Functional Breathwork
$499
6 weekly sessions with Luise, in person or online, following a structured progression through the core areas of functional breathwork.
What is it?
Your breath is the fastest, most direct tool you have for changing how you feel. Not metaphorically — physiologically. The way you breathe in the next two minutes will directly influence your heart rate, your cortisol levels, your nervous system state, and your capacity to think clearly and recover well.
Functional breathwork at Tristar is led by Luise Beaumont, who brings an Oxygen Advantage instructor certification alongside a background in wellbeing facilitation, fasting retreat design, and nervous system regulation. This is not a performance programme — it's a practical, evidence-based approach to using your breath to manage stress, improve sleep, build resilience, and feel better in your body day to day.
Whether you're dealing with chronic stress, disrupted sleep, anxiety, or simply want a tool that works through the body rather than around it — this is it.
What we cover
Functional breathwork draws on the Oxygen Advantage framework and addresses the breathing habits and patterns that most commonly drive dysfunction in everyday life:
Breathing mechanics — identifying and correcting mouth breathing, upper chest breathing, and overbreathing patterns that chronically activate the stress response
CO2 tolerance — building your capacity to tolerate carbon dioxide, which directly reduces anxiety, improves oxygen delivery, and calms the nervous system
Parasympathetic activation — practical techniques for shifting out of fight-or-flight and into rest-and-digest, on demand
Sleep protocols — specific breathing practices for sleep onset, night waking, and the kind of non-restorative sleep that leaves you tired regardless of hours
Stress and pattern interruption — tools you can use in real time, in real situations, without anyone around you knowing you're doing anything
Format
Six weekly 60 min sessions with Luise, in person or online, following a structured progression through the core areas of functional breathwork. Each session builds on the last. Includes a home practice protocol for the week between sessions and a follow-up BOLT score at the end of the programme to measure progress.
The 6-week programme covers:
Stress and anxiety — CO2 tolerance, parasympathetic activation, pattern interruption
Sleep — pre-sleep protocols, nasal breathing habits, nervous system downregulation
Recovery — post-training or post-work protocols, HRV awareness, breathwork for adaptation
Focus and cognitive performance — coherence breathing, box breathing, workplace application
Immune function and respiratory health — nasal breathing, nitric oxide production, respiratory hygiene
Integration — consolidating your practice, home protocol refinement, final BOLT assessment
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For anyone who wants a practical, grounded tool for managing the demands of modern life. Functional breathwork is particularly relevant for:
People dealing with chronic stress or anxiety
Those with disrupted or non-restorative sleep
Anyone who feels permanently wired or finds it hard to switch off
People going through significant life or work transitions
Those who have tried other approaches and want something that works through the body rather than the mind alone
No experience with breathwork is needed. No particular fitness level is required. You just need to be able to breathe — we'll handle the rest.
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All individual sessions and the 6-week programme are available in person at Tristar Performance in Rangiora, or online via video call. The practice translates completely to an online format — all you need is a quiet space and a device with a camera.
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Your first session begins with a conversation about what's brought you here and what you're hoping to change. Luise will then take you through a simple functional breathing assessment, including the BOLT score — a validated measure of CO2 tolerance and breathing efficiency that takes less than two minutes and gives an immediate, objective picture of where you're starting from.
From there, the session moves into practice — guided, supported, and paced to where you are. You won't be pushed into anything uncomfortable. You'll leave with a clear understanding of your breathing patterns, why they matter, and an easy to follow home protocol to start working with straight away.
All prices NZD inclusive of GST.