GPBA Accreditation: What the Global Professional Breathwork Alliance Requires
The image shows the logo of Global Professional Breathwork Alliance (GPBA)
The Global Professional Breathwork Alliance is widely seen as the only international accrediting body built specifically for breathwork training. It was founded to bring shared standards across modalities and continents, and it publishes the Training and Ethical Standards that other organisations, including the IBF, formally align with. It accredits both schools and individual facilitators across two matching tiers: a higher Certified Professional level and an entry-level Ethically Compliant level.
Why the GPBA is treated as the international standard
When a school describes itself as "internationally accredited" in 2026, that almost always means GPBA-certified. The IBF, the international networking body, has formally adopted the GPBA's Training and Ethical Standards and asks its professional members to agree to them too. In practice, that makes one clearly defined GPBA standard the backbone running through international breathwork practice.
GPBA Certified Professional Breathwork School requirements
To reach the higher accreditation tier, a school needs to show it:
Delivers at least 400 hours of curriculum over a minimum of two years
Includes at least 8 hours of dedicated ethics training within the curriculum
Builds in structured supervision and supervised client work
Has been teaching the GPBA-approved curriculum for at least two years before applying
Has a director who is a GPBA Certified Breathwork Practitioner in good standing
Follows the GPBA Code of Ethics and Training Standards
Ideally, weaves diversity, inclusivity, accessibility, and socio-cultural competence into the curriculum
GPBA Ethically Compliant Breathwork Program
The lower tier suits shorter, more focused, or modality-specific programs, like breathwork teacher training. It requires:
At least 50 hours of breathwork training over a minimum of 9 months
At least 8 hours of dedicated ethics training
Adherence to the GPBA Code of Ethics
GPBA individual membership tiers and fees
Schools and their graduates are accredited in matching pairs.
GPBA Certified Professional Breathwork Practitioner
400+ hours of breathwork training
Training delivered over at least two years
8+ hours of ethics training
Adherence to the GPBA Code of Ethics
An annual fee of around $75, plus a $20 application fee for graduates of GPBA-certified schools
Ethically Compliant Breathwork Facilitator
50+ hours of training over nine months
8+ hours of ethics training
Adherence to the GPBA Code of Ethics
An annual fee of around $50
School fees scale with student numbers too: roughly $150 a year for small schools, $250 for mid-size, and $400 for larger ones, plus a $50 application fee.
Want the full curriculum, weekly schedule, and 2026 pricing? Get our Breathwork Facilitator Training brochure. Drop in your email and we'll send it over.
How Inspire Breathwork exceeds the Certified Professional standard
Hours. Our two-year curriculum goes well past the 400-hour GPBA threshold.
Length. Twenty-four months, comfortably above the two-year minimum.
Ethics. Multiple dedicated ethics units run across both years, far beyond the 8-hour minimum.
Supervision. Structured one-to-one supervision and supervised client work in Year 2.
Diversity, inclusivity, and accessibility. Built through the curriculum, including a dedicated decolonial-lens module.
Format. Weekly online live teaching (2.5 hours) plus weekly online live breathwork practice (1.5 hours), with a one-week in-person UK assessment immersion in Year 2.
Looking for a GPBA-accredited breathwork program? Explore Inspire Breathwork's Trauma-Informed Breathwork Facilitator Training, an internationally accredited program built to help you develop the knowledge, skill, and embodied practice needed to facilitate safely, ethically, and with confidence.
Career impact: what GPBA listing means for you internationally
Once you're on the GPBA member directory, you become visible to clients searching internationally, and to schools, retreats, and venues that use the GPBA list as their first filter. If you want to teach across countries, lead retreats abroad, or be part of an international community, GPBA listing is about as portable a credential as you can hold.
Also Read: How to Choose the Best Breathwork Facilitator Training (Without Regret)
FAQ
How do I apply if I'm a graduate of a GPBA-certified school?
You qualify automatically and apply directly through the GPBA application form. You'll pay the application and annual fees and submit basic documentation, and your school confirms your hours.
Can I qualify if my school isn't GPBA-certified?
Yes. The GPBA accepts graduates of other schools with equivalent training. You'll need to provide your own evidence of hours, supervision, and ethics training. Inspire Breathwork supports its graduates through this route as a matter of course.
What does it cost in total?
Around $95 in your first year between the application and annual fee, then $75 a year after that. Modest, compared to the cost of the training itself. If you'd like to find out more about our training, take a look at Breathwork Facilitator Training and see whether our values line up with yours.
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