Alchemy of Breath: Breathe Into Clarity, Courage & Inner Guidance
Is a partial scholarship for you?
We believe in making personal growth and education accessible to everyone, which is why we offer partial scholarships on a needs-aware basis for many of our programs.
These scholarships support individuals facing financial challenges, including — but not limited to — members of underrepresented communities. If financial stress might prevent you from attending a workshop, we encourage you to apply.
Partial scholarships, provided through the Association for Growth and Education, are limited to 2–3 seats per workshop and reviewed in the order received. We recommend applying as soon as possible, as scholarship decisions are typically confirmed 90–120 days before the workshop date.
Anthony Abbagnano
Breathwork Pioneer | Alchemy of Breath Founder | Bestselling Author
Amy Rachelle, ND
Naturopathic Doctor | Somatic Practitioner | Alchemy of Breath Co-Founder
Calm your nervous system, learn to thrive under pressure, and trust your inner voice – starting with your breath
When something blindsides you – a job that disappears, a diagnosis that arrives out of the blue – your body takes the hit before your mind has a chance to make sense of it.
Your heart rate climbs and your breath shortens to the top of your chest. The muscles you don't normally notice – jaw, shoulders, gut – tighten and stay clenched. That's your nervous system doing exactly what it's built to do under threat, and in the short term, it serves you.
The problem is that it doesn't always switch off once the danger has passed.
Weeks later, sometimes months, the stress is still lodged in you. You wake at 3 a.m. with your mind racing through worst-case scenarios. Your jaw is sore from clenching it through the day. There's a tightness across your chest that hasn't loosened since the news landed.
And it doesn't stay contained.
You're snapping at people you love over things that wouldn't have registered six months ago. Decisions that used to take five minutes stretch into days, and even then you can't stop second-guessing them. You read an email three times and still can't absorb what it says. Conversations that used to energize you leave you wrung out.
You can describe all of this clearly. You can name what you're feeling, where it's sitting in your body, what set it off. None of that releases it. The stress has settled into your tissue, your breath, your gut. And it’s not something you can think your way out of.
Stress that lives in the body has to be addressed in the body.
Your breath is the doorway back to clear thinking, deep sleep, and trusting in your own decisions again.
A regulated nervous system changes what's possible in a day. The clenching releases. The racing thoughts ease off. You stop reacting to everything as if it's an emergency, and the version of you that knows what to do comes back within reach.
Here's what that actually looks like:
This is what relief actually feels like – and it starts with a single breath.
Picture yourself in a sunlit room at Rising Circle Ranch. The New Mexico sky fills the windows. You notice a familiar tightness starting across your chest – and instead of trying to think your way out of it, you follow a simple breathing pattern you’re being guided through.
Within a few minutes, the tightness releases. Your heart rate drops. The mental loop goes quiet. You feel steady in a way you'd almost forgotten was possible – and you did it in under three minutes, without talking through your feelings or reframing your situation.
That's what Anthony Abbagnano and Amy Rachelle have spent decades refining.
Anthony is the founder of Alchemy of Breath, an internationally accredited school that’s trained breathwork practitioners worldwide. His work takes the science of vagus nerve activation and breath biomechanics and turns it into something you can use when your nervous system needs to downshift.
Amy is a naturopath and somatic practitioner who teaches intuition as a practical skill. Her work helps you read your body's signals clearly enough to tell the difference between a real warning from an old alarm that no longer matches your life.
Together, they make this deep work feel like genuine relief.
This is the first-ever collaboration between Alchemy of Breath and MEA – designed specifically around midlife's particular brand of stuckness, where you've got plenty of insight but sometimes little relief from the tension in your body and the noise in your head.
Spend four days at Rising Circle Ranch, where the scale of the high desert has a way of making your problems feel proportionate again. You’ll leave with simple practices you can use between back‑to‑back meetings, on the walk from your car to the front door, or any time you feel your body starts tensing up.
Shift your nervous system from wired and tense to calm and clear in under three minutes.
Anthony’s sessions give you the precise mechanics to make that shift repeatable – so it works in the five minutes before a big presentation.
Hear your inner guidance without the static.
Once your nervous system has a reliable off‑ramp, you can finally hear what’s underneath the noise, and develop the embodied intuition to feel the grounded yes/no that comes from your wiser self.
Act on that wisdom when it counts.
When you’re no longer operating from chronic stress, it gets much easier to trust what you know. Practice reaching that steadiness when the answer isn’t obvious and the stakes are high, so you’re not defaulting to old habits when it matters most.
Meet change as terrain you know how to navigate.
With a regulated nervous system and a clearer inner compass, uncertainty stops feeling like a wall and starts feeling like ground you can easily traverse. Rehearse these responses until they begin to feel automatic.
Release what your body has been holding for years.
As your body calms and opens, you can finally move the stuck emotions, fears, and tension that have been taking up space – making more room for your creativity, intimacy, and intuition to work again.
Turn insight into muscle memory.
What you’ll build here are everyday habits you can use when someone pushes your buttons, when a meeting goes sideways, or when life doesn’t go to plan – so your system stays steadier than it used to.
Turn insight into muscle memory.
You’ll do this work alongside a small, intentional group of people navigating their own version of the same terrain – witnessed without judgment, and building the kind of connections that tend to outlast the retreat.
This Workshop
Is For You If…
Meet Your Faculty
I guide people out of the noise and into their breath — where silence speaks, healing begins, and the truth of who you are returns.
~ Anthony Abbagnano ~
Anthony Abbagnano
Breathwork Pioneer | Founder, Alchemy of Breath | Bestselling Author
Anthony has been at the forefront of contemporary breathwork for over three decades, leading thousands of sessions on four continents. Instead of keeping this work in rarefied spaces, he’s built schools and communities where everyday people can come to work with their breath.
He co-founded the school Alchemy of Breath, and wrote the bestseller Outer Chaos, Inner Calm. His teaching blends depth of experience with a grounded style that helps people feel safe enough to try something new.
When he’s not teaching intensive programs around the world, he and Amy run the Alchemy School of Healing Arts (ASHA) sanctuary in Tuscany, a place where this work is woven into daily life and real relationships.
My passion is to help you wake up your wisdom so you can be incredibly healthy in mind, body, and spirit.
~ Amy Rachelle ~
Amy Rachelle, ND
Naturopathic Doctor | Somatic Practitioner | Co-Founder, ASHA & Alchemy of Breath
Amy is a naturopath and somatic practitioner who works where emotional healing and physical wellbeing meet. Her core focus is helping people stop overriding their bodies and start treating physical signals as real information.
She began teaching and gathering communities out of her own search for a more embodied way through major life changes. As co-founder of the Alchemy School of Healing Arts (ASHA) and Alchemy of Breath with Anthony, Amy weaves food as medicine, somatic awareness, vocal expression, and intuitive development into a grounded, everyday practice.
Amy Rachelle, ND
Naturopathic Doctor | Somatic Practitioner | Alchemy of Breath Co-Founder
Amy Rachelle a naturopath specializing in food as medicine with veganism, raw foods, and fasting as her main expertise. The basis of her work is always grounded in emotional healing, and coming home to a joyful natural state. Amy started out bringing people together and teaching ...
View BioWhat you'll gain
A new lens on modern love.
Understand what’s really happening in today’s dating world – and how small, strategic shifts can completely change your results.
Real-world tools that work.
Learn the same proven methods Rachel learned at Harvard Business School and has used with hundreds of successful clients to meet (and keep) the right kind of partner.
A reset for how you approach connection.
Replace frustration and fatigue with a practical, empowering approach that makes dating feel productive – even fun – again.
A personalized roadmap forward.
Leave Santa Fe with clear next steps, fresh energy, and the skills to find and turn promising dates into meaningful relationships
Our Agenda at a Glance
Monday:
Tuesday:
Wednesday:
Thursday:
4:00 PM: Arrival / Check-In
6:30 PM: Welcome Reception & Dinner
8:00 PM: Orientation Session
Friday:
7:30 AM: Mindful Movement
8:30 AM: Breakfast
10:00 AM: Classroom Time
1:15 PM: Lunch
2:00 PM: Classroom Time
6:30 PM: Dinner
8:00 PM: Evening Gathering
Saturday:
7:30 AM: Mindful Movement
8:30 AM: Breakfast
10:00 AM: Classroom Time
1:15 PM: Lunch
2:00 PM: Classroom Time
6:30 PM: Dinner
8:00 PM: Evening Gathering
Sunday:
8:30 AM: Breakfast
10:00 AM: Checkout / Departure
*Please note that not all “classroom time” activities take place in the actual classroom.
Step into transformation in the high desert
Rising Circle Ranch | Santa Fe, USA.
Our spectacular Santa Fe campus is located on an upscale regenerative ranch featuring traditional Pueblo architecture and nearly 2,600 acres of wildlife, hiking trails in the arroyo, and awe-inspiring beauty. Close to historic Santa Fe, an artisan’s mecca.
PLUS: Gourmet from-scratch meals, snacks, and drinks featuring locally sourced ingredients, made by our in-house chefs
Explore the ranch
on horseback
Our Rising Circle Ranch spans 2,600 acres of New Mexico high desert, offering guided horseback riding for all experience levels through diverse terrains under the vast Southwest sky
You’ll experience highlights like:
Horseback riding is an optional add-on activity you can book once you arrive on the ranch. Whether you’re seasoned or brand new to horseback adventures, this guided experience lets you discover the ranch’s natural wonders alongside our gentle horses.
Your Workshop Includes:
Four days at Rising Circle Ranch that change how you move through the rest of your life.
Conscious breathwork calms your system, loosens what’s been stuck, and steadies your next big decisions – and here, you’ll practice it until your body knows the way back to calm.
You’ll learn exactly what to do with your breath and your body when life gets stressful – before you pick up the phone to make a hard call, sitting in the car outside a difficult appointment, or standing in the kitchen realizing something has to change.
You’ll work with Anthony and Amy until your responses start to become second nature.
You’ll go home knowing how to use your breath to regulate your nervous system, so you can move through your days with greater calm and clarity, more emotional equilibrium, and the confidence to face uncertainty and difficult moments without losing yourself.
Book your spot today
Alchemy of Breath: Breathe Into Clarity, Courage & Inner Guidance
Is a partial scholarship for you?
We believe in making personal growth and education accessible to everyone, which is why we offer partial scholarships on a needs-aware basis for many of our programs.
These scholarships support individuals facing financial challenges, including — but not limited to — members of underrepresented communities. If financial stress might prevent you from attending a workshop, we encourage you to apply.
Partial scholarships, provided through the Association for Growth and Education, are limited to 2–3 seats per workshop and reviewed in the order received. We recommend applying as soon as possible, as scholarship decisions are typically confirmed 90–120 days before the workshop date.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need prior breathwork experience to attend?
No. The workshop is built for people who are completely new to breathwork as well as those who’ve practiced for years. Anthony and Amy teach the techniques from the ground up, with plenty of guidance and support along the way. Come with curiosity – that’s the only prerequisite.
Is breathwork safe if I have anxiety, or a health condition?
The practices are designed to regulate the nervous system, not overwhelm it. That said, certain conditions (cardiovascular issues, pregnancy, recent surgery) call for modifications. You’ll complete a health questionnaire before arrival, and Anthony and Amy adapt the work to meet you where you are. If you have specific concerns, our advisors are happy to talk them through on a call.
What does a typical day look like?
Mornings begin with optional movement and a light breakfast, followed by classroom time with Anthony and Amy – a mix of breathwork sessions and embodied intuition practice, with time for group dialogue. Afternoons leave space for rest, a hike through the arroyo, or an optional horseback ride. Dinner is communal, and most evenings include a gathering around the fire. The pace is intentionally unhurried.
What's included?
Everything on the ranch is covered: four nights of lodging at Rising Circle Ranch, all chef-prepared meals and beverages, daily workshop sessions with Anthony and Amy, and full access to campus amenities. Optional add-ons like horseback riding can be booked once you arrive. Travel to Santa Fe and personal expenses are not included.
How is this different from a meditation retreat?
The biggest difference is the body. Where meditation typically works through stilling the mind, breathwork uses physical mechanics – the speed and depth of your breath – to shift your nervous system state directly. Many of our students arrive having tried meditation and found that the silence only amplified their racing thoughts. Breathwork gives them something they can feel working, often within minutes.
Still deciding or have questions?
Connect with our helpful team of Advisors
Our Advisors are all MEA alumni who can offer genuine insights into our programs. They’re passionate about helping you finding the right fit to make your next chapter the best one.
Daniel Booz
Lucas Erie
Leslie Bartlett