How Breathwork Changed Our Lives
Ryan McBurney and Shelby Von Oepen founded Liquid Breathwork in Arizona.
What We Do
We guide group Breathwork classes in eight cities across Arizona and Lake Tahoe, private and corporate sessions, and a live facilitator certification taught in Phoenix and online. People come to reduce stress and clear the mind, and the ones who want to guide others leave with a method they can teach.
Liquid Breathwork is a quiet, inward practice built on surrender. Ryan guides with his voice and you set the pace. Nothing is forced, and no one pushes you toward catharsis or screaming, which is why beginners who find Holotropic Breathwork® too intense often start here. Experienced breathers come for a deeper internal connection.
What Makes Us Different
- Surrender, not force. The breather sets the pace. We never push anyone toward a cathartic release, and nobody screams in a Liquid Breathwork session.
- Every cohort is taught live by both founders. Ryan and Shelby co-teach each certification cohort, capped at 6 seats in the Phoenix intensive and 15 in the online cohort. 55 students have enrolled so far.
- Ryan trained inside the major programs before building this one. Seven Breathwork programs, four certifications, and 21 days in the Baja desert with Dan Brulé. Some of the priciest programs taught him what he did not want to teach.
- No studio of our own. We rent rooms from yoga and sound studios in Phoenix, Scottsdale, Tempe, Mesa, Flagstaff, Prescott, Tucson, and Lake Tahoe, so the class comes to your city.
- Plain about the credential. Graduates receive a Liquid Breathwork Certificate of Completion, issued by us. It carries no third-party accreditation, and Breathwork facilitation is not a licensed profession in Arizona. See what it costs on our certification cost page.
Who It Is For
- People new to Breathwork who want a gentle first session, at a weekly class or a free guided audio at home.
- Regulars who want a deeper internal connection than a first class gives.
- Yoga teachers, nurses, massage therapists, and coaches who want to add Breathwork facilitation to their work through the facilitator training.
- Teams and leaders booking a corporate session, a conference slot, or a retreat or mastermind.
- Bachelorette parties and private groups who want a guided session as the centerpiece of their day.
The Team
Ryan McBurney
Founder. Created the Liquid Breathwork method and the facilitator training. Co-founded Unearth Your Soul with Shelby.
8 years guiding Breathwork, 7 breath programs behind him including 4 full certifications, and a 21-day Breath Mastery Retreat in the Baja desert with Dan Brulé. He has guided hundreds of one-on-one sessions and led groups for thousands of people. Ryan created the surrender-based method this training is built on.
How Ryan Found Breathwork
Ryan started breathing on his own in 2016 and led his first session in 2018. During the COVID-19 pandemic he trained in Rebirthing, Somatic Breathwork, and other modalities. Liquid Breathwork grew out of that study, and his sessions draw on David Hawkins's "Letting Go" principles. Away from sessions he reads philosophy, religion, and consciousness, and gets outside as often as he can.
Shelby Von Oepen
Co-founder and training instructor. Co-creator of the Liquid Breathwork method. Guides Breathwork, Reiki, sound healing, and guided meditation.
A registered nurse of fourteen years, and the graduate Ryan still calls his “Star Student”. She has been selling out women’s only classes almost every month for more than two years. Shelby brings an intuitive & nurturing energy into sessions and the training, which is the part of facilitation nobody learns from a video.
How Shelby Found Breathwork
Breathwork changed Shelby's life while she was working as a nurse, and she went on to train as a Liquid Breathwork facilitator. Her guided meditations help people feel safe before the breathing starts. She also writes and keeps studying Reiki and energy healing.
"True healing begins when we create space to listen to our own inner wisdom." - Shelby Von Oepen
Liquid Breathwork by the Numbers
Sources and dates for every number we publish: see Breathwork Statistics 2026.
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