Alchemy of Breath Facilitator Training Review (2026)

Is the Alchemy of Breath facilitator training worth it? We cover the cost ($5,800-$6,900), the Tuscany residential, what 400+ hours of shadow work and conscious connected breathing look like, and how it compares to Holotropic, PAUSE, and SOMA.

Anthony Abbagnano discovered the power of breathing at 18 when he learned Lamaze techniques to support his wife during labour. Forty years later, after exploring rebirthing, holotropic, Sufi breathing, pranayama, and everything in between, he built Alchemy of Breath. The training has quietly graduated over 1,000 facilitators since 2012 without relying on hype or aggressive marketing. He’s the nephew of Italian existentialist philosopher Nicola Abbagnano, and that philosophical background shows. This is breathwork rooted in Jungian psychology, shadow work, and philosophical inquiry.

The training runs from his retreat center in Tuscany. The method is conscious connected breathing with music, bodywork, and a heavy focus on the facilitator’s own inner process. It sits in the same family as Holotropic Breathwork, but where Holotropic takes years, AoB is faster and comes with a business toolkit that Holotropic never built.

Pros and Cons

What You Learn

Alchemy of Breath teaches conscious connected breathing. You breathe continuously without pausing between inhale and exhale, accompanied by music, until something shifts. That might be emotional release, physical sensations, imagery, or stillness. The technique is essentially the same family as Holotropic Breathwork and PAUSE Breathwork. The difference is in the container around it.

The training has two tracks running in parallel:

The Inner Journey covers your own personal process. Seven chapters of self-discovery, shadow work, and inner healing. You’re required to go through your own transformation before you guide anyone else through theirs. This is where the Jungian influence shows up. Dream work, archetypes, unconscious patterns. Graduates consistently say this is the most valuable part of the training.

The Facilitator Journey covers the practical skills. Guiding techniques, trauma-informed bodywork, how to read a room, when to intervene and when to hold space. Business integration is included: how to run sessions, market yourself, and build a practice.

The unique element is the “Mandala Breath” technique, a proprietary protocol that Abbagnano developed. Beyond that, the core breathing method will be familiar to anyone who’s experienced conscious connected breathing in other schools.

Two Paths to Certification

8-Month Online Training ($5,800)

The full program covers around 400 hours through a digital learning platform with pre-recorded videos, live sessions, and weekly coaching calls. You submit case studies along the way and finish with a 7-day residential “BreathCamp” at ASHA in Tuscany (accommodation separate).

The regular price is $6,800, though last-minute offers can bring it down to $5,800.

4-Month Accelerated Training ($6,900)

This condensed 250-hour track starts with a 7-week online prep course, followed by 21 days of residential training in Tuscany under Abbagnano and his master trainers. Two months of post-training mentorship follow.

Additional costs to factor in:

• Flights to Tuscany (varies by origin)
• Accommodation during the residential (not included in tuition)
• Meals and transport during retreat weeks
• Insurance: $300-500/year

Realistic all-in cost: $7,000-$10,000

Both paths include one year of access to the “I Am Alchemy” community platform, the alumni network, and ongoing support resources including playlists, marketing toolkit, and interview templates.

The Founder Factor

Alchemy of Breath is built around Anthony Abbagnano. His personal philosophy shapes the curriculum. His retreat centers (ASHA in Tuscany, The Ark in Bali) host the trainings. His master trainers were trained by him. This is a founder-led organization.

That’s both a strength and something to be aware of. Graduates consistently speak highly of Abbagnano, and his 40 years of practice across multiple breathing traditions give him a breadth that most breathwork founders don’t have. The flip side is that the brand is closely tied to the person. Worth knowing when you’re investing $7,000+, though the growing team of master trainers is helping to broaden things.

The master trainers (Emily Ray Henderson, Pablo Castro, Simona Dvorackova, Nick Garrow-Fisher) expand the teaching capacity, but the philosophy and methodology flow from Abbagnano.

The Business Reality

With 1,000+ graduates and 14 years of operation, Alchemy of Breath has been around longer than most breathwork certifications on the market. The brand doesn’t carry the instant recognition of Wim Hof or SOMA Breath (see our full WHM review and SOMA review for comparison), but it’s well-respected in the conscious breathwork community. Your clients will come through a mix of the AoB network and your own presence.

The training includes a business toolkit with marketing templates and guidance. That’s more practical support than Holotropic offers, though not as turnkey as SOMA’s business-in-a-box model.

Typical income streams:

• One-on-one sessions: $100-250
• Group breathwork journeys: $30-80 per person
• Retreats: $500-2,000 per participant
• Online sessions: $30-100 per person
• Corporate wellness: $500-2,000 per session

The retreat model is where AoB graduates tend to do best. The Tuscany training gives you a sense of how to run your own retreats. If you already have a wellness practice, adding breathwork sessions is a natural next step.

Market Comparisons

Alchemy of Breath vs. Holotropic Breathwork

Same family of techniques. Both use continuous connected breathing with music for deep inner work. Holotropic takes 2-3 years and costs $7,000-$25,000 all in. Alchemy of Breath gets you there in 4-8 months for $7,000-$10,000. Holotropic has stronger brand recognition and a longer track record. AoB has better business support and a more modern training format.

Choose Holotropic if you want the deepest possible training and don’t mind spending years on it. Choose AoB if you want similar depth in a faster, more practical package.

Alchemy of Breath vs. PAUSE Breathwork

Both teach conscious connected breathing. Both are hybrid format. PAUSE runs 6 months at $4,000-$6,000 with heavier influencer branding around founder Samantha Skelly. AoB is more philosophical and includes a residential component. PAUSE is fully online.

Choose PAUSE if you want to stay home and learn around your day job. Choose AoB if the residential immersion and philosophical depth appeal to you.

Alchemy of Breath vs. Wim Hof Method

Completely different methods for different purposes. WHM combines breathing, cold exposure, and mindset training. It’s about pushing through discomfort and building physical resilience. AoB is about going inward. Emotional processing, shadow work, deep stillness.

Choose WHM if you want to guide people through physical challenges and mental breakthroughs. Choose AoB if you want to facilitate deep emotional journeys and inner healing work. For the full picture on WHM, read our Wim Hof Method instructor training review.

Alchemy of Breath vs. SOMA Breath

SOMA is $999, takes 3 months, and gives you music tracks, protocols, and a marketing playbook. AoB is seven times the price, takes longer, and gives you something SOMA doesn’t: depth of personal process and facilitation skill. SOMA gives you a product to deliver. AoB trains you as a practitioner.

Choose SOMA if you want to start teaching quickly with ready-made tools. Choose AoB if you want to go deeper and build a practice rooted in your own transformation. For the full picture on SOMA, read our SOMA Breath teacher training review.

Final Verdict

Alchemy of Breath goes further than most facilitator trainings. The mandatory personal process work, the Tuscany residential, and the philosophical framework mean you’re not just learning a technique and getting a certificate. Graduates come out changed, and that shows in how they facilitate.

It’s expensive. PAUSE teaches a similar core technique for less, Holotropic goes even deeper but takes years, and SOMA gets you started at a fraction of the price. What AoB offers that the others don’t is the combination: depth of personal process, practical business support, a solid community, and a timeline that doesn’t take over your life.

If the philosophy resonates with you and you can make the trip to Tuscany work, this is one of the stronger facilitator trainings out there. Abbagnano has spent decades in the practice, and that care shows in the curriculum.

Bottom line: A premium facilitator training for people who want depth, not just a certificate. Worth serious consideration if the approach speaks to you.

Still unsure? Check our comparison of 20+ breathwork certifications.