Finding Healing Through Breath & Meditation
An Authentic Path Blog Post
Finding Healing Through Breath & Meditation
An Authentic Path Blog Post
There comes a point when pretending you're okay stops working. When the coping mechanisms you’ve relied on just… collapse. When you’re so tired of surviving that even the idea of healing feels impossible. I should know. I’ve been there.
I didn’t arrive at breathwork through peace — I arrived through pain. When I first entered a treatment center, I had no idea what healing meant. All I knew was that the weight of my mental health diagnoses felt suffocating, and I was ready to try anything to breathe freely again.
Introduction to Yoga
At first, it felt like another item on the daily schedule, something I had to slog through and another “to-do” on my list. But slowly, I began to experience a shift. Through yoga, I connected with my body in a way that felt safe and empowering. I started to find moments- precious moments- of mental clarity, peace, and presence.
I realized that I am not my thoughts. I am not my diagnosis.
Yoga started to give me back my identity, putting me on the path to actually connecting with my true, authentic self. After discovering yoga, I started to incorporate breathwork and meditation into my everyday life. These practices became more than just habits- they became lifelines.
When I felt anxious, overwhelmed, or even in a full-blown panic, I would turn to neutral pranayama (breathing technique) to ground myself. The simple act of connecting with my breath reminded me that I was safe in my body. It helped me to shift my focus from how my body looked to how my body and mind felt. That change in awareness was powerful and something I’m now deeply passionate about.
Yoga and mindfulness have become the pillars points of my life. From breath work to movement, these practices helped me navigate the ongoing journey of recovery. They weren’t a magical cure for mental illness, nor a substitute for medical care, but they methods that have transformed how I related to my mind, body, and spirit.
Impact of Breath & Meditation
There have been many moments- and there will likely be many more- when I haven’t felt fully stable. The difference now is that I know where to turn. I have different things to lean on that can help me through. Breathwork and meditation are not just tools for wellness; they are anchors that help me rebalance, reconnect, and show up as the person I truly want to be.
In moments when my mood feels like it is swinging- whether I am feeling low and disconnected or high and scattered- allowing myself to sit in stillness, meditate, and focus on my breath helps bring me back to the present moment. It reminds me that I don’t have to be consumed by extremes. I can just be.
That’s not to say it is an easy process. It takes time to unpack and unwind approaches you’ve leaned on in the past, but that no longer serve you. It is also important to use certain breaths for different situations. The wrong approach at the wrong time can actually do more harm than good, even if you have a breath work app.
Breath work has become one of the most powerful tools I use. It’s simple, accessible, and incredibly effective for calming the nervous system, reducing anxiety, and building a deeper connection to myself. If you’re someone who often feels overwhelmed, stuck in anxious thoughts, or disconnected from your body, breath work can be a profound place to begin. That’s not to say it’s the only tool to help you reconnect with yourself, but it’s a tactic that can help get you onto a different path.
My New Mission
What began as a personal journey to reclaim my well-being has now grown into a mission to help others find peace, purpose, and healing through the practices that saved me.
I became a certified yoga teacher to further this passion and to learn more about breathwork, meditation, and yoga asanas completing. So far, I have completed a 500-hour yoga teacher training in India; on top of my 200-hour yoga teacher training in Connecticut. That has since led me to create Authentic Path Yoga- a space for real people to find healing through practices that are grounded, compassionate, and rooted in traditional approaches to wellness. I honor the ancient roots of yoga while also making it accessible to everybody and every mind.
That’s why I offer personalized breath work sessions- so each client receives the safest and most effective practice for their unique needs and nervous system in that moment. I begin each session with a check-in to see how the client is physically, mentally, and emotionally. From there, I guide them through techniques that are best suited for their needs at that moment.
My lived experience with mental health gives me a deep understanding of what it’s like to be in those dark places and how hard it can be to climb out. I’m deeply committed to creating a supportive, inclusive, and authentic space for healing.
Whether you’re looking to reduce stress, build self-awareness, reconnect with your body, or simply breathe a little easier, you are welcome here! To explore how breath and stillness can support healing in your daily life...
