The Vagal Method

Teach the Nerve.
Get Certified.

The most complete nervous system certification available. A 4-day in-person intensive at Plunsana, hands-on with breath, heat, and cold. You train on the real tools, and you leave certified, ready to lead the room.

You don't find calm, you return to it. That is what you'll teach. How to train the return by choosing the hard things on purpose, so the ones you didn't choose can't break you.

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Who This Is For

Built for People Who Do the Real Work

Not hobbyists. Not dabblers. People who want to go all the way in.

Contrast Therapy Studios

You already have the sauna and the plunge. Now give your clients the methodology that makes them work. Add the breath layer. Offer a complete reset. Differentiate your studio with a certified practitioner on staff.

Vagal Breath Training Practitioners

You have breath. Now add heat and cold in sequence. The Vagal Method gives you the scientific framework, the proprietary protocols, and the positioning to stand alone in a crowded market. One nerve. Everything.

Coaches & Health Professionals

Personal trainers, health coaches, physical therapists, functional medicine practitioners. If your clients deal with stress, sleep, mood, or recovery, this certification adds the most powerful tool you don't yet have.

The Curriculum

What You Learn

Four days, in person at Plunsana, with the sauna and the plunge right there. This is the whole method, taught live and hands-on, start to finish.

Day 1 · The Foundation

  • The Science. Vagus nerve anatomy, the 80 percent principle, polyvagal theory, and HRV.
  • Reading the Nervous System. Assessing vagal tone with the VTBT and HRV, and reading a client's state in real time.

Day 2 · The Breath

  • The Protocols. Yah Breath, CN X Breath, the Wanderer Breath, and Para Breath, and when to use each.
  • Sequencing & Facilitation. How to sequence them, the contraindications, and how to lead a live session.

Day 3 · Heat & Cold

  • Heat. Sauna duration, temperature, and therapeutic sequencing.
  • Cold. The dive reflex, timing, breathing through the plunge, and progressive training.
  • The Vagal Reset Protocol. Breath, heat, and cold in sequence, live in the sauna and the plunge, and the parasympathetic rebound window.

Day 4 · Teach, Assess & Certify

  • Facilitation. Leading live sessions, the scripts, and adapting for any setup.
  • The Business. Positioning, your studio, corporate, and private models, and the facilitator community.
  • Assess & Certify. You lead a real session, Michael assesses you on the spot, and you walk out certified.

The Format

Four Days, In the Room

Live, small, and in person at Plunsana. You train the way you'll teach, hands-on with the real tools, and you certify in the room.

How it runs

  • Four days, in person at Plunsana, as a small hands-on cohort
  • Live training with Michael across breath, heat, and cold
  • Real practice and live assessment, you certify in the room
  • The full curriculum and licensed use of the Vagal Method brand

What's Next: Level 2

This is Level 1, the foundational in-person certification. Level 2 is coming: a 10-week online program with a master module, finishing with an in-person retreat week. It is still a little way out, and certified facilitators get first access when it opens.

Two Ways In

Certify Solo, or Bring Your Team

For Individuals

For the solo practitioner. Coaches, facilitators, therapists, and studio owners getting certified on their own to teach the full method under the Vagal Method brand.

For Small Teams

For studios, gyms, and wellness teams certifying together. Bring your staff through as a group and we build the training, and the pricing, around your team.

Every cohort is small and hand-selected, so we set your investment together on a quick call, once we know whether you are certifying solo or as a team. Apply below and we will walk you through it.

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The Credential

Not Just a Certificate.
A Complete Method.

The Vagal Method is the only certification specifically built around the vagus nerve, using breath, heat, and cold in sequence. No other method owns this positioning.

When you certify, you get the full IP transfer, the full curriculum, and the right to deliver the method under the Vagal Method brand. You are not just trained. You are positioned.

Cohorts are small by design. Every certified facilitator gets direct access to Michael.

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What's Included

  • Four days of in-person training at Plunsana, hands-on with breath, heat, and cold
  • The full Vagal Method curriculum, taught live
  • The four proprietary breath protocols
  • The VTBT and HRV assessment tools
  • Facilitator guide and session scripts
  • Live practice teaching and assessment, you certify in the room
  • Business launch support and the facilitator community
  • Licensed use of The Vagal Method brand

"Michael's breathwork sessions have been a game-changer for our team at Remax. His professionalism, adaptability, and unique ability to connect with professionals create a calm, focused environment that benefits everyone."

Ciara I., REMAX

Questions

Before You Apply

Do I need prior breathwork experience?

A personal breathwork practice helps, but it is not required. What matters more is that you work with people and you're serious about the science. We cover everything from the ground up.

Do I need a sauna and cold plunge to certify?

No. Many facilitators teach breath-only sessions or partner with local contrast therapy studios. The certification trains you on all three modalities, and we show you how to adapt based on what you have access to.

How long is the certification, and is it in person?

Level 1 is four days, in person at Plunsana. You train hands-on with breath, heat, and cold, you practice teaching, and you are assessed and certified in the room. A Level 2 program is coming later, a 10-week online course with a master module and a final retreat week, and certified facilitators get first access.

How does tuition work?

There are two tracks, one for individuals and one for small teams, and payment plans are available on both. We set your exact investment together on a short call after you apply, once we know whether you are certifying solo or bringing a team.

How many spots per cohort?

Small by design. Cohorts are intentionally limited so every facilitator gets real access to Michael during training. Not a course you watch alone. A cohort you go through together.

Ready to Teach the Method?

Apply below. If it's a fit, we move forward. If it's not, we'll tell you why and what the right next step is.

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