Vivation Teacher Training Review (2026)
Vivation teacher training review. The 13-day retreat from about €3,450 with lodging, three months of mentorship, the Seven Basic Lessons, and who it suits.
Vivation is a conscious breathing method created by Jim Leonard in 1979. It is one of the older branches of the Rebirthing movement: its founders, Jim Leonard and Phil Laut, credited Leonard Orr’s original thinking. Today it is run by Vivation International, directed by Paul Hughes, whom Leonard appointed as the method’s lineage holder. Hughes says he has guided more than 20,000 people since 2001.
What makes Vivation distinctive is its teaching structure. Rather than running open-ended sessions, teachers guide clients through a fixed sequence called the Seven Basic Lessons, with the stated aim of making clients able to practise on their own. The method uses conscious breathing, deep relaxation, and what it calls receptive awareness, built on the idea that emotional suffering comes from resistance to feelings rather than the feelings themselves. Sessions include eyes-closed, eye-gaze, and warm and cold water formats.
Where we land: Vivation has a coherent, well-structured teaching system and a fair price for a 13-day residential with mentorship. But its marketing promises more than any breathwork method can show, and the certification’s practice requirement is light.
How the Teacher Training Works
The current training is a 13-day residential retreat on an island in Sweden, near the Norwegian border, from October 25 to November 8, 2026. Vivation describes it as its first European teacher training in more than a decade. It has four modules:
- Foundations. Pre-reading, including Leonard’s books on Vivation, plus material on ethics.
- The Breakthrough Experience (days 1 to 4). Learning Vivation in your own body through all Seven Basic Lessons.
- Teacher Clinical Training (days 6 to 13). Eight days of learning to guide others, session by session, with direct feedback from Paul Hughes, plus advanced formats like cold water, eye-gaze, and Vivation-in-Action sessions.
- Mentorship and Certification (three months). Three one-hour group mentoring calls, at least 60 minutes of daily personal practice, practice with real clients, a private oral exam with Hughes, and proof that you have taught the complete Seven Basic Lessons to at least one person.
Graduates join the Association of Vivation Professionals and are listed in Vivation’s teacher directory.
The eight days of supervised clinical training with direct feedback are a real strength. The post-retreat requirement, teaching the full sequence to at least one person, is thin compared with programs that require 25 to 40 documented client sessions, such as Transformational Breath or Breath Mastery.
Vivation Cost
Vivation’s price for the 2026 Scandinavia training is published:
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Tuition (training, all meals, group transfer from Oslo) | €2,800 |
| All-inclusive with lodging | From €3,450 |
Lodging is chosen at checkout as one total, so the all-inclusive price depends on your room. From €3,450 is roughly $3,950 or £2,950, plus your flight to Oslo. Mentorship and certification are included. That is good value for a two-week residential with an experienced trainer.
We found no published refund policy or information on any ongoing membership fee for the Association of Vivation Professionals. Ask about both before you book.
The Claims
Vivation’s marketing is where we have the most concern. The home page describes Vivation as “the fastest, most physically pleasurable way to resolve anxiety, stress, and emotional pain, permanently,” and the about page says it “works. Repeatably. Verifiably. Permanently.” We found no published research testing Vivation, and no breathwork method has evidence for permanently resolving anxiety or emotional pain. Claims like these are not just unsupported. They can set clients up to feel they have failed when difficult feelings return.
The about page also states that Vivation’s “Five Elements system is required by the Global Professional Breathwork Alliance.” We could not verify this. The GPBA’s published standards are about training hours, ethics, and practice, not a specific method’s system. Ask Vivation what this claim refers to.
On the positive side, the site says Vivation needs “no belief system,” and its core idea, reducing resistance to difficult feelings, overlaps with acceptance-based approaches in psychology. That is a reasonable foundation. It just does not support the word “permanently.” Our research by method guide covers what the evidence does show.
Pros and Cons
What works well
- Structured system - The Seven Basic Lessons give teachers and clients a clear path, not open-ended sessions.
- Supervised clinical days - Eight days of guiding sessions with direct feedback from the lead trainer.
- Fair, published price - About €3,450 including lodging, meals, and mentorship.
- Long lineage - Taught continuously since 1979.
What doesn't
- Overstated claims - "Permanently" resolving emotional pain is not supported by any evidence.
- Light certification bar - Teaching the full sequence to one person after the retreat.
- Unverified GPBA claim - The stated GPBA requirement could not be confirmed.
- Infrequent trainings - The first European training in over a decade.
Vivation Market Comparisons
Vivation vs. Clarity Breathwork
Both grew out of the Rebirthing movement. Clarity Breathwork is a 400+ hour, GPBA-certified path with 30 required client sessions, mostly online, and costs more once all parts are included. Vivation is shorter, residential, and built around a fixed lesson sequence. Choose Clarity for a longer, more practice-heavy certification. Choose Vivation for a structured method and an immersive two weeks at a lower price.
Vivation vs. AIR School of Breathwork
The AIR School of Breathwork teaches Rebirthing over two years and 400 hours, with 30 paid client sessions, for about £3,100 to £5,550. Vivation costs about the same but takes two weeks plus three months. Choose AIR for depth and a substantial practice requirement. Choose Vivation if you want a defined teaching system and a faster route.
Vivation vs. Max Strom’s Breathe to Heal
Max Strom’s Breathe to Heal is a seven-day European retreat for about €2,560 to €2,960 with lodging, also focused on emotional healing. Vivation is longer, includes three months of mentorship and an exam, and teaches a structured client program. Choose Breathe to Heal as a short add-on for an existing practice. Choose Vivation if you want a complete method to teach.
Who This Is For
- People who like structure - You want a fixed, teachable sequence to take clients through.
- Immersive learners - Two weeks in residence suits you better than months online.
- Gentle-breathwork practitioners - You prefer relaxation and acceptance to cathartic release.
Who Should Pass
- Evidence-first professionals - The method's claims are not research-backed. See our functional breathing certifications.
- People who want extensive supervised practice - Look at programs requiring dozens of client sessions.
- Anyone who cannot travel - The teacher training is in person, and dates are infrequent.
Vivation Verdict
Vivation offers something many breathwork trainings lack: a clear, step-by-step system for teaching clients, with eight days of supervised clinical training and three months of mentorship, at a reasonable price for a residential. The lineage is long, and the core idea of meeting difficult feelings rather than resisting them is sensible.
What holds it back is its marketing and its certification bar. Promising to resolve emotional pain “permanently” goes far beyond any evidence, and the GPBA claim needs explaining. Teaching the full sequence to one person is a light requirement before you are certified to teach others.
Bottom line: A good fit if you want a structured, gentle method and an immersive training at a fair price. Describe it to clients more carefully than the marketing does, and get more supervised practice on your own if you can.
For how Vivation fits among related methods, see our breathwork lineage guide.
Still deciding? Take our 2-minute quiz to find the certification that fits your goals and budget.