Developed by Patrick McKeown · Used by instructors in 60+ countries

Free Functional Breathing Assessment

How well are
you actually
breathing?

The questions Patrick McKeown and certified Oxygen Advantage® instructors use to assess clients — across Body, Mind, and Sport. 16 questions. Three dimensions. Your baseline in under 5 minutes.

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Why This Matters

You can do breathing exercises every day and still breathe dysfunctionally.

Patrick McKeown

"Breathwork can be transformative. But transformation is not measured by what happens during the session. It is measured by what happens between sessions." - Patrick McKeown

Most people focus on what happens during a session. But transformation is measured by what happens between sessions — during a difficult conversation, under pressure at work, halfway through a run, or in the middle of the night.

This assessment identifies current breathing habits and gives you a measurable baseline to work from. Whether you are a fitness professional, a wellness coach, or someone working to improve their own breathing — knowing where you are is the only way to know if you are moving forward.

TAKE THE ASSESSMENT

Who This Is For

Fitness & Personal Trainers

Add a professional screening layer to your practice. Understand why your clients plateau — and how breathing may be the missing variable in their performance.

Yoga, Pilates & Wellness Instructors

Move beyond breathwork exercises into genuine pattern change. Give clients a baseline that lets both of you see real progress over weeks and months.

Health Coaches & Practitioners

A science-based tool your clients will take seriously. Identify dysfunction early, monitor progress, and demonstrate the value of your work with measurable outcomes.

Individuals Improving Their Own Breathing

Understand where you are starting from. Whether you are dealing with stress, poor sleep, or wanting better athletic performance — your baseline is the beginning of the journey.

TAKE THE ASSESSMENT

How It Works

Sign Up

Access the assessment instantly

Answer Honestly

Score 16 questions across three dimensions

Read Your Results

Understand your baseline and where to focus first

Reassess and Track

Return every 4–6 weeks to measure real change

TAKE THE ASSESSMENT

What It Measures

Three dimensions. 16 questions.

Scored 0–3 per question. Each dimension reveals a different layer of how breathing is supporting — or limiting — your nervous system, recovery, and performance.

FAQ

The assessment measures three dimensions of functional breathing:

- Body (your everyday breathing pattern at rest)

- Mind (calm regulation and breath control under stress)

- and Sport (breathing under physical demand and recovery)

Your combined score gives you a clear baseline — and a direction to move in.

Under five minutes. There are 16 questions, each scored on a simple 0–3 scale. You answer based on your normal, everyday breathing — not how you breathe during a session or when you are concentrating on it.

BOLT stands for Body Oxygen Level Test. It measures your tolerance to carbon dioxide by timing how long you can comfortably pause after a normal exhale. Two questions in the assessment reference it. If you do not know your BOLT score yet, simply score those questions as 0 for now — you can take the test separately and reassess.

Learn more and test your BOLT here

The MBT measures how many paces you can walk while holding your breath after a normal exhale.

It reflects:

  • Tolerance to breathlessness
  • Sensitivity to rising carbon dioxide
  • Nervous system response to internal stress

Watch Patrick Demonstrate the MBT

Every four to six weeks is the recommendation. This gives enough time for meaningful pattern change to show up in your score. The BOLT score is one of the clearest early indicators — an improvement of five seconds or more within that window is a good signal that something real has shifted.

Yes. The assessment is free to use as a screening and intake tool. Oxygen Advantage® instructors use it as their standard first step with every new client. If you want to use it as part of a formal, certified programme — or if you want the training to interpret results at a deeper level — that is what the Oxygen Advantage® certification is designed for.

Absolutely. The assessment was developed for use with clients, but your own breathing is the most direct place to see its value. Understanding which dimension of your breathing is most dysfunctional — and why — gives you a clear, science-based starting point. Many people find it clarifying in a way that vague advice about 'breathing better' simply cannot match.

Your baseline. In 5 minutes.

Used by certified Oxygen Advantage® instructors worldwide as their first step with every new client. Now available to you — free.

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