ANABEL ☯︎ ZENITH
the art of
breath work
FOUNDATIONS + FACILITATION
A 40-hour breathwork facilitator training in Berlin · September–October 2026
UNDERSTAND YOUR OWN NERVOUS SYSTEM.
LEARN TO BE THE STEADY ONE FOR SOMEONE ELSE'S.
For those who want to facilitate. Maybe you've experienced breathwork enough that you know this work matters, and you're ready to learn the mechanisms and how to hold it for someone else. And how to do that carefully, ethically, with a real understanding of what you're doing.
For those who want to understand. Even if you don't intend to take clients. Maybe you've had sessions that moved something, and you just want to know what was actually happening in your body. Maybe you're curious about what it takes to stay steady with someone else's system.
For those already working with people. Bodywork, therapy, coaching, yoga, ritual, somatics. You already have a practice, or are building one, and you want to understand breath and the nervous system well enough that it changes how you work, not just what your offerings.
WE ARE ALLOWED
TO KNOW WHY
Often we come out of a breathwork session with an experience we can't account for. Maybe our hands went numb. Or maybe we cried for twenty minutes without knowing why. Maybe something just shifted and we couldn't quite name what that was.
Usually we're offered one of two explanations about what happened: something mystical, or no explanation at all.
There is also a third option, which is: almost all of it is explicable, and it's pretty amazing. It might make you become even more intrigued with the human body and our systems. It's what happens in the chemistry of the blood, and it's what our nervous system does when it's in a rhythm that it can trust. When a body feels safe enough to let go of what it's been holding on to, when it can stop bracing. You'll learn the “What Is Happening” in a way that you can explain it to a client, to a skeptical friend, or to yourself.
We'll also discuss why an experience or sensation that never finished metabolising keeps returning, and why a session can be so profound; we'll talk about how memory gets filed, what happens when it doesn't, and why being triggered is the system trying to complete something rather than some kind of malfunction.
Understanding the chemistry, what the nervous system is doing underneath it, and how the environment influences the experience, doesn't flatten the experience, it does the opposite: it lets you simply stay inside it in a new way. And that same understanding also lets you be genuinely useful to someone else who's in it.
You will be able to…
FACILITATE
Confidently guide one-to-one breathwork sessions with presence and care
REGULATE
Recognise and respond with discernment to nervous system states in individuals
INTEGRATE
Articulate what breathwork is doing, both experientially and physiologically
You don't have to want to facilitate to join
Some people come to this because they intend to work with clients. Others come because they've had breathwork sessions that moved something, and they want to understand what was actually happening.
Both are welcome, and you'll get different things.
From the theory weekend: a working understanding of your own nervous system. Why activation happens, what it's for, what it means when your body does something you didn't expect it to. Unfortunately, most of us go through life with almost no literacy about this, and it's strange how much changes in our lives once we have it.
From the practical weekend: something harder to get anywhere else. You'll guide another person through activation, and you'll be the steady one whilst they're in an altered state. And not managing them, not fixing anything, just staying present and regulated while something moves through someone else.
And that capacity transfers. Maybe to a partner having a hard night. Or for a friend in the middle of something heavy. To a child who is overwhelmed and cannot explain why. Learning to stay settled when the person in front of us isn't, is one of the more useful things we can practice, and there are very few places to practice it so deliberately than with breathwork.
There's no expectation that you'll go on to facilitate professionally. Some people do. Some deepen their own personal practice and nervous system literacy and stop there. Both are a complete outcome.
What does the training include?
Breath mechanics and nervous system literacy
Respiratory anatomy, gas exchange, and the blood chemistry behind what people actually feel. Polyvagal states, the window of tolerance, hyper- and hypoarousal, and how to tell activation from overwhelm.
Trauma-aware, consent-based facilitation
How stored experience behaves in the body, why activation isn't the problem, and how your language lands on a nervous system that's already open; language as a nervous system event.
Clear 1:1 session containers
The full arc from arrival to aftercare: orientation, consent, entry, threshold, deepening, downshift, integration, return.
Cueing and music selection, pacing and presence
Playlist architecture phase by phase, what to avoid and why, and how to let the music carry rhythm so your voice doesn't have to.
Supervised practice and direct feedback
Giving and receiving sessions in a group of five, with feedback on what you did and what you missed.
Two weekends
One online theory weekend, one in-person practical, plus an evening on facilitating online.
Fifteen practice sessions
With reflection logs, group check-ins, a written assessment, and one observed session. Fifteen sessions are the difference between finishing simply certified and finishing ready to facilitate confidently.
Printed manual
A field guide to keep: scripts, screening, troubleshooting, aftercare.
WHAT CONFIDENCE IS ACTUALLY MADE OF
Most of what makes a facilitator good isn't technique. It's knowing where you are.
Knowing yourself well enough to recognise what's yours. The ways facilitation goes sideways are rarely technical. Speeding up just because someone intensifies. Filling silence because it feels uncomfortable. Interpreting someone else's experience for them. Needing a session to feel profound. We name each one: what that looks like, what the participant likely feels, what to notice in yourself. None of these are failures; in fact every experienced facilitator has moved through most of these common patterns. Noticing them is itself a practice we return to.
Knowing who this is for. Which conditions this breathwork suits and which it doesn't, and how to say so kindly. Turning someone down well is a skill, and so is knowing the words for pointing them somewhere better. How to "refer out when needed" (it's easy to say and harder to do).
Knowing what to do. It might be a strong sensation, big emotion, or someone who goes quiet and far away. None of it is unusual, and all of it has an appropriate response. You'll leave knowing what your responses are, which is what lets you stay relaxed while it happens.
None of this is taught as protocol to memorise. The frameworks for facilitating are shared, as well a short list of things which are never a judgement call. Then most of the time goes into developing your own discernment to read the sessions. The structure is there to lean on while your own practice grows into itself.
10 places only
Style
The style of facilitation is based on the containers I've developed over years of practice. Weaving facilitation experience with ongoing continuing education, this training is distinctive, and I'm very much looking forward to sharing it with you.
The main breathwork taught here is conscious connected breathing. I trained with Laura Pensiero, who studied for years under both David Elliott and Erin Telford. This training is shaped by that lineage together with my own multi-layered facilitation approach.
Conscious connected breathing sits within a much older tradition of working with the breath deliberately, most formally articulated in pranayama, the yogic breath practices developed over two thousand years ago.
I've been teaching somatic and breath practices in Berlin since 2019, and have spent over a thousand hours guiding individuals and groups. I hold certifications in somatic movement instruction, rites of passage work, ELDOA, and breathwork facilitation, trained in the David Elliott and Erin Telford lineage, and I'm a Reiki Master.
My academic background is in women's intellectual history, installation art, and ancient mythologies. This is part of why I teach breathwork as a practice with a history and a context, rather than a set of techniques detached from where they came from.
Alongside this training I work as a ritualist and teach in the esoteric arts. Although that work, and my love of mystery, influences how I perceive things, that work sits beside the somatic practice. This training is grounded in physiology, nervous system literacy, and ethics, and asks nothing of you in the way of belief; although curiosity and wonder are wholly welcome.
I'm American, of Japanese descent, and I've lived in Berlin for fourteen years.
Learn more: anabelzenith.com/anabel
TRAINING DATES
weekend one ✧ online theory
September 19-20, 10-14h
WHAT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING:
Breathwork, the Body, and YOUR Nervous System
*recorded for those who cannot attend live
+ + +
weekend two ✧ irl practical
option a* september 26-27, 10-14h
option b* october 10-11, 10-14h
HOW TO BE WITH SOMEONE:
Presence, Pacing, and Another Nervous System
*choose either one of these two weekends for practical training. Location in Prenzlauer berg 10437
(accessibility:second floor, stairs only, no lift)
+ + +
10 PLACES TOTAL. REGISTRATION CLOSES SEPTEMBER 12
€1100
40 HOURS TOTAL
THE BREAKDOWN
18 hours taught
8 hours online theory over one weekend · 8 hours in-person practical over one weekend · 2 hours on facilitating online, one weekday evening
15 hours facilitating
Fifteen practice sessions with your own practice clients (they can be repeated, can also practice with other students in cohort), during the post-training period
~7 hours reflection and study
A written reflection log for each practice session, plus preparation and reading
(Optional) Group check-in
1-2 group check-ins to go over the first few practice sessions, ask questions, hear from your cohort
Maximum 5 participants per practical weekend
I run two weekends rather than one large group.
€1100
theory, practical, 40 hours, certification
Before you register
This training involves sustained fast breathing, both as a facilitator and as a participant. It isn't suitable for everyone.
This training isn't appropriate if you have: epilepsy or a seizure disorder · an aneurysm, or family history of one · glaucoma or retinal detachment · a recent cardiac event or stroke · active psychosis · or if you are pregnant.
Please contact me before registering if you have: a heart condition or high blood pressure · asthma that isn't well controlled · a recent surgery or injury · bipolar disorder, panic disorder, or significant dissociative experience · or any psychiatric medication change in the last six weeks.
Most of these are a conversation rather than a no. I'd much rather talk it through with you now than at the door.
MENTORSHIP
after certification
During practice sessions you'll have a container with the reflection log, the group check-ins, and your cohort going through their hours too.
Once you certify and start working with paying clients that scaffolding is gone.
Optional mentorship is dedicated one-to-one time to bring your real sessions to me and think them through together. Not more teaching, rather the place where your own patterns become visible (which is the work that never finishes); whether you slowed down because they needed it or because you did. Or why that one session stayed with you for three days.
Not required for certification, and nothing to decide now. We'll talk about it more in depth closer to certification, when you know what kind of support you actually want.
Available to graduates whenever you want it, whether that's a month after certifying or two years in. From €120 per session, or €500 for a package of five.
FAQ
Do I need any experience?
No prior training of any kind. What I'd want is that you've received breathwork at least once, so you have some felt sense of what we're working with. Reading about it isn't the same.
If you've never done a session and want to come anyway, message me and we'll sort something out beforehand.
Groups are usually a mix. Some people have been in bodywork or therapy for a decade; others have done four breathwork sessions and found them significant enough to want to understand why. With five people in the room there's time for both.
How is this training structured?
The training is organised into three parts:
An online theory weekend covering: foundations, physiology, nervous system literacy, ethics, and session structure including pacing and music. This training is also about the art and craft of facilitation
One in-person practical weekend, held in a small group (max 5 students), focused on embodied learning, supervised practice, and integration
A post-training practice period, where you complete required practice and reflection for certification
What is the teaching style like?
I strive for a teaching style that is attuned, embodied, intuitive. While there is structure and theory, the main emphasis is on developing discernment tools rather than rote memorisation. We learn how to really listen to the body, the atmosphere, and the nervous system, and respond appropriately rather than just applying techniques mechanically.
You will be learning more than just techniques; the breathwork itself is only one part of the training. We will also be learning where your natural gifts and talents are for facilitation, how to hone your discernment, and be grounded in the theory so that your instinct can shine through whilst facilitating.
What kind of facilitation will I be trained to offer?
You will be trained and certified to offer 1:1 Breathwork sessions. The training focuses on working with a single nervous system at a time; learning how to pace, listen, respond, and hold a clear container for individual clients.
Group facilitation is taught separately, as it requires additional skills and responsibility. This will be a short, supplemental training offered later in 2026.
What will the in-person practical feel like?
The in-person weekend is hands-on: you’ll practice giving and receiving 1:1 sessions, receive feedback, and have space for your body to integrate what you’re learning.
Because these groups are small (max 5), there is ample time for questions, supervised practice, and nervous-system settling instead of rushing from exercise to exercise.
What comes after this training if I want to continue?
Graduates may opt for:
What if I’m not sure yet whether I want to facilitate professionally?
That’s completely okay. Some participants join to deepen their understanding and embodiment first, and clarity about next steps often emerges through the training itself. There is no pressure to rush—now or ever—into professional work! You can choose to skip the certification requirements if you'd like to.
Is mentorship available if I want more support?
Yes. Optional one-to-one mentorship is available to graduates once you're working with clients of your own. This is space to bring real sessions and reflect on what's happening in you as a facilitator and to refine your techniques. Not required for certification. We'll talk about it closer to the end of the training.
what is the certification?
This certificate is issued by me, as your teacher, rather than by an accrediting institution. Breathwork has no single governing body. It certifies that you've completed this training and demonstrated competence in 1:1 facilitation through completing practice sessions with reflection logs, a written test, and one observed session. It isn't a clinical or therapeutic qualification, and it doesn't replace insurance or a professional registration.
Refund & Cancellation Policy
Due to the small size of the training and the preparation involved, all sales are final within 30 days of the training start date.
Please review the dates carefully before registering.
Thank you for understanding.
Cancellations more than 30 days before the start of the training: Eligible for a refund minus a €150 admin fee.
Cancellations within 30 days of the training start date: No refunds.
You may request transfer to future training, subject to availability, minus the €150 admin fee.
Once the online theory weekend has begun, no transfers are available.
Learn to guide breathwork in a way the body can trust.