The Leader Circle is a 6-month professional training designed to develop skilled, ethical, and embodied facilitators through a deeply grounded approach to breathwork leadership.
A professional, trauma-informed mentorship for those ready to move from personal healing into powerful facilitation.
The Leader Circle:
Breathwork Facilitator Training
GPBA-Recognized Breathwork Facilitator Training & Certification
Whether you're exploring professional breathwork certification, searching for the best breathwork certification grounded in mentorship and real-world experience, or are an established facilitator ready to elevate your teaching, The Leader Circle 2027 offers a pathway for meaningful personal and professional growth.
Our six-month immersive training integrates somatic education, ethical foundations, experiential learning, and practical facilitation skills within a supportive community of practitioners.
For students pursuing professional recognition, an additional three months of guided mentorship provides a pathway toward eligibility for registration with the Global Professional Breathwork Alliance (GPBA), upon successful completion of all required components and subject to GPBA requirements. The first year of GPBA registration is included in tuition for eligible graduates.
For experienced facilitators, The Leader Circle offers an opportunity to refine your teaching, deepen your capacity to hold space, and expand your work with greater confidence, authenticity, and professional integrity.
Rooted in nervous system regulation, somatic awareness, trauma-sensitive facilitation, and professional ethics, this program goes far beyond technique. You’ll learn how to confidently guide both private clients and groups while building the presence, discernment, and leadership capacity required to hold transformational work safely.
What’s Included in This GPBA-Recognized Breathwork Certification
Step into a dynamic community of emerging and experienced breathwork facilitators, guided by Ashley Ludman, Meg Pearson, and Dr. Natalie Keller. Through weekly mentorship, somatic education, trauma-informed practices, business development, and hands-on teaching experience, deepen your skills, refine your voice, and grow into the next expression of your work as a facilitator and embodied leader.
- Mondays | Mentorship & Integration with Ash: Weekly professional mentorship, personal and professional development, ethical inquiry, and guided integration of your evolving practice.
- Tuesdays | Your Business That Breathes with Meg Pearson— Develop your professional identity, authentic voice, and the practical business foundations needed to create meaningful, sustainable offerings.
- Wednesdays | Somatic Theory & Trauma-Informed Practices with Dr. Natalie Keller— Deepen your understanding of somatic psychology, nervous system responses, trauma-informed facilitation, and the skills needed to navigate challenging experiences.
- Weekends | Community Breathwork Classes—Deepen your personal practice through live community breathwork sessions accessible to all levels. Experience diverse approaches to facilitation while observing experienced teachers guide participants, navigate group dynamics, and support integration in real time. Through shared practice and reflection, strengthen your observation skills, presence, and confidence in holding space for others.
- Specialty Masterclasses & Workshops—Expand your knowledge and deepen your practice through experiential workshops led by The Body of Breath teaching team and guest educators. Explore complementary modalities, advanced somatic practices, and diverse approaches to breathwork, integration, and embodied leadership.
- Private Training Portal & Ongoing Support — Access course materials, session recordings, resources, mentorship discussions, and personalized feedback throughout your training.
Live Mentorship & Training
- Obtain up to 200 GPBA-approved continuing education hours
- One year of access to training materials
- GPBA registration eligibility upon completion of 6 month + 3 month additional mentorship
- Session tracking and facilitator log support inside the platform
Certification & Continuing Education
Self-Paced Learning Modules
- Six months of structured professional training, mentorship, and applied facilitation practice
- Weekly live mentorship and guided learning with Ashley Ludman, Meg Pearson, and Dr. Natalie Keller
- Peer-to-peer teaching practices with constructive feedback and reflective integration
- Development of client intake, assessment, informed consent, and trauma-informed facilitation skills
- Mentored practice supporting confidence and competence in 1:1 client sessions
- Live community breathwork teaching opportunities and group facilitation experience
- Professional asset development, including recorded breathwork and meditation practices, with guidance on creating and sharing audio offerings through the Indee platform
- Professional development, authentic leadership, and sustainable business-building support
- An additional three-month mentorship pathway option toward GPBA registration eligibility, subject to completion of required training components and GPBA standards
Facilitator Development + Mentorship
Now- January 9, 2027
Phase 1
January 9 – April 2, 2027
Phase 2
April 3 – June 30, 2027
Phase 3
Ethical Integrity is a crucial part of holding safe space for yourself, your students and community.
Through the duration of this course, we weave in professional dialogue that closely follows the GPBA's standards and code of ethics.
Upon successful completion of this course and its requirements, along with additional 3-month mentorship, you will be eligible to apply for GPBA's Ethically-Compliant Practitioner.
Each phase features clear learning objectives, homework to develop facilitation skills, and elective sessions with collaborating teachers and mentors.
Phases of learning
Personal Practice with our guided + curated curriculum + access to the community practices.
Begin your study as soon as you register.
Inagural welcome session (2 hours) January 9th 2pm ET/11am PT.
Live weekly practices + mentorship with your cohort.
Weekend community classes, workshops and deeper dives into the start of your facilitation progression.
Refine your authentic voice, strengthen your confidence, and bring your unique offerings into the world with clarity and purpose.
Step into your role as a facilitator through mentored teaching practice, real-world facilitation experience, and professional asset development.
Teach 2 practicum sessions for feedback within our community online and learn class design, promotion and begin your journey as a professional faciiltator as an integral part of our community.
This includes a Monday mentorship call at 12 PM ET (1.5 hours), live sessions with Meg on Tuesdays at 12PM ET, and Wednesday with Natalie 12PM ET.
Plus flexible community classes, personal practice, and assignments. Extra mentorship calls will be scheduled as needed based on cohort size and time‑zone needs.
All sessions are recorded + posted in our private circle platform within 24 hours of live session for you to follow and keep a real time progression with us if you can't make all of the live calls.
- Plan for around 5-7 hours per week of content
- Community-Based Facilitation sessions in June
Weekly Commitment
The Training Faculty
A teacher of teachers since 2002, Ashley Ludman brings over two decades of experience in somatic education, therapeutic movement, and embodied practices. With a foundation in occupational therapy and clinical experience in neurotrauma, she integrates a deep understanding of the body, nervous system, and human experience into her approach to breathwork and conscious space holding.
Founder of The Body of Breath and creator of The Leader Circle, Ashley continues to expand her studies in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapies and Research.
Her mentorship weaves together somatic inquiry, ethical discernment, and embodied leadership, supporting facilitators in cultivating presence, refining their skills, and discovering their authentic voice as practitioners.
A former television director and producer turned leadership facilitator, breathwork practitioner, and business strategist, Meg Pearson brings a unique blend of creative vision, embodied practice, and entrepreneurial insight to her work. Facilitating body-based breathwork experiences since 2017, she has led immersive workshops and retreats internationally, integrating breathwork as a practical tool for self-awareness, leadership, and professional growth.
Through The Leader Circle, Meg guides practitioners in translating their embodied experience into authentic branding, confident communication, and sustainable business strategy. Her approach encourages facilitators to clarify their vision, develop their unique voice, and create offerings that reflect both their values and professional aspirations.
Ashley Ludman
founder, lead trainer
Meg Pearson
Breathwork professional, Business & Branding Strategist
With over 20 years of clinical medical experience, Dr. Natalie Keller bridges the worlds of medicine, trauma therapy, nervous system regulation, and somatic healing. Specializing in in-water rebirthing and integrative bioenergetic breathwork, she brings a deep understanding of the relationship between the body, emotional experience, and the processes of healing and integration.
Teaching internationally and based between Costa Rica and Germany, Natalie brings a compassionate, trauma-informed approach to experiential learning. Through The Leader Circle, she guides practitioners in understanding trauma responses, navigating challenging experiences, and cultivating the sensitivity, discernment, and embodied presence essential to ethical, skillful breathwork facilitation.
Natalie Keller, MD
Somatic Educator & Trauma Therapist
Meet the team
By completion, facilitators will have developed 1‑to‑1 facilitation skills and the ability to lead group offerings (in‑person and online) from a somatic, trauma‑informed perspective that addresses nervous‑system adaptation and community education. They will also strengthen their facilitation skills, explore trauma‑informed approaches and ethics, learn to design and hold safe sessions, and connect with a global community of peers
Learning Outcomes
- D.K
"I may have told you this way back but I want you to know again – that for close to 40 years I’ve been training in breath work and truly, I prefer to be guided by you."
Who This Breathwork Facilitator Training Is For
This training is designed for aspiring facilitators, wellness professionals, and leaders seeking one of the most mentorship-driven and trauma-informed Breathwork certifications available today.
Aspiring Facilitators
For those ready to begin their journey into professional facilitation with a strong ethical and trauma-informed foundation.
Wellness professionals
Perfect for yoga teachers, coaches, therapists, healers, and wellness practitioners looking to integrate breathwork into their existing practice.
Community Leaders & Space Holders
Ideal for facilitators and leaders committed to helping others regulate their nervous systems, reconnect to themselves, and create meaningful transformation through conscious breathwork.
You won’t just learn techniques — you’ll develop the confidence, discernment, and presence required to safely guide transformative experiences.
Embodied Leadership Training
Unlike many Breathwork certifications that end after a weekend or short training, this program includes nine months of continued mentorship and leadership development.
Mentorship Beyond the Intensive
Learn to facilitate with safety, attunement, and nervous system awareness rather than performance or overwhelm.
Trauma-Informed & Somatic Approach
This program aligns with Global Professional Breathwork Alliance standards, ensuring your certification meets internationally recognized ethical and educational requirements.
GPBA-Recognized Professional Standards
One of the Best Breathwork Certification Programs out there
What makes this
There are many online trainings available today — but few combine professional standards, trauma-informed facilitation, nervous system education, and long-term mentorship in the way The Leader Circle does.
An Established Community. A New Opportunity to Grow.
The Leader Circle 2027 welcomes 10 new participants into an established community of breathwork practitioners who began their journey together in September 2026.
Our high-touch mentorship model combines the depth of an ongoing learning community with individualized guidance from Ashley Ludman, Meg Pearson, and Dr. Natalie Keller.
Through meaningful connection, personalized feedback, and hands-on learning, you'll be supported in refining your skills, developing your authentic teaching voice, and growing as a facilitator and embodied leader.
Only 10 new spaces available for 2027.
I’m Ashley Ludman, and I’m the founder of The Body of Breath—a space for breathwork, somatics, and embodied practice. Together with a growing network of facilitators, we support people in reconnecting to their body and regulating their nervous system in a way that’s grounded and sustainable.
OUr founder
Meet Ashley
Of students worldwide
1000's
Facilitators certified
100+
Hours of facilitation
12K
Years teaching breathwork
15
Marianna,
Nosara, Costa Rica
"From the moment I met Ashley, I knew I wasn’t standing before just a yoga or breathwork teacher. I was standing before a guardian of invisible portals. In my search for eternal truth, she was the first to hold me with quiet power. In every session, her hands feel woven from threads of another dimension — light like breath, steady like earth. There is no fear in journeying through the breath with Ashley, because her presence invokes a deep-rooted safety, the kind that cannot be taught — only embodied."
2027 virtual training
Enrollment Options
Begin Your Personal Practice Now | Live Cohort Begins January 9, 2027
Start your journey with immediate access to self-directed learning, curated teachings, and guided personal practices. On January 9, 2027, join your cohort for six months of live mentorship, experiential learning, and applied facilitation training.
Optional 3-Month Professional Mentorship Extension
Following the six-month training, continue with three additional months of guided mentorship and complete the required teaching practicums and assessments toward eligibility for registration as a GPBA Ethically Compliant Breathwork Practitioner, subject to GPBA standards.
Program Investment
Your journey begins when you enroll.
Six months of professional breathwork training, embodied leadership and personalized mentorship.
10 new spaces available · Enrollment opens in three tiers
Your enrollment secures your place and opens access to your self-study curriculum, community practices, and pre-training resources.
Payment plan options are discussed during your individual intake call.
Live cohort begins January 9, 2027
Early Commitment
$3,595
Tier 1
First 3 accepted students
Continuing Enrollment
Tier 2
$3,895
Next 3 accepted students
After Tier 1 fills
Tier 3
$4,195
Final 4 accepted students
Final enrollment tier
Final Enrollment
Frequently Asked Questions
This is more than a training.
It’s a professional mentorship designed to help you become the kind of facilitator people feel safe with.
Develop the skills, confidence, ethics, and nervous system capacity to lead transformational breathwork experiences — with ongoing mentorship and internationally recognized standards supporting your growth.
Step Into Your Role as a Certified Breathwork Facilitator
BreathTide
Kelly Berkley receiving her Body of Breath certificate.
"My breathwork mentor has been the kind of mentor and teacher I’ve always wanted but didn’t think existed. The kind I always imagined a real mentor was: someone that you really work alongside like an apprenticeship. Someone that knows you well and where your challenge areas are from the close contact and oversight that they have of you. Someone that cares about you and your growth. Someone that supports you when you need to be nudged or met where you’re at. Someone that really shows you the ropes in a way that you can’t get from a text book or lecture. You know, how mentorship’s and apprenticeships must have looked like in the old days and in tribes 🙂."
Marianna hildago
"In my search for eternal truth, she was the first to hold me with quiet power. In every session, her hands feel woven from threads of another dimension — light like breath, steady like earth. There is no fear in journeying through the breath with Ashley, because her presence invokes a deep-rooted safety, the kind that cannot be taught — only embodied."
Nosara, Costa Rica
Owner of Crown Hall
Sarah Clark
"My relationship to myself has shifted through my work with Ashley and that in turn has shifted other relationships in my life. I see things through a different lens. I'm able to not be so reactionary and if I am, I can sit and observe myself later. I've been able to access more forgiveness for myself and for others in that process. It's helped me move stagnant and unserving energy in my body that I might not have found the tools to deal with otherwise. The work gave me the tools to access these points, realizations, emotions, physical forms that I have built up externally and emotional walls that I have built internally that were keeping me from my highest potential. She taught me to teach myself through movement, breath, silence, reflection, slowing down......It's been life changing."