Breathwork Training and Certification in the USA (2026)
Breathwork training in the USA. National online programs plus in-person options in Los Angeles, New York, Austin, Phoenix, and Denver, with costs.
The US has the largest breathwork scene in the world, and the most crowded training market. Most of the best-known certifications are online and open to anyone in the country, but a few cities have enough trainers and studios to make in-person training realistic. Below are the national programs worth knowing, then the in-person options city by city.
National Online Programs
These are open to anyone in the US and run mostly or fully online. We have full reviews of each.
| Program | Cost (USD) | Focus | Our review |
|---|---|---|---|
| PAUSE Breathwork | $4,000-$6,000 | Trauma-informed conscious connected breathing | Read review |
| SOMA Breath | $497+ | Music-driven pranayama | Read review |
| Breath of Gold | $6,000 | Trauma-informed, CE-approved | Read review |
| Oxygen Advantage | €449-€995 (about $520-$1,145) | Functional and performance breathing | Read review |
| The Embody Lab | $987-$1,187 | Somatic and trauma, for clinicians | Read review |
| Wim Hof Method | $5,000-$8,000, final module in Europe | Cold and breath | Read review |
| Elemental Rhythm | Not published | Music-led group sessions (Toronto-based) | Read review |
| Liquid Breathwork | $1,497 online | Gentle, breather-led connected breathing | Read review |
| Language of Breath | $6,200 | Hybrid, with a practicum week in Utah | Read review |
For every fully online option, see our online breathwork training guide.
Jump to a city: Los Angeles · New York · Austin · Phoenix · Denver
Los Angeles
Los Angeles has the densest breathwork community in the US, so it is the easiest place to train face to face.
Breathe with JP, run by JonPaul Crimi near LA in Calabasas, is one of the best-known in-person options: a practical four-day certification in conscious connected breathing, with step-by-step guidance and no spiritual jargon. Good if you want to get certified fast and start leading sessions.
Breathwork for Recovery sits at the opposite end: an 800-hour somatic certification (with a 1,000-hour option) that mixes online coursework with in-person hands-on training over two to four years, and is approved for continuing education by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists. This is the deep, clinical route for people who want to work with trauma seriously.
For something shorter, Holistic Breath Academy runs a hybrid course with live practice days in LA, and AlwaysPlay Studios offers an intensive combining in-person and virtual hours. See our full Holistic Breath Academy review.
New York
New York has an active practice scene but fewer full in-person certifications than LA, so many New Yorkers pair a national online program with local sessions.
Frequency Breathwork runs classes and teacher training in the city, covering how to hold space and guide groups safely. In-person availability shifts often here, and some studios pause their live cohorts and run online instead, so confirm current dates before you commit.
Austin
Austin has grown into one of the stronger breathwork cities in the country.
Unity Breathwork runs sessions in Austin and a 450-hour, GPBA-certified, trauma-informed facilitator training in a 12-month hybrid format, with an 8-day in-person intensive in Sayulita, Mexico. At 450 hours it is one of the longer, more in-depth programs open to US students.
Texas also has an in-person option in Dallas. Breathe Meditation and Wellness runs a 200-hour facilitator training over eight weekends, capped at 16 students, for $5,995 to $6,400. The page does not name its trainers, so ask who teaches before you enroll.
Phoenix and Arizona
Liquid Breathwork runs its three-day, 24-hour in-person certification near Phoenix for $1,997 to $2,497, and has announced 2027 dates in Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Washington D.C., Milwaukee, Seattle, and South Lake Tahoe. It teaches a gentle, breather-led style of connected breathing and is one of the most transparently priced trainings we have reviewed. A 12-week live online version costs $1,497. Its website has pages for many US cities, so check where in-person dates actually run. Read our Liquid Breathwork review.
Denver and Colorado
Integrative Breath is led from Denver by Dr. Rae Riedel. Its GPBA-certified facilitator training runs about seven and a half months online with mentoring and ends with a seven-day practicum and graduation retreat at a hot springs venue in Colorado. Tuition is $4,000, or about $4,600 before travel. The next US and Canada cohort starts in fall 2027. Read our Integrative Breath review.
For clinical breathing work, Buteyko Clinic International holds in-person instructor intensives in Denver through the Vivos Institute for $1,895. See our Buteyko certification review.
Independent US schools we have reviewed
- Holistic Breath Academy: a 10-week survey of breathing traditions from Los Angeles ($2,800)
- One Breath Institute: a GPBA-accredited online training with a year of business coaching (price not published)
How Certification and Insurance Work
There is no state or federal license for breathwork facilitators in the US, so the certification you choose matters for credibility and insurance rather than legality. Voluntary accreditation through bodies like the GPBA or IPHM stands in for regulation. Liability insurance runs around $150 to $170 a year and is worth it before your first paid session, alongside a signed waiver and a client intake form. Our breathwork insurance guide covers the US providers, and our training cost guide breaks down what programs cost at each level.
Finding the Right Fit
Take the 2-minute breathwork certification quiz for a recommendation from more than 30 programs, or compare other regions in our breathwork training by country guide. Ready to build a practice once you certify? See how to start a breathwork business.