How Can You Get Certified In Breathwork?
By: Steph Ball-Mitchell, E-RYT-500, RPYT, RCYT, YACEP
How Can You Get Certified in Breathwork?
Breathwork has become one of the most popular practices to calm the mind and improve physical health. We are all breathing all the time, but through breathwork, we can bring the breath under conscious control and start to influence the flow of energy throughout the body. But how can you get certified in breathwork, and what does it even mean to be a breathwork facilitator? We will answer all these questions and more in this article today! So, let’s dive in.
What is Breathwork?
Breathwork is the practice of consciously influencing the flow of the breath through various exercises. Breathing is something we are all doing constantly, as the breath is essential to life. Some people may ask that, given that we are continually breathing, how does breathwork really do anything differently?
The key to remember about breathwork is that we are not just letting the breath flow naturally; we are actually influencing the breath in various specific ways to control the biochemistry of the body and the mind. Many breathwork practices work on slowing down the breath and deepening it in the body, but there are also some breathwork exercises that can shorten the breath or specific ways to breathe through the nostrils or mouth.
Breathwork has its roots in yoga practices called pranayama, which is roughly translated to mean the control of prana or life force energy. The main goal of pranayama is to influence the flow of prana in the body, opening up the energy channels to allow the flow of energy throughout the entire body. On a deeper level, pranayama practice helps raise your consciousness and clear your mind for more profound meditation practice.
Why Breathwork Works
Breathwork works on many levels of the body, mind, and soul. Physically, breathwork helps balance your respiratory system, strengthen your diaphragm, and shift the biochemistry of your body. As you deepen your breathing and breathe through your nose, your body begins to produce a chemical called nitrate, which strengthens your entire respiratory system and calms your mind.
On a subtle energetic level, breathwork clears the energetic channels of the body called nadis in yoga philosophy. Through deep breathing, gradually, you can begin to clear away blockages in these channels and influence the flow of energy throughout your entire body. Yoga philosophy suggests that these practices can eventually support the flow of kundalini energy and facilitate deep awakening.
The Benefits of Breathwork
Each breathwork technique has a unique impact on the body and mind, and when combined into a specific sequence of practices, a trained breathwork facilitator can help you to access deeper states of awareness and influence the energetic balance of your body. See below for some of the main benefits of breathwork:
· Strengthens the respiratory system
· Reduces chronic pain
· Improves cardiovascular health
· Increases strength and endurance
· Strengthens the immune system
· Balances mental health
· Reduces stress and anxiety
· Supports trauma recovery
· Enhances overall wellbeing
With regular practice, you can harness the power of breathwork in your daily life and improve your overall mental and physical health! Scientists are continuing to uncover the many powerful benefits of these practices, with new benefits being discovered constantly.
Why Breathwork is Important
Clearly, we all know how to breathe, and we are all breathing all the time – but how often are you truly conscious of your breath? Take a moment right now to pause and observe your breathing. Observe if it is shallow or deep, short or long, fast or slow, and notice the qualities of your breath in this very moment without any judgment.
Most people have a tendency to breathe through their chest in short, shallow, fast breaths. But over time, this style of breathing can significantly impact your health because you are not using your total lung capacity and truly oxygenating your entire body. This reduced oxygenation of your cells influences the amount of energy that each cell has to perform its normal functioning, leading to a cascading impact on your overall health.
By taking conscious control of your breathing and working on lengthening, slowing down, and deepening your breath, you can begin to balance your mental and physical health and improve your overall wellbeing in no time!
Breathwork Certification Cost
There are a range of breathwork certifications in existence because there is no one single way to practice breathwork, and there is no central certifying or governing body over breathwork certifications. Therefore, the variety and range of breathwork certifications in existence are limitless, and it can be hard to distinguish between quality trainings.
The good news is that finding a reasonably priced breathwork certification is now easier than ever before with the rise of online trainings. Online breathwork certification courses are a great way to learn breathwork techniques and start the exciting journey of becoming a breathwork facilitator.
Breathwork trainings can range in pricing from $50 to thousands of dollars or more, depending on the depth, length, and location of the training. In person trainings tend to be more expensive than online trainings because you also need to factor in the cost of housing, food, and transportation. The benefits of an in person training though provide you with more detailed instruction and safety oversight in breathwork techniques. Although in a live online zoom training, you can still get many of the same benefits in training for a fraction of the cost!
How to Get Certified in Breathwork
Since there is no overseeing organization or registration for breathwork certification, it is ultimately up to each individual school how they process breathwork certification courses. That is why it is essential to find a high-quality breathwork certification course to ensure that you get the best breathwork certification course possible.
To get certified in breathwork, it typically requires that you have your own regular breathwork practice and that you have some familiarity with being a breathwork student. Your own experience is truly your best teacher! Breathwork trainings have a range of lengths from 10 hours to multiple months, all ranging in depth and quality. Since breathwork is so powerful, it is often advised to go for a longer and more well-rounded training to ensure that you get the support you need to guide your students safely through breathwork classes.
After completing the training, there is often some form of examination or submission of breathwork class recordings to ensure that you have the skills to offer breathwork to your students. And then you will be well on your way to starting the exciting career of becoming a breathwork facilitator!
3 Tips to Finding the Best Breathwork Certification Course
1. Check the Teacher’s Qualifications
Having a good teacher is the foundation of every breathwork certification course. Since every teacher’s approach is a bit different, it is essential to check where your breathwork teacher completed their training and what their background in breathwork is to ensure that they are fully qualified. Try checking their bio on their website or ask the lead teacher for more information on their breathwork background.
2. Ask for Reviews or Testimonials
There is no better way to evaluate the quality of a program than through the reviews or testimonials of past students! Reviews can provide some insight into a student's experience in the program and help you determine if it is the right fit for you. It may also be helpful to talk directly with a prior student to get their perspective on what the training was like and maybe even get some personal tips on how to succeed in the course.
3. Try a Practice Class
Before signing up for an extensive breathwork training, it is always a good idea to do a trial class with the teacher to ensure that you like their style. Every breathwork trainer can have their own unique flair, and by taking a practice class with the teacher, you can ensure that you resonate with their teaching style. Check online to see if they have a free breathwork class, or try to join a shorter workshop that the teacher offers to get a brief taste of what the more extensive training might be like.
Join the Best Breathwork Certification Course Online Today!
Choosing the best breathwork certification course is an individual choice that can vary for each person. It is important to take your time to thoroughly check any breathwork certification course before joining to ensure that you get the training you need to facilitate people safely and deeply through breathwork practice. Breathwork can be simple, but it can also be profoundly complex, and finding a training that walks you through these complexities is essential.
In our online breathwork certification course, we give you all the tools you need to become a qualified breathwork facilitator at an accessible cost! When you get certified in breathwork through our online breathwork certification course, you will receive a strong foundation of training with ongoing support to ensure that you get all the tools you need. Reach out to us today for more information on how you can begin your exciting journey of becoming a certified breathwork facilitator!