What Is the Sanctum Breathwork Facilitator Training?


Sanctum Breathwork Facilitator Training is a high-impact, trauma-informed certification program that teaches you how to lead Breathwork sessions with skill, structure, and presence. 

This training prepares you to guide both individuals and groups through powerful somatic experiences that support emotional release, nervous system regulation, and lasting transformation.

The curriculum is immersive and designed to build true competence and radical embodiment. You will learn how to read bodies, track nervous system states, regulate your own energy, and respond in real time to what is unfolding in the space and container. You will gain a clear session structure, develop your facilitation voice, and learn how to create safe, effective containers for deep work.

This training is Level One of a four-part certification path through Sanctum Breathwork 


Level One: Foundations of Facilitation

In Level One, you’ll gain the skills to confidently guide one-on-one sessions and group Breathwork for up to 20 participants.

This phase offers a comprehensive trauma-informed education in Breathwork technique, somatic tracking, and ethical facilitation. It’s designed to help you build a strong, embodied foundation as a space holder.

Graduates of Level One are certified as Sanctum Breathwork Facilitators. Upon completion, you’ll be eligible to co-lead Sanctum events and begin offering paid sessions.

This training is for those who take the work seriously and are ready to lead with confidence, clarity, and care.

Level Two: Advanced Group Facilitation

Level Two includes supervised in-person practice and expands your capacity to work with larger groups. 

You’ll be introduced to advanced facilitation tools, deeper energetic and nervous system work, and real-time feedback to refine your presence and leadership.

Level Three: Teaching and Retreat Leadership

This level is focused on leading retreats, teaching Breathwork, and guiding immersive group experiences. 

You’ll learn how to structure transformational spaces, support group dynamics, and create cohesive ceremonial journeys.

Level Four: Mentorship and Trainer Development

Level Four is for experienced facilitators who are ready to step into leadership as mentors and trainers. 

You’ll support the growth of future facilitators, contribute to the evolution of the Sanctum method, and deepen your own mastery through service and lineage-building.



WHAT YOU WILL WALK AWAY WITH

When you complete Level One of the Sanctum Breathwork Facilitator Training, you will walk away with the skills, confidence, and certification to begin offering Breathwork sessions in both private and group settings.

You will walk away with:

• Certification as a Level One Sanctum Breathwork Facilitator

• A trauma-informed, somatic framework for Breathwork facilitation

• The ability to lead structured, safe, and powerful sessions

• Experience holding space for intensity, release, and integration

• A clear understanding of how to support different emotional and nervous system states

• The tools to guide both individuals and groups with precision and presence

• A facilitation style that is rooted in your own voice, not someone else’s method

• A pathway toward advanced certification and deeper levels of mastery

• Eligibility to co-lead Sanctum events after graduation

• Access to a private student community for ongoing support and practice

• A foundation for building or expanding your professional Breathwork practice

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

By the end of this training, you will know how to lead Breathwork sessions that are clear, effective, and grounded in real presence. You will be able to support both individuals and groups through deep emotional and somatic processes using techniques that are safe, structured, and trauma-informed.

In this program, you will learn:

• Core Breathwork techniques and how to use them responsibly

• How to structure and pace sessions for individuals and groups

• How to guide clients through emotional release and post-session integration

• Nervous system education and how to support regulation in real time

• Somatic tracking and how to recognize what is happening in the body

• How to stay grounded and clear while holding intense space

• Energetic boundaries and hygiene for facilitators

• Ethical facilitation and understanding your scope of practice

• How to prepare clients for a session and support them afterward

• How to create consistent, safe containers for transformation

• Tools to begin offering Breathwork professionally and grow your practice

Sanctum Training: Level One Curriculum

  Module 1: Scientific Foundations of Breathwork (Expanded Neuroscience Focus)
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  Module 2: Respiratory Physiology & Mechanics (Expanded & Applied)
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  Module 3: Psychophysiology of Breathwork (Expanded & Integrative)
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  Module 4: Techniques & Mechanics of Breathwork (Practical & Applied)
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  Module 5: Safety, Contraindications, Emergency Protocols & Radical Consent
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  Module 6: Altered States & Neuroplasticity (Science + Mystery)
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  Module 7: Facilitator Skills, Inner Mastery & Self-Care
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  Module 8: Energetics, Intuition & Meta-Physical Awareness
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  Module 9: Emotional Release & Trauma Integration
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  Module 10: Creating Transformative Environments & Modalities
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  Module 11: Cultivating Mastery, Embodiment & the Emergent Field
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  Module 12: Professional Development & Business Foundations
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Why I Created Sanctum Facilitator Training

A Letter from Melissa, Founder of Sanctum Breathwork

This work asks something of us.
It’s not just another certification. It’s for people who take Breathwork seriously and understand that embodiment, discernment, and integrity are the foundation.

I’ve held space in many forms over the past two decades. I’ve seen what becomes possible when a facilitator is grounded, attuned, and skillful. When you can track the body, hold intensity with clarity and care, and stay present through it all, the work changes lives. That’s what this training builds-aligned skill.

This is not a place to rush or perform. It’s a place to build capacity, meet your edges, and lead from presence.

You’ll learn how to guide safe, meaningful sessions. You’ll develop your voice as a facilitator, rooted in practice rather than performance.

All bodies, identities, and lived experiences are welcome. We speak clearly about harm, and we commit to presence, repair, and personal responsibility.

I hold deep reverence for the teachers and traditions that shaped me. This training is offered in that same spirit of integrity, respect, and devotion.

You don’t need to be perfect. You just need to be willing.

If that’s you, I’d be honored to welcome you in.

xo,
Melissa


Founder of Sanctum Breathwork

Melissa D’Elia-Warnick is the founder of Sanctum Breathwork and Meditation. She has been studying somatic healing, mindfulness, energy work and meditation for over two decades with multiple world-renowned teachers, healers and facilitators. She is a trauma-informed Certified Breathwork Facilitator. She holds certifications in sound healing, meditation and Breathwork, and is a graduate of the world renowned Natural Gourmet Institute in NYC. Melissa has worked as a Holistic Personal Chef to Professional Athletes and meditation instructor for the last 20 years.

As a sexual assault survivor, and recovering addict, Melissa has used the transformative power of breath to change her life, and to be of service to empowering others living with chronic PTSD, addictions and trauma. Her vision as a Certified Meditation Instructor and Trauma-Informed Breathwork Facilitator, is to share with others the tools of conscious-connected breathing in order to assist clients in their knowledge to self-heal, support and transmute their trauma into long-lasting change and healing. Each person has their own innate and inner wisdom that can be accessed—all with the power of breath!



WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU JOIN

This training is for people who care deeply about how they show up in the world and how they hold others. You do not need to be perfect, fully healed, or already in a leadership role. You only need a willingness to be present, to stay curious, and to take responsibility for the space you hold.

We are committed to dismantling systems of harm. All races, body types, genders, sexual identities, neurotypes, and lived experiences are welcome here. We believe healing is not separate from justice, and that ethical facilitation includes awareness of both individual and collective trauma.

This space is designed to meet you where you are. We do not assume a single path to healing or leadership. Whether you come from clinical work, spiritual practice, caregiving, creativity, activism, or lived experience, your wisdom is welcome. You do not need to sound a certain way or look a certain way to belong here.

This training will stretch you. You will be invited to examine your patterns, your conditioning, and the parts of your leadership that want to stay hidden. You will learn how to hold others through emotional and energetic intensity because you will learn how to hold yourself first. This process is both personal and practical. This training will call you forward in ways that are honest, challenging, and deeply supportive.

You will not leave the same. You will step forward as a facilitator who can lead with presence, skill, and integrity. If you are ready to grow, to serve, and to hold space in a way that honors both the person in front of you and the world we live in, you are welcome here.

CONNECTION CALL SCHEDULE:


We meet on Zoom every other Wednesday from January 7, 2026 to June 10, 2026


Here are the exact dates:

January 7, 2026
January 21, 2026
February 4, 2026
Februrary 18, 2026
March 4, 2026
March 18, 2026
April 1, 2026
April 15, 2026
April 29, 2026
(Optional Retreat May 2 & 3)
May 13, 2026
May 27 (final teaching session)
June 10 (Closing Ceremony and Graduation)
Live attendance is encouraged but not required, as there will be tests, quizzes and homework based on coursework and live teachings. The Zoom Connection Calls will be a mixture of live teachings, Q&A, Breathwork Journeys and more.
Recordings will be posted within 72 hours of each live session, so you can watch on your own time if needed. All Zooms are designed to be spacious and nourishing, not overwhelming.





Investment & Enrollment

Sanctum Breathwork Facilitator Training is offered in two enrollment paths, with an optional in-person retreat to deepen your journey.



✦ Standard Enrollment – $4,200

The core training: Everything you need to become a Certified Sanctum Breathwork Facilitator.

Includes:

  • Full 6-month training and Level One certification
  • 12 online video modules (drip-released)
  • Two live 90-minute calls per month with Melissa
  • Peer community container for connection and reflection
  • Downloadable PDF workbooks for each module (yours to keep)
  • Access to all course materials for 12 months from the program start
  • Eligibility to co-lead future Sanctum events

Payment Options:

  • Pay in full: $4,200
  • 6 monthly payments: $750/month
  • 8 monthly payments (with processing): $525/month - this option is only available if payments start before November 1, 2025.



✦ VIP Enrollment – $6,600

For those ready to go deeper with personal mentorship and leadership opportunities beyond certification.

Includes everything in Standard, plus:

  • Six private 60-minute 1:1 mentorship calls with Melissa
  • Post-retreat 60-min 1:1 integration call
  • 60 days of Whatsapp + email access to Melissa
  • Priority consideration for Sanctum event co-leads

Payment Options:

  • Pay in full: $6,600
  • 6 monthly payments: $1,150/month
  • 8 monthly payments (with processing): $860/month - this option is only available if payments start before November 1, 2025.




✦ Optional Add-On: 2-Day Retreat – $1,500

An in-person weekend immersion to deepen your embodiment and facilitation practice.

Counts toward Level Two certification (not required for Level One).

Payment Options:

  • Pay in full: $1,500
  • 3 monthly payments: $525/month

Retreat location and details will be shared after enrollment.





Scholarships

Sanctum offers a limited number of full and partial scholarships for individuals from communities that have been historically excluded from healing and leadership spaces.

This includes people who identify as:

  • Black, Indigenous, or People of Color

  • Trans or non-binary

  • Queer

  • Disabled

  • System-impacted

  • Or anyone navigating systemic barriers to access

At Sanctum, we believe leadership belongs in every body — and we are committed to creating a training environment that reflects the diversity, brilliance, and lived wisdom of the world we serve.

Scholarship interest can be indicated during the application process.



Choose a Pricing Option

Frequently Asked Questions


Q: Do I need to have Breathwork experience to apply?

No. You do not need to be a certified facilitator or longtime practitioner. You simply need to have experienced Breathwork enough to know you feel called to this work.


Q: How much time should I set aside each week?
Plan for about 3–5 hours per week. This includes watching training videos, practicing breathwork, and engaging in journaling or integration prompts. But remember, this is self-paced; you can adjust based on your flow.


Q: Can I get certified if I live outside the U.S.?
Yes. The training is open to international students and designed to be completed remotely. Only the add-on retreat is in the United States (for now!)


Q: Will I be able to teach breathwork when I finish?
Absolutely. This training is designed to give you not just the tools, but the confidence to facilitate transformational breathwork experiences, both online or in person.


Q: Will I be able to teach breathwork when I finish?
Absolutely. This training is designed to give you not just the tools, but the confidence to facilitate transformational breathwork experiences, both online or in person.


Q: How long will I have access to the course materials?
You’ll have access to all video modules, recorded group calls, and community spaces for 12 months from the start of the training — including 6 months of live participation and 6 additional months to revisit and integrate the material at your own pace.

Each module also comes with a downloadable PDF workbook (part practical guide, part sacred field manual) that’s yours to keep forever, so you can return to the core teachings anytime.


Q: How long will I have access to the course materials?
You’ll have access to all video modules, recorded group calls, and community spaces for 12 months from the start of the training — including 6 months of live participation and 6 additional months to revisit and integrate the material at your own pace.

Each module also comes with a downloadable PDF workbook (part practical guide, part sacred field manual) that’s yours to keep forever, so you can return to the core teachings anytime.


Q: Is there a refund policy?
Due to the depth of this training and the limited number of spaces, all sales are final. We encourage applicants to reach out with questions before enrolling to make sure the program is the right fit.


Q: What if I can’t pay in full right now? Or what if I’m late with a payment?

Sanctum offers payment plans on all tiers — so you can start now and stretch your investment in a way that works for you! We understand that life happens. If a payment fails, you’ll receive an automatic email reminder and have a 7-day grace period to update your payment method. If the payment is not resolved within 7 days, your access to the course may be paused until your account is in good standing. We’re here to support you — just reach out if you need help.


Q: How do I apply for a scholarship?

You’ll see a section on the application where you can indicate interest and answer a few short questions.