The Body of Breath
A year-long, one-to-one breathwork facilitator apprenticeship with Ashley Ludman, founder of The Body of Breath, a GPBA-registered school.
Ash
A PERSONAL INVITATION
A Letter to My Future Apprentice
Dear Future Apprentice,
I created this apprenticeship from a desire to offer the kind of mentorship I would have wanted as I found my own way into this work.
Not simply another training to complete, but a relationship to grow within. A place where your questions, uncertainties, strengths, and emerging gifts can be met with genuine attention.
Over more than three decades of teaching, building practices, and cultivating communities, I've learned that this work asks us to continually grow and adapt. Our practices evolve, our communities change, and so do the needs of the world around us.
I want to share what I've learned along the way, through both the successes and the challenges, while supporting you in discovering what is uniquely yours to offer.
As the Body of Breath Studio Online grows, my hope is to create a living community where apprentices have opportunities to learn, collaborate, contribute, and grow alongside us.
Whether you envision a private practice, group facilitation, retreats, or something you have yet to imagine, I want to support you in building a thriving, sustainable practice rooted in your own gifts, passions, and values.
Over twelve months, we'll explore not only the art of facilitating breathwork, but what it means to bring your work into the world with integrity, confidence, and care.
I'm not here to teach you to replicate my path. I'm here to support you in discovering your own.
And I look forward to what we might learn and create together.
Mentored teaching in the Body of Breath Studio Online. When you're ready, you'll be welcomed to teach inside the Body of Breath Studio Online as a mentored facilitator. Ashley supports you at every stage: planning your offering, delivering it, and reflecting afterward, so you refine your work with real participants and real feedback.
Most facilitator trainings end when the course does. This one is built the way the craft has always been passed on: one teacher, one student, working side by side over time.
The Breathwork Facilitator Apprenticeship is a hybrid, one-to-one training for people who want to hold 1:1 and specialty group breathwork sessions (in person and online) with real skill, safety and presence. Over 12 months, you will be supported through the distance monthly, and will choose an in person training option in Nosara, Costa Rica with Ashley, the founder of the Body of Breath method.
Beginning in January, 2027, learn alongside the Leader Circle online, follow a path designed around your own professional goals, and then step into teaching inside the Body of Breath Studio Online with mentorship at every stage.
You won't just learn techniques. You'll build the nervous system capacity, discernment and relational skill that make people feel safe in your care.
What this is
Join the cohort: the 40-hour Alchemy Breathwork Facilitator Training, July 2027. Somatic breathwork, rebirthing breath, bodywork foundations, Belly 2 Belly relational work, practitioner conditioning and a practicum for 1:1 facilitation.
A privately curated path. Before we begin, we map where you want to go professionally: private practice, retreats, clinical or integrative settings, online work, or something of your own. Your 1:1 mentorship, readings, practice assignments and case reviews are then built around that outcome.
Full access to the Leader Circle. Join every live session of the Leader Circle beginning January, 2027: with weekly mentorship calls, live teaching with Ashley, Meg and Natalie, community breathwork classes, and the private training portal with recordings and session tracking.
In-person training in Nosara, Costa Rica Choose how you train in person:
Train privately: live and train one-on-one with Ashley for a private week in Nosara, on dates you choose. You'll stay in Ashley's home and train in her private studio, learning the way apprentices always have: close to the teacher's daily practice, with every session shaped around you. Lodging and meals are included.
What's included
Monthly 1:1 sessions with Ashley Every month of the apprenticeship includes a private 1:1 session with Ashley: time for your own breath and nervous system work, case review, and guidance on your next steps as a facilitator.
Real-time WhatsApp support For the full length of your training, you'll have direct WhatsApp access to Ashley for personal and professional support, whether you're preparing for a session, integrating your own process, or working through a question as it comes up. Messages are answered within 24 hours, Monday to Friday. Voice notes are welcome.
The apprenticeship journey
01. Begin now - early January 2027
02. The Leader circle online begins Jan 11, 2027
Your apprenticeship starts as soon as you enroll. After your application and discovery call, we meet for a 1:1 intake session to name your professional outcome and design your curated path. Your monthly 1:1 sessions and WhatsApp support begin right away, along with your personal practice log and preparatory readings, so you arrive at the cohort already grounded in the work.
03. Immerse (July 2027, or dates you choose)
04. Practice (spring–summer 2027)
05. Teach (mid 2027-Fall/winter)
06. Complete (Winter 2027)
Join the Leader Circle online cohort that begins in January with live mentorship, teaching with Ashley, Meg and Natalie, and peer practice, alongside your continuing 1:1 sessions. Inside of the Leader Circle, you will have options of live sessions to choose from, and our recordings are organized inside of a private circle for easy access and tracking.
Your in-person training in Nosara: the 40-hour Alchemy Breathwork Facilitator Training with the July 10-16 cohort, where you receive 40 hours of group training (tuition only) or a private week in Ashley's home and studio (20 hours of training + lodging and meals.)
Please note that registering early ensures your choice of session dates if opting for the private week.
Supervised 1:1 case studies with real clients. Each session is planned, delivered and reviewed with Ashley.
This is also a perfect time to refine your business voice, receive feedback & testimonials from your students, create your professional assets and set yourself up for success in launching your niche offerings to your community.
Begin teaching in the Body of Breath Studio Online as a mentored facilitator, with feedback at the planning stage, during delivery and in post-session reflection. In this process, you will learn the logistics of putting your professional offerings out on a larger stage. You'll have the opportunity to develop and share your offerings within the growing Body of Breath Studio Online, with mentorship and support from our team along the way.
Final review and certification. With program homework complete, you become eligible to register with the Global Professional Breathwork Alliance (GPBA). Monthly 1:1 sessions and WhatsApp support continue for the full length of your apprenticeship (12 months from your start date.)
Certification and GPBA registration
Your apprenticeship builds a foundation of 200 hours or more in trauma-informed, somatic breathwork facilitation.
When you have completed 9 months of consistent mentorship, and completed your curated requirement goals of study, class desgin and 1:1 mentored facilitation, you become eligible to register with the Global Professional Breathwork Alliance (GPBA), at the Ethically-Compliant Practitioner. The GPBA is the international body that sets ethical and educational standards for breathwork practitioners.
As you complete the 12 month apprenticeship's requirements, you will graduate as a Certified Body of Breath Facilitator, with your first year of GPBA registration included, a documented case-study log, professional assets that are designed by you and ready to use for your continued professional work, and real teaching experience on a live platform.
The hours you complete in your apprenticeship count toward the GPBA's 400-hour registration track, which is completed over two years of mentorship. If you'd like to continue after your first year, you can extend your teaching, mentorship and support with Ashley into a second year and complete the full 400 hours.
Tracking your hours: you are responsible for logging your training, practice and facilitation hours in the Body of Breath tracking platform. We'll review your log together at key points so you always know where you stand.
this is for you if...
You have a committed personal breathwork practice and feel called to guide others.
You're a yoga teacher, coach, bodyworker, therapist or healer ready to bring breathwork into your work with depth and integrity.
You're already facilitating and want close mentorship, supervision and a recognized credential.
You value close mentorship and relationship, and you’re ready to practice independently with curated recordings between sessions.
This is not for you if...
You’re looking for a quick certificate or a self-paced course you can finish in a weekend.
You’re not open to receiving support, feedback and mentorship as part of your growth.
You’re not ready to explore your own patterns and process.
You're not ready to commit to the full journey: showing up for sessions, completing your practice and homework, and following through.
Is this for you?
Yes. If your professional path includes supporting clients around psychedelic-assisted therapy, your curated 1:1 path can focus on breathwork for preparation and integration: nervous system regulation, navigating non-ordinary states, and integration practices.
This training does not prepare you to administer or guide psychedelic substances, and we'll explore scope of practice and the legal context where you work as part of your mentorship.
Can I focus on breathwork for psychedelic-assisted therapy?
Yes. The apprenticeship can be paid in full, or spread across a monthly payment plan. Full payment-plan options are shared with you after your application and discovery call, so we can find the structure that works best for you.
Are payment plans available?
You'll be a Certified Body of Breath Facilitator with a 200-hour foundation at the completion of your year apprenticeship.
At month 9, you may be eligible to register with the GPBA at the Ethically-Compliant level. If you choose to complete a 2 year study, please ask for a curated proposal for this.
What credential will I have when I am finished?
Usually around month 8, once your mentor agrees you're ready. You'll be supported through planning, delivery and reflection. And prior to a regularly scheduled class, you will have opportunities to teach live, short intro sessions, earlier in the apprenticeship.
When do I start teaching in the Studio?
All Leader Circle sessions are recorded in the training portal, and alternate time-zone support is available.
What if I can't attend a live session?
Yes. Private-track apprentices choose a week that works for them, subject to availability.
Can I choose the dates of my private week?
Plan for about 5–7 hours a week, including live sessions, practice, case studies and mentorship.
How much time does it take each week
You need a committed personal practice. You don't need to be facilitating yet. We'll talk through your background on the discovery call.
Do I need prior breathwork experience?
Frequently asked questions
are saying
What students
I began a 400 hour breathwork facilitator apprenticeship with Ashley a year ago.
Not only has my own personal breathwork practice deepened profoundly, but I have learned to walk my own path with more honesty, openness, and joy than ever before. I’ve been guided gently and firmly by Ashley into a more connected and caring teacher."
Linda Lea,
Apprentice, Nosara, Costa Rica
Ashley 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."
Kelly Berkley
Charles Town, WV
400 hour graduate
Founder, Breath Tide
Sarah Clark
Founder, Crown Hall
Mobile, AL
"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. "
I have no fear in journeying through the breath with Ashley, because her presence invokes a deep-rooted safety."
In my search for eternal truth, she was the first to hold me in deep support.
Marianna,
Nosara, Costa Rica
$9295
USD. Payment plans available. By application only.
what's included
Leader Circle 2027 online cohort
Real-time WhatsApp support
In-person training in Nosara
Monthly 1:1 sessions with Ashley
Your curated 1:1 path
Mentored teaching in the Studio Online
Certification + GPBA eligibility
A Year-long 1:1 Apprenticeship with Ashley Ludman, Founder of The Body of Breath.
The Body of Breath 1:1 Facilitator Apprenticeship
This private online space is where our community gathers for live breathwork sessions, self-paced learning, and shared resources. Inside, you’ll find guided practices, professional training opportunities, and a supportive network of breathers from around the world.
Join Us in The Body of Breath Studio Online
my online studio
A Global Breathwork Community for Healing, Transformation, and Connection
The Body of Breath Studio Online
Breathwork, Somatic Movement Inquiry and Guided Meditative Experiences
Find free or low cost experiences and recordings in our private, online home. Experience the work from the comfort of your space.
All classes are both live & recorded and housed in our online Studio on the Circle platform. Inside, you will find alerts to upcoming classes, trainings, series sessions and workshops.
INcludes:
Our circle members have reported greater presence, clarity, focus and emotional regulation as a result of the sessions and support.
Live calls, community, programs & more!
Marianna h.
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.
Nosara, Costa Rica
Each of these voices carries a piece of the work we’ve shared—moments of transformation, insight, and deep remembering. These are not just testimonials; they are living echoes of what becomes possible when we breathe, move, and listen together.
BreathTide
Kelly b.
Ashley 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
Each of these voices carries a piece of the work we’ve shared—moments of transformation, insight, and deep remembering. These are not just testimonials; they are living echoes of what becomes possible when we breathe, move, and listen together.
Mobile, AL
Sarah C.
Through weeks of yoga training and breakwork that back pain lifted. Through moment of my body and breath I was finally able to grasp what she had repeated so many times during our training, "the answers lie within you, you are your best teacher." She was right and I learned through developing my own bag of tools to deal with it that the answers lie within each of us.