Breathwork & Pranayama Teacher Training with Carolyn Anne Budgell

This breathwork and pranayama teacher training with Carolyn Anne Budgell is a five-day, 35-hour program at Nectar Yoga Retreat on Bowen Island, British Columbia. It is for yoga teachers, meditation guides, wellness practitioners and anyone passionate about breathwork who wants to learn how to teach it well to different groups, as well as deepen their own practice.

The training covers techniques that down-regulate and techniques that activate the nervous system, with attention to when, where and how each is used. Carolyn Anne Budgell leads the full program, which carries Yoga Alliance Continuing Education credit.

What to Expect

Practice teaching is woven together with lectures and open discussion, so you build both skill and understanding. The program is organized around nine areas:

- The narrative of health and wellbeing, and how the wellness industry shapes what clients and students believe about health
- The nervous system and breathwork research
- Rest and recovery, including the physiology of true rest and how breath supports it
- The anatomy and mechanics of breath
- Foundational practices, from soothing pranayama to energizing breathwork
- Timing, planning and theming, or how to sequence breath practices and meditations with intention
- Teaching to all levels and adapting guidance to different bodies and needs
- Core teaching principles, including voice, authenticity and inclusive language
- The inner work of committing to your own healing as both teacher and student

The days follow a steady rhythm. Training begins on the first afternoon with check-in at 3:00pm, orientation, a welcome circle and dinner, followed by an evening session on foundational pillars. On the three full days, morning practice runs from 7:30 to 9:30, then breakfast. Core concepts and a toolbox talk fill late morning, and teaching essentials and skills run from 4:00 to 6:00 after lunch. Evenings close with a wisdom and integration session from 7:30 to 9:00. The final morning brings a session on living the teachings and a closing circle, then breakfast and an 11:00am checkout. Times are subject to minor changes.

Participants leave with experience teaching accessible practices to a range of levels, trauma-informed language for clear and compassionate instruction, and tools for refining their voice, presence and intuition as a facilitator. There is also time to reflect on personal boundaries, values and self-care rituals as a practitioner. Each person has a private 20-minute meeting with Carolyn during the training.

About Carolyn Anne Budgell

Carolyn Anne Budgell is a meditation and mindfulness teacher, breathwork facilitator, retreat leader and coach. She supports individuals, teachers and organizations through practices that build resilience, presence and nervous system awareness, combining mindfulness, breathwork, meditation and embodied practice so people can meet stress in practical ways and reconnect with themselves.

Her path began in yoga. She left home at sixteen and eventually settled in Whistler, British Columbia, where she practiced yoga alongside snowboarding, skateboarding and trail running. After nearly a decade of practice she completed her first 200-hour teacher training in 2008. During those years she also finished a co-op Bachelor of Arts at Simon Fraser University and worked for Environment Canada and the BC Wildlife Federation.

The Setting

The training is held at Nectar Yoga on Bowen Island, with forested walking trails and quiet rest spaces on the grounds. Lodging is in cottages on the property, either shared or private, with towels, bedding and basic toiletries provided. All meals, snacks, tea and coffee are included.

Before You Go

No prerequisite is stated, and the training is open to anyone passionate about breathwork and pranayama. It is taught in English. Included are a manual prepared for this program, pre-training homework materials and recordings that are yours to keep, Yoga Alliance Continuing Education credentials for 35 hours, and the private meeting with Carolyn. Travel to and from Bowen Island is not included. All payments are non-refundable and non-transferable.