Like most people, I started going to therapy for the people in my life that don’t go to therapy. As a black woman from Baltimore, Maryland and a current occupant of Hollyweird, there’s quite a lot of them. On my therapy journey, I realized it was an all inclusive mental health journey that I was really after. Over the years, I started working on my mental and spiritual health like an athlete training at the gym. And somewhere along the way, I heard of this thing called breathwork.

I began my breathwork journey almost a decade ago at Unplugged and The Den meditation studios in Los Angeles, CA. For the past four years, I have practiced under the guidance of Somatic Breath Practitioner Aliah Whitmore-Seavey. I’ve also earned my Breathwork Certification through the Jon Paul Crimi Teacher Training Program. Over the years, I felt the need for something to help me release all the anxiety and stress I was feeling for myself and the collective. After my first breathwork session, I knew that breathwork could and would change my life, but I wasn't quite sure how at the time.

Breathwork is powerful. For someone who struggled with quieting my mind during regular meditation, I was surprised how I was able to not only focus but also have a transformative experience every time I did breathwork! As time went on, I continued my breathwork practice in classes and on my own. Along the way, I realized I wanted to give this healing process to the people around me. Healing and helping is in my blood. Knowing this, I decided to sign up for a life-changing breathwork course. Now as a certified breathwork practitioner, I plan to bring my message of growth, healing, love and breathing to as many people as possible. May we lead with love.

-Shakira Ja’nai Paye