Breathwork
in Putney
The most underrated tool you already have. We just help you use it.
See the timetable Upcoming workshopsYou’ve been breathing your whole life.
This goes deeper.
Conscious, connected breathing. You shift the nervous system — deliberately. Rest, clarity, emotional ease: available on demand, once you know how. It sounds too simple. It isn’t.
At Phoenix, breathwork appears both within yoga classes — as pranayama, the ancient breathing practices of the yoga tradition — and as dedicated sessions in its own right. In dedicated breathwork, you’ll typically lie down and breathe continuously for 30–45 minutes with guidance from a teacher.
The effects vary from person to person and session to session. Many people experience a deep release of physical tension. Some notice emotional clarity — a sense of having processed something without being able to say exactly what. Others simply feel the most rested they’ve been in months.
No yoga experience is required. No special ability is required. If you’re breathing — and you are — you can do this.
Kaya leads breathwork at Phoenix.
Kaya has been teaching breathwork in this studio for several years. She trained in conscious connected breathing and pranayama, and brings both traditions into her sessions — the ancient yogic techniques alongside the more contemporary somatic work. She knows this room. She knows how it holds people.
Her sessions aren’t workshops. They’re not performances. You lie down on the wood floor, in the light that comes through the high windows, and she guides you through it — quietly, without fanfare. Sixty minutes. Then you lie there for a while after. Most people don’t want to move.
What 60 minutes here actually feels like.
You lie down. You breathe. Something shifts. A typical session runs 45–60 minutes — but the hour after is often where the work happens.
You arrive off Upper Richmond Road — the buses, the noise, the Tuesday afternoon of it all. You take your shoes off at the door. The studio is quiet in the way that feels particular to this room: not silent, but settled. The wood floor. The light from the high windows. The bolsters already laid out.
Kaya starts with a few minutes of orientation — she explains the technique, checks in with the room, makes it clear that you can work at whatever level feels right. Then you lie down and breathe. Continuously. She guides the rhythm and watches the room. Forty or so minutes in, something changes — a release, a quieting, a kind of internal weather shift that’s hard to describe before you’ve felt it.
The last stretch is rest. Just lying there, breathing normally, while the room settles around you. When it’s over, people tend to be slow to get up. That’s the point.
It’s low-preparation. That’s intentional.
Wear something comfortable. Don’t eat heavily beforehand. We have mats, blankets, and bolsters — you don’t need to bring anything. Some people bring an eye mask; most don’t. No yoga experience needed. No breathwork experience needed. If you’ve never done this before, that’s completely fine — Kaya will explain everything before you start.
If you have a heart condition, epilepsy, high blood pressure or are pregnant, please get in touch before booking.
The science is catching up with the practice.
Research into breathwork has grown significantly in the past decade. Here’s what the evidence and experience consistently show.
Stress reduction
Your nervous system responds to the breath faster than to almost anything else. Breathwork gives you a direct line to it — a way to shift from reactive to calm in minutes, not hours.
Better sleep
Regular breathwork practice is associated with improved sleep quality. The nervous system regulation that breathwork produces carries over into the night, making it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep.
Mental clarity
Many people find that breathwork cuts through mental fog and emotional noise in a way that’s difficult to achieve otherwise. Regular practice can improve focus, reduce anxiety and create more emotional resilience.
What to expect in a session
You’ll lie on a mat (or be comfortably seated) and breathe continuously with guidance for 30–45 minutes. Your teacher will guide the rhythm, support you if anything comes up, and bring you gently to rest at the end. There’s always integration time.
What to bring
Just yourself and comfortable clothing. We’ll provide a mat, a blanket if you need one, and a supportive space. Some people bring an eye mask — entirely optional. Come with an empty-ish stomach (avoid eating heavily beforehand).
Two ways breathwork lives here.
The first is woven in. Pranayama — the breath practices of the yoga tradition — appears in most of our Hatha and Yin classes. Not as a box to tick before the asana, but as a genuine part of the practice. Techniques for slowing the exhale, steadying the nervous system, building heat. Things you’ll find yourself using on the Tube home.
The second is Kaya’s dedicated sessions. These run periodically as workshops — longer, deeper, with the full 60 minutes given to the breath. Check the Workshops & Series page for upcoming dates, or join our newsletter to hear first.
Not sure where to start? Come to a regular class. Almost every teacher at Phoenix brings breath awareness into their teaching — it’s a thread that runs through the whole studio, not just one session.
Breathwork FAQ
Breathwork refers to conscious breathing practices that use the breath as a tool to shift physical, mental and emotional states. Sessions at Phoenix typically use connected breathing techniques — rhythmic, continuous breathing that can produce profound states of relaxation and clarity.
They’re related but different. Pranayama is the breathing discipline within the traditional yoga system — precise techniques with specific ratios and holds. Breathwork often refers to more contemporary connected breathing methods that tend to be more somatic and experiential. We offer elements of both.
For most people, breathwork is very safe. Some techniques can produce light-headedness or tingling — these are normal responses. We always offer a grounded, supported experience and encourage you to work at your own pace. If you have a heart condition, epilepsy, high blood pressure or are pregnant, please check with us before attending.
People describe breathwork very differently — some feel deeply relaxed, others feel emotional release, many feel unusual clarity and calm. You’ll be lying down, breathing continuously with guidance, typically for 30–45 minutes, followed by integration time.
No yoga experience is needed at all. Breathwork classes stand alone. As long as you can breathe — and you can — you can participate.
More breathwork questions
Yes — Phoenix Yoga runs breathwork and pranayama classes at 230 Upper Richmond Road, Putney SW15 6TG. Check the schedule page for current times.
Come and breathe.
Breathwork is included in all memberships and class packs.