Ground
Long holds, blocks everywhere, mostly floor-based. If you have not done this before, start here and stay for three months.
01 What we are for
We teach the boring parts properly.
Most people arrive with a stiff upper back, tight hips and a phone habit. That is not a spiritual problem, it is a mechanical one, and it responds well to being shown the same five things repeatedly until they stop being difficult.
So we spend the first ten minutes of every class on breath and set-up, because everything after it depends on those. You will not be told to find your bliss. You will be told where your ribs are, and then asked to move them.
- i
Small classes
Twenty-two mats, capped at eighteen. Everyone gets looked at, whether they want it or not.
- ii
Named intensity
Every class says what it will do to you before you book it. No surprises at 07:00 on a Tuesday.
- iii
No hierarchy of poses
Nobody here is working towards a handstand. Lying still counts, and it is on the timetable.
02 Class types
Five things we teach
Everything on the timetable is one of these five. The colour beside each one is the colour it appears in for the rest of the site.
Lift
Warm, continuous and it will make you sweat. Not a spin class in leggings, but it is not a rest either.
Hinge
Loaded range of motion for hips, shoulders and spine. Kettlebells make an appearance. So does the floor.
Unwind
Bolsters, low light and almost nothing to do. Someone falls asleep every single week and we have stopped waking them.
Breath
Sitting upright, learning to make the exhale longer than the inhale. The pattern in the next section is the one we open this class with, so you can practise it before you get here.
Try the pattern
03 Try it now
Four in. Seven hold. Eight out.
This is how every Breath class opens. Follow the ring: it runs at exactly the pace we teach, so the first time you sit down here it will already be familiar. One round takes nineteen seconds.
Ready
—
Round 00
4 · 7 · 8
In through the nose for four. Hold for seven. Out through the mouth for eight.
- 4s
Breathe in
Through the nose, into the bottom of the ribs rather than the top of the chest.
- 7s
Hold
Soft throat, soft jaw. If seven is too long, hold for four and build up.
- 8s
Breathe out
Through the mouth, slowly, all the way to the end. This is the part that does the work.
The guide pauses on its own when it scrolls out of view. If you feel light-headed, stop and breathe normally, four rounds is plenty to begin with.
04 The week
Every class, all seven days
The whole timetable at once, because deciding which day to come is the hard part. Hover or focus a class to pick that type out across the week.
- Ground
- Lift
- Hinge
- Unwind
- Breath
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Book in the app or turn up ten minutes early and we will find you a mat. Doors open thirty minutes before the first class of each block.
05 Who teaches
Four people, all of whom will correct you
Amara Boateng
Founder Ground, Lift
Fifteen years teaching, twelve of them in Sheffield. Trained in Mysore, then spent a decade quietly unlearning about half of it.
Theo Marchetti
Strength Lift, Hinge
Former climbing coach. Believes most back pain is a shoulder problem wearing a convincing disguise, and is usually right.
Nell Farrow
Breath Breath, Unwind
Respiratory physiotherapist by day. Wrote the four-seven-eight guide on this page and will tell you off for rushing the exhale.
Rosa Vance
Mornings Lift, Hinge, Ground
Came for one class in 2021 and never really left. Teaches the 07:00 so that you do not have to think about it.
06 Membership
Three ways to pay
One price covers every class type. No tiers, no peak pricing, and no joining fee, because we could never explain one honestly.
Drop-in
£14per class
- Any class type, any day
- Book up to 14 days ahead
- Kit provided, nothing to bring
What most people do
Monthly
£68per month
- Unlimited classes, all seven days
- 20% off workshops and courses
- Freeze it for one month a year
- One month rolling, cancel whenever
Ten-class pass
£120ten classes
- Valid for twelve months
- Shareable with one other person
- Good if your weeks are unpredictable
Concessions are £9 drop-in and £46 monthly for students, over-65s, and anyone on Universal Credit. Ask at the desk. We do not ask for proof.
“I came in with a frozen shoulder and a bad attitude. Six months later the shoulder is fine. The attitude is a work in progress.”
Marcus D. Member since 2023
“It is the only class I have ever been to where nobody says the word journey. I cannot tell you how much that matters.”
Priya S. Monthly member
“Nell taught me to breathe out for eight seconds and I stopped waking up at four in the morning. That is the entire review.”
Jo H. Breath & Unwind
07 Visit
Alma Works, Kelham Island
Where
Unit 4, Alma Works
Green Lane
Sheffield S3 8SE
Twenty minutes on foot from the station, or the 7 and 8 buses to Green Lane. Two bike racks in the yard, both usually free.
Opening hours
- Mon – Thu
- 06:15 – 21:00
- Friday
- 06:15 – 20:30
- Saturday
- 08:00 – 18:30
- Sunday
- 08:30 – 19:30
What to bring
Yourself, and something to drink. Mats, blocks, bolsters, straps and blankets all live here.
There are four showers and they all work. Step-free entry from the yard, an accessible changing room, and a lift to Studio Two.
Say hello
[email protected]
0114 496 0182
First class not right for you? Tell us within a week and we will refund it, no conversation required.
Book a class