9D Breathwork Certification Alternative (2026): Liquid Breathwork vs 9D

What 9D Breathwork Certification Actually Is

9D Breathwork is a Breathwork format built around a single proprietary innovation: a multi-layered audio track designed for headphone delivery. The "9D" name refers to nine dimensions of audio engineering (binaural beats, isochronic tones, solfeggio frequencies, 8D spatial audio, brainwave entrainment, subliminal affirmations, nature soundscapes, music composition, and guided voice coaching) layered into a single soundtrack.

The certification trains facilitators to deliver that experience. Most graduates will lead either solo at-home participants through the 9D audio library, or run in-person group sessions where everyone wears headphones and listens to the same pre-recorded track simultaneously.

Tom Greenway is the founder and the creator of the 9D format. Matty Lansdown has been a public face for many of the trainings. The brand emerged from the UK around 2020 to 2022 and grew quickly through online channels (podcasts, social media, and online community building). Today, "9D Breathwork" is one of the two largest brand searches in the entire Breathwork space at roughly 5,400 monthly searches, tied with Wim Hof.

Format, Length, and Pricing

9D Breathwork facilitator certification is delivered online. The program is structured around the proprietary 9D session protocol and the audio library, with training in pre-session intention-setting, in-session pacing, and post-session integration. Tuition runs around $2,000 USD as of 2026 (the program does not always publish pricing openly; the number can vary by cohort and intake window). Length and structure shift cohort to cohort, but the core delivery is asynchronous online training paired with live calls.

What 9D Breathwork Certification Genuinely Does Well

We want to be honest about the strengths because they are real.

• Production quality is excellent. The 9D audio tracks are among the most technically sophisticated in the Breathwork space. The layered sound design produces an immersive sensory experience that holds people's attention.
• Brand recognition is strong. 9D is the largest brand-search competitor in the space alongside Wim Hof. If you say you are 9D-certified to a wellness studio in 2026, they know what it means.
• Online delivery scales globally. You can train from anywhere. For facilitators in countries with limited in-person Breathwork access, that matters.
• Single-protocol structure is approachable. A new facilitator can lead a 9D session by hitting play on a track and holding space. The structure does some of the heavy lifting, which can build early confidence.
• The brand has built a real community. 9D facilitators support each other and there is a recognizable global cohort identity.

If those strengths line up with what you want, 9D is a real option.

Where the Tradeoffs Show Up

These are the honest gaps in a 9D certification, drawn from our own headphone-based facilitation work and conversations with facilitators who came to Liquid Breathwork after starting in 9D.

It is a single proprietary protocol, not a broad facilitator education

9D teaches the 9D method. That is its core identity. If you want to lead a slow somatic Breathwork session for a trauma-sensitive client, run a calming pranayama with an anxious participant, or hold a Rebirthing-style journey for someone who needs deeper inward work, those tools are not in your toolkit from a 9D certification. You graduate as a 9D facilitator, not as a broadly trained Breathwork facilitator.

The format is dependent on a pre-recorded audio file

Every 9D session you lead, in person or online, runs on a 9D-produced track. That dependency is the strength of the brand (consistency, scalability, brand identity) and it is also a real limit. You cannot read the room and slow the music when the group needs another two minutes in the peak. You cannot drop into silence when the room finds something on its own. The pre-recorded timeline does not bend. A live facilitator with a curated playlist and the skill to use it is a different category of presence.

Online-only training caps facilitation craft

Facilitation is a relational skill. You learn it in a room, with bodies on mats, watching what is happening, getting feedback from a teacher who can see things you cannot yet see. An online-only training (regardless of how well-produced the modules are) cannot replicate the apprenticeship dimension of in-person practicum hours. We see this consistently with facilitators who switch over. The first time they hold a live room and have to make a real-time decision, what they want is a teacher who has watched them do it and corrected them.

No clinical safety oversight in the curriculum

Circular connected breathing produces real physiological shifts. CO2 levels move. Blood pressure shifts. Emotional responses can be intense. A facilitator training without a clinician on staff to teach respiratory physiology, contraindications, and safety protocols leaves new facilitators undertrained for the situations that occasionally come up in live rooms. At Liquid Breathwork, Shelby Von Oepen, RN, BSN, teaches the entire clinical safety module. That presence shows up in how our graduates handle their first hard moments in a session.

The brand carries the credential

A 9D certification is most valuable inside the 9D ecosystem. If you eventually want to run sessions that are not 9D-branded (your own format, your own playlist, your own pacing), the credential travels less. A broader Breathwork foundation builds a portable practice.

9D Breathwork Certification vs Liquid Breathwork Training

The table below is meant to clarify the actual tradeoffs, not declare a winner. Both programs serve different facilitators.

Who 9D Breathwork Certification Genuinely Fits

• You specifically want to teach the 9D-branded method and plug into the 9D ecosystem
• You cannot or do not want to travel for in-person training
• You are drawn to highly produced, headphone-immersive sound design as the core delivery vehicle
• You want a single, well-defined protocol you can run consistently from session one
• You are okay leading sessions that depend on a pre-recorded track
• You value brand size and want a credential that wellness studios immediately recognize

Who Should Look at an Alternative

• You want in-person facilitation practice with live feedback from a teacher who knows your name
• You want training in multiple Breathwork techniques, not one proprietary format
• You want a Registered Nurse teaching the safety and physiology modules
• You want to facilitate live rooms without leaning on a pre-recorded audio file
• You prefer a surrender-based methodology over a cathartic, outward-expression style
• You want business training built into tuition, taught by someone actively filling classes

How Liquid Breathwork Training Compares

Liquid Breathwork is the program many facilitators choose when 9D does not fit the practice they want to build. Here is what tuition includes:

• 3-day in-person immersive at our Mesa home, capped at 6 students for individual attention
• Ongoing online support after the immersive, not a closed cohort that disbands
• 4 curriculum modules: Somatic Self-Awareness, Respiratory Physiology, Clinical Facilitation, Professional Practice
• 13 breathing techniques across the major modalities (Liquid Breathwork session protocol, conscious connected, pranayama, box breathing, physiological sigh, and more)
• Shelby Von Oepen, RN, BSN on the teaching team for clinical safety and physiology
• Supervised peer practicum plus written assessment (70% minimum)
• Business training built into tuition, taught from active practice (Ryan personally fills four classes a month and has for 9 years)
• One published tuition ($1,997), no upsell ladder
• Founder access rather than handoff to junior trainers

Next cohort: June 12 to 14, 2026. We cap at 6 students because the depth of attention each person gets is the whole point.

Bottom Line

9D Breathwork certification is well-produced, the brand is strong, and the format scales globally. If you specifically want to be a 9D facilitator, get the 9D certification.

If you want to be a Breathwork facilitator (broader skill set, in-person practicum hours, clinical safety grounding, freedom to facilitate live rooms without leaning on a pre-recorded audio file), that is the program we built.

Compare the full landscape of Breathwork certifications, look at our weekly classes to feel the methodology firsthand, or read the Liquid Breathwork facilitator training page for full curriculum and dates.

FAQ

How much does 9D Breathwork certification cost?

Approximately $2,000 USD, though pricing varies by cohort. The 9D program does not always publish pricing publicly. Liquid Breathwork facilitator training is $1,997 one-time, with payment plans available.

Is 9D Breathwork a real certification?

Yes, in the sense that 9D issues a brand-specific credential that certifies you to facilitate the 9D protocol. There is no government licensing body for Breathwork in the United States, so all Breathwork credentials are issued by the training organization itself. What matters is the depth of the training and the lineage of the teachers.

What is the difference between 9D and Liquid Breathwork certification?

9D trains you to deliver a single proprietary headphone-based protocol. Liquid Breathwork trains you across 13 techniques with in-person facilitation practice, a Registered Nurse on staff for clinical safety, and business training built into tuition. 9D scales globally through online delivery. Liquid Breathwork deepens through small-cohort in-person work.

Is the 9D Breathwork training worth it?

It is worth it if you specifically want to teach 9D and operate inside the 9D ecosystem. It is not worth it if you want broad Breathwork education, clinical depth, or the ability to facilitate live rooms independent of a pre-recorded audio file.

Who is Tom Greenway and what is the 9D lineage?

Tom Greenway founded 9D Breathwork and created the 9D format. The brand is closely associated with Matty Lansdown, who has been a public face for many of the trainings. 9D emerged in the UK around 2020 to 2022 and grew rapidly online. It is a newer lineage than Holotropic (1970s, Stan and Christina Grof) or Rebirthing (1970s, Leonard Orr).

What is the best alternative to 9D Breathwork certification?

For small-cohort in-person mentorship with clinical oversight and business training, Liquid Breathwork. For a global online community and a polished training portal, SOMA Breath. For a trauma-informed online program with weekly live calls, Pause Breathwork. For retreat-immersion, Alchemy of Breath. For body-based trauma release, BBTRS.

Can I become a 9D facilitator without the official certification?

No. The 9D name, audio tracks, and session format are proprietary. To use 9D branding and audio you need the official certification. You can train as a Breathwork facilitator in other modalities and lead your own sessions, but not under the 9D brand.

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