Quick Summary
Somatic Breathwork training teaches you to guide sessions by watching the body as well as the breath. Look for safety screening, trauma-informed facilitation, scope of practice, and supervised live practice. For dates and tuition, see our Breathwork certification.
Liquid Breathwork training: three days in person (24 hours) or a separate 12-week online cohort, up to 6 students in person or 15 online, 55 students enrolled.
Somatic Breathwork sessions can bring up grief and shaking, and the facilitator has to know what to do when that happens.
In our Liquid Breathwork training, Ryan McBurney, founder of Liquid Breathwork, and Shelby Von Oepen, RN, BSN teach every part of it together. Shelby brings 14 years of nursing to how we screen.
What Is Somatic Breathwork Training?
"Somatic" means body-based. You track posture, tension, breath rhythm, and emotion, where a box breathing or 4-7-8 class mostly tracks the count.
The wider field includes conscious connected breathing, circular breathing, holotropic-style breathing, rebirthing breathwork, pranayama, nasal breathing, and breath retention. Breathwork practitioner training teaches which one fits a client and when to stop cueing.
Somatic Breathwork Training vs Breathwork Facilitator Training
Breathwork facilitator training is the broader category, from stress relief to corporate classes. Somatic training focuses on emotional processing and nervous system regulation.
| Training Type | Main Focus | Common Audience | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Somatic Breathwork training | Emotional and nervous system work | Coaches, healers, therapists, facilitators | Emotional release and integration |
| Breathwork facilitator training | Guiding individuals or groups | Wellness practitioners, career changers | Classes, workshops, private sessions |
| Breathwork teacher training | Techniques and session structure | Yoga teachers, meditation teachers | Group education and practice |
| Breathwork practitioner training | Adding Breathwork to an existing practice | Massage therapists, counselors, coaches | Client support and modality integration |
| Online breathwork course | Remote learning | Students who cannot travel | Theory at a lower price |
| In-person Breathwork training | Supervised live practice | Students who want hands-on correction | Guiding real sessions |
Who Somatic Breathwork Training Is Best For
Most of our students already work with people as yoga and meditation teachers, massage therapists, sound healers, coaches, nurses, counselors, or retreat leaders. A sound healer, for example, might open a sound bath with connected breathing. Others had a strong session themselves and want to guide one.
A good training makes one boundary clear. Breathwork is not therapy unless you are licensed to provide therapy.
What a Good Somatic Breathwork Training Should Include
Nervous System Education
You learn fight-flight-freeze and the window of tolerance, so you can tell when someone is opening and when they are overwhelmed.
Breath Physiology
Breathwork changes carbon dioxide, oxygen balance, pH, and heart rate. Some techniques cause tingling, tetany, or lightheadedness. You learn the physiology behind it, including respiratory alkalosis, CO2 tolerance, and recovery breathing.
Contraindications and Safety
Screening covers:
- Pregnancy
- Uncontrolled high blood pressure
- Cardiovascular conditions
- Epilepsy or seizure history
- Recent surgery
- Severe asthma or respiratory conditions
- Glaucoma or retinal detachment risk
- History of psychosis or severe psychiatric instability
- Recent traumatic brain injury
- Medications or conditions that may affect safety
Trauma-Informed Facilitation
Trauma-informed Breathwork training teaches consent, pacing, and noticing dissociation. Treating trauma is a job for licensed therapists, so the facilitator offers choices instead: eyes open or closed, softer breath, a pause, or staying private.
Live Practice and Feedback
We cap cohorts at 6, so every student guides real people and gets feedback on cueing and closing.
Integration Support
A big release with no integration can leave a person raw. You learn the follow-up: journaling, rest, or a referral to a licensed professional.
The Liquid Breathwork Method: Surrender-Based Facilitation
Some Breathwork spaces push for catharsis with screaming and aggressive coaching. We teach facilitators to set a steady pace and tone, then let the body lead. Sometimes that looks like crying. Sometimes a client's shoulders just drop. You stay with whatever shows up.
Online vs In-Person Somatic Breathwork Training
Pacing and tone are easiest to correct in the room, which is what the 24 in-person hours are for. If you want Breathwork training online, the 12-week online cohort is a separate training with more time to go deeper.
| Format | Strengths | Limitations | Best Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online training | Flexible and repeatable | Less embodied feedback | Theory and foundations |
| In-person training | Live practice with feedback | Requires travel and scheduling | Facilitation skill |
| Hybrid training | Both formats combined | Ratio of online to in-person hours varies | Facilitators who plan to work with clients |
| Weekend workshop | Fast immersion | Too short on its own | Your own practice or a first taste |
| Long-form mentorship | Ongoing feedback on real clients | Bigger commitment | Professional facilitation |
What You Can Do After Somatic Breathwork Training
Graduates host Breathwork circles and private sessions, lead retreat sessions, or add Breathwork to sound healing, yoga, massage therapy, coaching, or corporate wellness work. Licensed therapists can use it with clients inside their scope.
How Much Does Somatic Breathwork Training Cost?
A basic online breathwork course costs a few hundred dollars. A long-form facilitator training or somatic Breathwork certification runs several thousand. Hours, in-person time, group size, instructor experience, and mentorship set the price.
Ours is $1,497. Dates and curriculum are on the Liquid Breathwork training page.
Questions to Ask Before Choosing a Breathwork Facilitator Training
- How many total training hours, and how many in person?
- Are there live practice sessions with direct feedback?
- Who teaches anatomy, physiology, and contraindications?
- What do they teach you to do when a client panics or goes numb?
- Where does it draw the line on scope of practice?
- How many students are in each cohort?
- What happens after a big release?
- Does the method match how you want to hold space?
Is Somatic Breathwork Training Worth It?
Yes, if you plan to guide other people through strong emotional release. For your own practice, a class or short online breathwork course is enough.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is somatic Breathwork safe?
Yes, when the facilitator screens first and the client sets the pace. It may not suit people with certain heart, lung, neurological, or psychiatric conditions, or during pregnancy, which is why screening comes first.
Who should take Breathwork practitioner training?
People who already guide body or emotional work, like yoga teachers, nurses, and coaches. Career changers do well too if they have a steady practice of their own.
Start Your Somatic Breathwork Training
See cohort dates and the full curriculum.
Try Somatic Breathwork First
Take a class with the 7-day free membership trial before you commit to training.