At Deep Breath Institute, we teach controlled breathing techniques that help you manage stress, perform under pressure, and build lasting resilience. Whether you're dealing with workplace demands, preparing for high-stakes environments, or looking to sharpen your mental and physical performance, breathwork gives you a practical toolkit you can rely on.
Founded by Tom Hassall, a registered paramedic, freediving athlete, and performance coach, DBI brings real-world experience from emergency response, elite sport, and tactical operations into every session. Our team includes registered nurses, paramedics, and corporate facilitators who understand professional environments and high-pressure situations.
Breathwork is the practice of using controlled breathing techniques to regulate your nervous system, manage stress, and improve both mental and physical performance. It's not meditation or yoga. It's a set of practical, science-backed skills that help you take control of your body's stress response.
When you're stressed or under pressure, your breathing shifts. Short, shallow breaths trigger your fight-or-flight response, keeping you locked in tension. Breathwork teaches you to recognise these patterns and shift them deliberately, calming your nervous system, clearing your mind, and helping your body recover.
The techniques are simple, but the results are powerful: better focus, improved sleep, reduced anxiety, faster recovery, and the ability to stay calm when it matters most.
Modern work environments are high-pressure by default. Deadlines, decision-making, difficult conversations, constant connectivity. Most people are running on stress hormones without even realising it. Breathwork gives teams a tangible tool to change that.
Rather than waiting until after work to decompress, breathwork helps your team regulate stress as it happens, during meetings, before presentations, or between back-to-back calls.
When your nervous system is calm, your brain works better. Clearer thinking, sharper focus, better decisions under pressure.
Chronic stress leads to burnout. Breathwork helps teams build resilience so they can sustain performance without crashing.
Shared breathwork sessions create collective calm and connection. Teams that train together perform better together.
Offering breathwork shows your team that their mental health matters. It's a practical investment in their performance and long-term wellbeing.
Using breath control techniques, we teach your team how to maintain composure during challenging situations, promoting deeper relaxation and improved mental clarity.
We deliver on-site at your workplace or host teams at our Sandgate facility. Programs are tailored to your team's size, goals, and schedule.
Private sessions at our Sandgate facility or online via Zoom. We assess your breathing patterns, identify what's holding you back, and teach techniques tailored to your goals.
Our full-day Surf Apnea course is an intensive, hands-on program developed in partnership with Apnea Survival. Using breath-hold training and water-based drills, we teach you how to control stress, manage discomfort, and stay composed in high-pressure situations.
Developed over a decade of research with input from freedivers, surfers, and first responders worldwide. While popular among surfers, the skills are transferable to anyone who needs to stay calm under pressure.
What to bring: Swim goggles (not a dive mask), surf wetsuit and swimmers/boardshorts. Body board or swim fins if you're not a strong swimmer. A wetsuit is recommended as the body cools during static breath holds.
Prerequisites: Ability to swim 100m unassisted (swim fins permitted). Minimum age 18. Ages 15-17 may attend with a responsible adult.
Self-paced online training covering breath control, stress management, and breath-hold fundamentals. Suitable for all levels, from beginners to elite athletes and first responders. Learn at your own pace from anywhere.
Paramedic | Freediving Athlete | Performance Coach
Apnea Survival Ambassador & Certified Training Provider
Tom's life has been shaped by environments where composure isn't a preference but a prerequisite. Freediving, whitewater canoeing, emergency response — each demands the ability to operate at the boundary between control and chaos. Across these domains, Tom has learned not to resist life's currents, but to read them, breathe with them, and move decisively through them.
As a registered paramedic with extensive postgraduate training in healthcare and complex systems management, he translates evidence-based principles into real-world performance strategies that honour both body and mind. What Tom calls situational serenity is his defining contribution: a blend of athletic intuition, clinical precision, and breath-centred awareness that allows him to meet high-stakes moments with calm authority.
Tom teaches nationally and internationally, including in the UK and South-West Asia, and is supported by a multidisciplinary team of registered nurses, paramedics, and corporate facilitators.
Deep Breath Institute is a certified Apnea Survival Training Provider and Breath FX Elemental Breathing Instructor, bringing globally recognised expertise to every session.
Shop 3, 80 Loudon Street
Sandgate, QLD 4017
Professional training space. Everything provided. Plenty of parking.
On-site delivery across Brisbane and South East Queensland.
Bring breathwork to your team. No travel required, no disruption.
Individual and small group sessions via Zoom.
Accessible from anywhere in Australia and internationally.
Before: We'll discuss your goals and any health considerations. Wear comfortable clothing. For face-to-face courses, you'll receive a booking confirmation with full details and a medical questionnaire.
During: You'll learn core breathwork techniques through hands-on practice. We don't just talk about it, we do it together. Real-time feedback, real-time results. Training can be land-based, water-based, or a combination of both.
After: You'll leave with techniques you can use immediately and a clear practice plan. Face-to-face course participants receive 12 months of access to our online course to continue building their skills.
Tom Hassall brings frontline paramedic experience, elite athletic performance, and tactical response background. Every technique is proven in high-pressure, real-world situations.
Supported by registered nurses, paramedics, and corporate facilitators who understand professional environments and high-performance settings.
All techniques grounded in nervous system science and current clinical standards. No gimmicks, just what works.
We focus on what works in everyday life: at your desk, before a meeting, during a commute, or in competition. Five minutes is enough to make a difference.
"Tom is an absolutely amazing trainer. He was thorough and clear. He explained everything so well and practically. His stories added gravitas and real world experience."
"Tom is a very educated and experienced instructor. He explained all of the concepts of the session very well."
"Tom is a fantastic educator! He's very sharp-witted, and takes the time to explain the physiological and practical reasons why things are done in a certain way."
No. Sessions are tailored to your starting point, whether you're brand new or have practiced breathing techniques before. Our courses cater to everyone, from absolute beginners to high performers.
Yes, for most people. If you have respiratory conditions, heart issues, or are pregnant, let us know so we can adapt techniques safely. We assess health considerations on a case-by-case basis before every session.
Many people notice a difference immediately: calmer, clearer, more focused. Long-term benefits build with regular practice and the online course helps you maintain momentum.
Absolutely. Most techniques can be done at your desk, in a meeting room, or anywhere you have a few minutes.
As we cap attendance for face-to-face courses, we do not offer refunds for no-shows or cancellations less than 14 days before the event date. Contact us if you have any queries.
Tell us what you're looking for and we'll get back to you with a tailored recommendation.
Phone: 0484 112 083
Email: info@deepbreathinstitute.com.au
Location: Shop 3, 80 Loudon St, Sandgate QLD 4017
Whether you're booking for yourself, your team, or your organisation, we'll create a program that fits.
Breathe better. Perform better. Build resilience that lasts.
