CPD18 Yoga Therapy, Pranayama & the Science of Breathing (Online)

“Breath is Medicine, Take The Medicine”

~ Sayadaw U Pandita

This 50-hour training is designed for general practitioners, psychiatrists, psychologists, psychotherapists, counsellors, somatic therapists, Indigenous practitioners, monastics, yoga therapists, meditation teachers and allied health practitioners seeking clinically relevant, evidence informed and culturally respectful skills in yoga therapy, breathwork, pranayama and the science of breathing.

Breath is both a physiological process and a therapeutic pathway. Modern research highlights the significant impact of breathing on stress, autonomic function, mental health, sleep, pain and emotional regulation. While contemporary medicine often prioritises pharmacological interventions, ancient breathing practices have long offered accessible and holistic methods for restoring balance.

Pranayama, translated as the extension of life force, has been described for more than 3500 years and was first recorded in the Rg Veda. Today, the intersection of traditional practice and modern science is well documented, with researchers such as James Nestor, Dr Sundar Balasubramanian and Patrick McKeown demonstrating wide-ranging physiological and psychological benefits.

This course examines traditional pranayama, breath based meditation and yogic breathing within a culturally trauma sensitive and academically grounded framework, integrating them with contemporary research in respiratory physiology, neuroscience, psychophysiology, autonomic regulation and behavioural medicine.

Participants explore how breathing affects vagal tone, interoceptive awareness, emotional processing, sleep, inflammatory response and stress physiology. The training also examines breathing biomechanics, breathing patterns, nasal function, carbon dioxide tolerance and the somatic signatures of anxiety and trauma.

Breathing challenges such as nasal obstruction, reduced airway size, sleep disordered breathing and dysfunctional breathing patterns are increasingly recognised in clinical populations. CPD18 provides clinicians with practical skills to apply breath based interventions safely within scope, while fostering therapeutic presence, reflective capacity and embodied awareness.

This course is part of BIYOME’s commitment to integrating traditional knowledge respectfully and without cultural appropriation. Yogic and meditative teachings are presented with explicit acknowledgement of their origins and with clear differentiation from clinical therapeutic modalities.