Expanded States Breathwork
Breath as a doorway to expanded states
Expanded States Breathwork (ESB) is a trauma-informed method of conscious connected breathing, held with somatic awareness, music and attuned presence. I developed it over years of facilitation, and I teach it at Expanded States Academy, an IPHM Accredited Training Provider.
What Expanded States Breathwork is
ESB is an active breath. You lie down and breathe in a continuous, connected rhythm, guided by a facilitator, with music chosen to follow the arc of the session. No substances, only the breath.
As the breath continues, thinking usually quietens and the body gets louder. People describe tingling, heat, waves of emotion, memories, deep stillness, or very little at all. All of it is welcome, and none of it is the goal.
Underneath every session is one belief: the healing intelligence lives in the breather. The facilitator's job is to create circumstances where it's safe to feel it all, and to stay out of its way.
The four principles of the method
01
Safety before depth
A nervous system opens as far as it feels safe to. Screening, consent, pacing and integration are part of every session, before, during and after.
02
The breath leads
Conscious connected breathing gives access to what is held below thought. The facilitator follows what arises and does not interpret it.
03
Innate healing intelligence
The psyche knows how to organise and complete experience when it is supported. We protect the process. The content belongs to the breather.
04
Energetic literacy
Facilitation means sensing small shifts in a body and in the room, and knowing when to guide, when to soften and when to step back.
About
Who created it
I'm Jelena Holodkova, founder of Expanded States Academy. I came to breathwork through my own healing and have facilitated since 2022: weekly group sessions and 1:1 clients in Mexico, then across Europe and in Ibiza, where the Academy is based.
ESB grew out of that practice. It brings together my training in Rebirthing Breathwork, BreathMastery facilitation, SOMA+IQ somatic breathwork and IFS with what years in the room have taught me: how people open, resist, soften and return to themselves through the breath.
- Rebirthing Breathwork
- BreathMastery Facilitator Skills Training with Dan Brulé
- SOMA+IQ Somatic Breathwork
- IFS Stepping Stones (IFSCA)
Two ways into the work
Train as a facilitator
This is for you if:
- you already hold space, as a coach, therapist, yoga teacher, somatic or bodywork practitioner, and want to add breathwork safely
- you've done breathwork yourself and know what an expanded state feels like from the inside
- you care more about safety than intensity, and want to know what to do when something big moves in the room
- you're ready to do your own inner work while you learn to guide others
Breathe 1:1
This is for you if:
- you understand your patterns and want to meet them in the body, as well as in the mind
- you're in a transition (an ending, a loss, a new chapter) and want support to feel it fully
- you're curious about expanded states and want to explore them through your own breath
- you'd like the breath held alongside parts work (IFS), at your own pace
Breathwork isn't suitable for everyone at every moment. Please read the contraindications in the FAQ before booking.
Ways to work with me
Teacher training · In person · Ibiza
Expanded States Breathwork Teacher Training
Accredited facilitator training: six days at a finca in Ibiza, 22 to 27 April 2027. 50 hours, maximum 16 people, from €1,499. Certified by an IPHM Accredited Training Provider.
See the April training
1:1 · Online
Breathwork & Parts Work Sessions
90 minutes to 2 hours, online. The breath, held alongside IFS-informed parts work and paced to your system.
Book a session
Group sessions · Ibiza
Breathwork in Ibiza
Group breathwork in Ibiza, held a few times a month when the season allows. Email me and I'll send you the next dates.
Email me for session datesIn their words
From graduates of the April and September 2026 teacher trainings, in their own words.
“A grounded, practical and safety-focused breathwork training that combines solid knowledge with hands-on experience. No overly ‘hippie’ messaging, but rather a beautiful balance between logic, the body, and spirituality.”
“You don’t just learn how to facilitate, you experience what it means to truly hold space.”
“As a pelvic floor physiotherapist, I took home a lot of new perspectives. This training really gave me the insights to not only treat patients, but to hold space.”
“Your framing of facilitation feels like a breath of fresh air in an often ego-driven world.”
“I have done a lot of trainings, many of which were incredible, but none had so much soul and heart.”
“I learnt so much more than I expected. The teaching was so much about intuition, which is what I needed.”
“A trauma-informed approach that is practical, accessible, and educational.”
Teacher training · 22 to 27 April 2027 · Ibiza
Become an accredited breathwork facilitator
Six days and five nights at a finca in Ibiza: an opening ceremony on the evening of 22 April, four full days of training, and a closing ceremony on the morning of 27 April. It is for therapists, coaches and facilitators already trained in another modality who want to hold expanded states safely.
Expanded States Academy is an IPHM Accredited Training Provider. You are certified as an Expanded States Breathwork Facilitator once you complete the fifty hours, the integration calls, your practicum and a short written quiz, and you can then apply for your own IPHM practitioner accreditation.
Applications go through a short form and a free 30-minute call with me, so we can both feel whether it's the right fit, and so the group holds well together.
- Dates
- 22 to 27 April 2027
- Location
- Finca El Retiro, Ibiza
- Investment
- From €1,499 (presale until 15 Dec)
- Group size
- Maximum 16
- Hours
- 50, with 3 integration calls
- Accreditation
- IPHM Accredited Training Provider
01
Trauma-informed foundations
Nervous system cues, pacing, boundaries and consent, and how to keep expanded-state sessions safe and grounded.
02
Guiding altered states without substances
Breath, rhythm, sound and attunement, and what can arise when an expanded state opens.
03
Somatic and emotional release
Tracking tension, movement, tears and sound, and supporting expression without forcing catharsis.
04
Energetic and intuitive facilitation
Working with presence and the field, and sensing when to guide, when to soften and when to step back.
05
Voice and verbal guidance
Tone, pacing, silence and rhythm as tools for safety and depth.
06
Touch, consent and hands-on support
Grounding, supportive touch, and when to use it appropriately and ethically.
07
Music and journey architecture
Playlists that follow the arc of a session, from arrival through intensity to integration.
08
Integration and closing
Helping a breather land: meaning-making, emotional settling and the nervous system coming back to rest.
09
Your own style as a facilitator
Making the practice yours, so the sessions you offer feel genuine and intuitive.
Free masterclass
Start with the foundations the training is built on
Before technique comes safety. In this recorded masterclass I teach the trauma-informed foundations every part of the training returns to: how to read a nervous system, how tone, pacing and environment shape whether someone can let go, and what to do in the room when something starts to move.
Watch it before you apply. You'll know how I teach, and whether this is the way you want to hold space.
Watch the free masterclassQuestions
Do I need previous experience with breathwork?
For a 1:1 session, no. Curiosity is enough. For the Teacher Training, you don't need to be an advanced practitioner, but you do need some experience with breathwork or inner work. It is for people already trained in another modality who feel called to guide others.
What makes the training trauma-informed?
You learn to recognise signs of overwhelm, pace sessions safely, support emotional release without forcing it, and hold clear boundaries and consent. The focus is on safety, attunement and each person's capacity, so expanded states unfold in a grounded and ethical way.
Is the training accredited?
Yes. Expanded States Academy is an IPHM Accredited Training Provider. Your certificate as an Expanded States Breathwork Facilitator comes from an accredited training, and you are eligible to apply for your own IPHM practitioner accreditation.
What do I need to do to be certified?
Complete the fifty hours, attend the three integration calls (live or as replays), complete your practicum of three practice sessions (two 1:1 and one small group of up to four people), and pass a short written quiz with 80%.
Is this a therapy or clinical qualification?
No. Expanded States Breathwork is not psychotherapy or a medical modality. The training certifies you in this method and prepares you to guide sessions within your scope as a facilitator.
Will I learn to guide 1:1 sessions and groups?
Yes. The two supervised model sessions focus on 1:1 work, and the partner and small-group practice builds your confidence in guiding groups.
What are the supervised model sessions?
You bring two people to act as breathwork models, and guide a full session with each while receiving live supervision and feedback.
What's included in the integration calls?
Three online calls after the training to help you start facilitating: your confidence, session flow, pricing, offerings, finding spaces, visibility, and your first clients.
What's included in the price, and is accommodation included?
Every place includes the opening and closing ceremonies, four full training days, a full ESB session, the teacher training manual, supervised practice, the integration calls and certification, with the welcome dinner, lunch on the four training days and the closing breakfast. Residential places add five nights at the finca with all meals. Training-only places are for Ibiza residents. Flights and local transport are not included.
Can I pay in instalments?
Yes. Your place is secured with a €500 deposit, and payment plans are available.
What is the cancellation policy?
More than 30 days before the training, your payment is refunded minus the deposit. Less than 30 days before, the fee is non-refundable. You are welcome to transfer your place to someone else, and in unexpected circumstances a transfer to a future training can be considered case by case.
What can I offer professionally after this?
You can guide breathwork sessions within your scope as a facilitator, 1:1 and with small groups, and integrate the method into your existing work or build new offerings in your own style.
Are there contraindications?
Yes. Please get in touch before booking if any of these apply: cardiovascular disease, a heart condition or high blood pressure; epilepsy or a history of seizures; a severe psychiatric diagnosis, including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder in an active phase, or psychosis; pregnancy; recent surgery or injury; a severe respiratory condition; or a history of aneurysm.