The head, neck, jaw, and nasal airway are part of a connected whole. CNOT™ helps professionals bring that perspective into assessment and hands-on care.
Developed by Cynthia Peterson, PT, this advanced professional course presents a distinctive system of gentle cranial and nasal assessment and manual techniques. Its focus is on recognizing restrictions and asymmetries, exploring their relationship to function, and integrating findings into individualized care.
The course includes INOT™: IntraNasal Optimization Technique, a specialized approach to assessing and gently addressing structures within and around the nasal airway, when appropriate and within professional scope of practice.
Together, CNOT™ and INOT™ expand upon the whole-person concepts woven throughout the Breathe Function Thrive™ curriculum.
Decades in development. A deeply personal reason to share
CNOT™ grew from decades of clinical exploration—but the birth of my first grandchild gave me a deeply personal reason to begin teaching it more broadly.
Born three months prematurely, our grandchild spent several months in the NICU. CPAP provided essential respiratory support. As a physical therapist and grandmother, I also wondered about the effects of sustained contact and pressure from the respiratory interface on such delicate, developing facial structures.
Living more than 2,000 miles away, I felt an urgency to share my approach with professionals supporting my grandchild—and, ultimately, other children and adults.
I began teaching gentle techniques intended to address facial and surrounding soft-tissue restrictions, incorporating them into my original Baby Jaws™ and Breathing Nose to Toes™ courses. Those experiences helped shape the dedicated CNOT™ course I’m excited to share today.
Local precision. Whole-body connections
In my clinical practice, CNOT™ is integrated into a broader approach to care that includes WB4™: Whole Body Balance Breath Brain Body and, when appropriate and within professional scope, intraoral techniques from The CMORE™ Method - Powered by Mouth Magic®.
My goal was to develop advanced, gentle, adaptable techniques with infants and sensitive clients in mind, alongside an efficient assessment process that could fit into a whole-body session. Throughout the approach, the individual’s breathing, comfort, and responses guide clinical decisions.
Expand your skills—and the questions you ask
CNOT™ encourages professionals to look beyond an isolated finding and consider how cranial and nasal structures relate to jaw function, breathing, head and neck movement, and whole-body posture.
You’ll refine your palpation, explore these anatomical and functional relationships, and learn ways to incorporate gentle manual techniques into your existing clinical reasoning.
The emphasis is on thoughtful assessment, practical integration, and respect for the person in your hands.
Why Cranial Balance Matters
The cranium, airway, jaw, nervous system, and body are functionally interconnected.
Cranial imbalance may contribute to altered mechanics of the lower jaw, potentially increasing its tendency to click, lock, or function less efficiently. Restrictions involving the cranial sutures may influence cranial mobility and the capacity of the upper airway to expand. Restrictions surrounding cranial openings, or foramina, may also affect the neurovascular structures that pass through them.
CNOT™ provides practitioners with distinctive ways to assess these relationships and gently address cranial restrictions and imbalances. The approach emphasizes clinical efficiency, respect for the individual, and techniques intended to work in harmony with the client’s nervous system.
Connect the ABCS of Whole Human Health™
At Breathe Function Thrive™, our curriculum connects:
A — Airway and Breathing
B — Brain and Nervous System
C — Cranial and Orofacial Function
S — Sleep and Whole-Body Posture
We explore these ABCS alongside whole-body balance, posture, movement, growth, and function—because every client brings a whole body and an individual story.
Look beyond tooth alignment. Consider the head, jaw, airway, and body together.
That perspective fuels our purpose: Find the WHY to pursue the WOWW™—Wonderful Outcomes We Want!
Ready to deepen your assessment and expand your hands-on skills?
Explore CNOT™ + INOT™ and take the next step in your Breathe Function Thrive™ education.
Course Format
CNOT™ is currently in beta development. The anticipated format includes:
Approximately two to three hours of online preparatory learning
One eight-hour, in-person hands-on training session
Guided practice in cranial assessment and gentle optimization techniques
Instruction and hands-on experience with INOT™
Exploration of the relationships among cranial balance, nasal function, the airway, jaw function, nervous-system regulation, and whole-body posture
Tuition
Regular tuition: $1097
Beta-course discount: $200
Inaugural beta tuition: $897
Payment Options
You'll pay your tuition connected with the location of the in-person, hands-on course.
On a budget? Need extra time? Pay tuition in 3 monthly payments. Email us if you need options.
Want your whole team or company to trained?
Awesome! We love your enthusiasm!
Email us at connect@refunctionthrive.com for special team & corporate options.
Refunds
100% refunds of course fees are available 60 days before course start date of each module, 50% refunds within 30 days of course start date of each module. However, when emergencies occur, full course fees can be applied to be used toward future Breathe Function Thrive courses and training as approved by the Company.
Professional Scope and Responsibility
CNOT™ is designed as professional continuing education. Participation does not expand an attendee’s legal scope of practice. Participants are responsible for applying the course material only within the scope permitted by their education, training, licensure, certification, professional standards, and applicable laws.
Course techniques are educational in nature and are not presented as substitutes for necessary medical evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment.
1. Submit the brief application
2. You’ll you receive an email link in 24-72 hours. If you haven’t received it, check your junk mail or email us at: Connnect@BreatheFunctionThrive.com
3. Pay your tuition. You'll select the location for your in-person Master Class 2: Applied Alignment & Integration. You'll also have the option to pay in full or pick a monthly payment plan.
Who Can Attend & Class Size
The first Beta in July 2026 course is designed for:
Physical Therapists (PT)
Occupational Therapists (OT)
Speech Language Pathologists (SLP)
Doctors of Osteopathy (DO)
Medical Doctors (MD)
DONE
Others on a case-by-case basis.
Continuing Education & Trained Badge
Following the BETA, we'll apply for CEU approval with the Utah APTA
Access to the "Ready-to-go", Whole Body Balance Handouts when they are ready. Whole Body Balance Trained Badge. Listing in Directory (optional).
In-Person Master Class Locations
You'll choose one of the locations below to complete the in-person session. Additional options will be added as they become available.
Orlando (Maitland), FL, Monday, November 9, 2026
Special BETA Pricing - Save $200
Hosted by SuperNova Pediatric Therapy
Course held at PediaBloom
1063 Maitland Center Commons Blvd.
Maitland, FL 32751
New York (Spring Valley), NY, Sunday, March 7, 2027
Special BETA 2 Pricing - Save $100
36 Pennington Way
Spring Valley, NY 10977
Meet Your Instructor
Cynthia Peterson PT, CSOM, CST
Cynthia is passionate about helping pros like you get better, faster, longer lasting results by finding and addressing root causes without sacrificing decades of time and spending over a hundred thousand dollars.
Cynthia's the originator & co-author of FAirEST screening tools and a published researcher and co-author of peer-reviewed research. In 2010 she wrote The TMJ Healing Plan.
Cynthia has 35 years experience in "Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy". She taught Neck School & Jaw School in 1990 which included healthy nasal-diaphragmatic breathing with lip seal and tongue-up on the palate, plus jaw function & postures.
She's Certified in Orofacial Myology, Craniosacral Therapy & Integrative & Buteyko Breathing as well as pediatric tools and techniques, and much more.
Cynthia developed this course in honor of the amazing medical professionals that cared for her premature grandson “Finn”.
In 2022 Cynthia was awarded The Breathe Outlook Award for ”Extraordinary contribution to the foundation, research, and development of the FAIREST.org resources for screening patients for sleep and breathing challenges”.
Cynthia has presented nationally and internationally and is a member of many professional organizations.