THAT IS WHAT THE COACHING IS THERE FOR.
JOIN OUR MONDAY BREATHWORK CLASSES IN REDDITCH
OUR BREATHWORK CLASSES TAKE PLACE AT 8PM EVERY MONDAY AT ATHENA PERFORMANCE IN REDDITCH AND ARE RUN BY ATHENA CO-OWNER DAN ALLEN.
WHETHER YOU ALREADY TRAIN WITH US OR ARE INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE ABOUT FUNCTIONAL BREATHING, THE SESSIONS PROVIDE A COACHED ENVIRONMENT TO EXPLORE BREATHING MECHANICS, CONTROLLED BREATH HOLDS, MOVEMENT, MOBILITY AND RECOVERY.
TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT OUR BREATHWORK CLASSES, CONTACT ATHENA PERFORMANCE ON 07494 417682 OR EMAIL INFO@ATHENAPERFORMANCE.CO.UK.
YOU CAN FIND US AT UNIT 3B PHOENIX WORKS, WINDSOR ROAD, REDDITCH, B97 6DJ.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHAT IS A BREATHWORK CLASS?
A BREATHWORK CLASS IS A STRUCTURED SESSION THAT HELPS PARTICIPANTS BECOME MORE AWARE OF AND PRACTISE DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF BREATHING. AT ATHENA PERFORMANCE, OUR SESSIONS CAN INCLUDE BREATHING ASSESSMENT, BREATHING MECHANICS, NASAL AND DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING, GENTLE BREATH HOLDS, MOBILITY, MOVEMENT INTEGRATION AND DOWN REGULATION.
WHAT HAPPENS IN ATHENA PERFORMANCE’S BREATHWORK CLASSES?
THE EXACT SESSION CAN VARY, BUT OUR CLASSES HAVE INCLUDED BOLT ASSESSMENT, BREATHING MECHANICS, CONTROLLED BREATH HOLDS, NASAL AND DIAPHRAGMATIC BREATHING, MOBILITY WORK, MOVEMENT SUCH AS LUNGES, CARRIES, SQUATS AND STEP-UPS, FOLLOWED BY RECOVERY AND DOWN-REGULATION PRACTICES.
DO I NEED TO BE FIT TO ATTEND A BREATHWORK CLASS?
NO. BREATHWORK IS NOT RESERVED FOR ATHLETES OR EXPERIENCED GYM MEMBERS. THE SESSIONS ARE ABOUT LEARNING AND PRACTISING BREATHING TECHNIQUES IN A COACHED ENVIRONMENT, WITH THE WORK ADAPTED APPROPRIATELY WHERE REQUIRED.
WHAT IS A BOLT TEST IN BREATHWORK?
BOLT STANDS FOR BODY OXYGEN LEVEL TEST. IT IS A COMFORTABLE BREATH-HOLD ASSESSMENT USED WITHIN THE OXYGEN ADVANTAGE METHOD TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT AN INDIVIDUAL’S BREATHING AND THEIR RESPONSE TO A BREATH HOLD. IT IS NOT A MAXIMUM BREATH-HOLD COMPETITION.
WHEN ARE BREATHWORK CLASSES AT ATHENA PERFORMANCE IN REDDITCH?
ATHENA PERFORMANCE’S BREATHWORK CLASSES TAKE PLACE EVERY MONDAY AT 8PM AT OUR GYM AT UNIT 3B PHOENIX WORKS, WINDSOR ROAD, REDDITCH, B97 6DJ. CONTACT US ON 07494 417682 OR EMAIL INFO@ATHENAPERFORMANCE.CO.UK TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT ATTENDING.
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