Meditate and Manifest with Breathwork - Ana Lilia
There has been a rise in virtual therapy since March 2020, but did you know that you can do breathwork classes virtually, too? Enter Ana Lilia. Ana is a certified breathwork teacher and healer leading thousands of people to intimately connect with their breath as a pathway for transformation. Ana channels her intuition and seamlessly blends active breathwork, intuitive guidance, and curated music to create personalized and healing journeys. She creates safe, supportive, and loving spaces for participants to connect with deep parts of themselves, access their intuition, and unleash creativity. Want to learn more and sign up for a free class? Then you’re in the right place! Please continue reading for our exclusive interview with Ana Lilia.
Where are you based?
I live in Los Angeles, CA .
We would love to know about your (business/studio) Breathwork. Can you describe your career journey and the intentions behind founding Breathwork?
I came across a breathwork class 6 years ago during a time in my life where I was depressed, my anxiety was at an all time high and I was feeling lost. I was working as an actor and constantly feeling rejected. Not only in my work, but also in my personal life. I attended a breathwork class, not knowing what it was. During the class, we focused on active breathing for 30 minutes. My body responded in ways I didn’t expect. Not only did my hands cramp up — I started crying. It was so strange to me because I’d never had that kind of reaction before. But it was just the kind of release that I needed. In what felt like an instant of clarity, everything looked and felt different to me. The world felt brighter and lighter. I felt more alive than I’d felt in what seemed like forever. Most importantly, I was filled with a sense of empowerment that hasn’t left me since. From that moment on, I knew that breathwork was going to save my life. Shortly after, I decided that I wanted to learn how to facilitate a breathwork session and introduce it to as many people as possible who live with anxiety and depression. I want the world to know about how powerful, transformative and healing breathwork is.
We love the idea of harnessing our breath for the sake of better mental health. Can you explain more of how these breathing and mental health are related?
Your breath can tell you a lot about your emotional state. Have you ever noticed that when you’re feeling anxious or upset you take short, fast, and shallow breaths? And when you are feeling happy and calm, they tend to be longer, deeper breaths? Changing the way you are breathing, is the quickest way to change the way you feel. When you actively change your breathing pattern into long, deep inhales using your diaphragm (not your chest), it allows your body to get the oxygen it needs to calm down and relax.
We immediately noticed that your Breathwork’s website is actually visually calming. We would love to know more about how your work online (besides a great website design) in creating a calm space in the digital realm?
I have found that in order for people to feel calm, they first need to feel safe. I start all my sessions welcoming people’s “whole self.” The messy part of them, the anxious, the part of them that’s scared. I’m also very honest and vulnerable with my community which has created a trust in me and helps them feel understood. That has allowed me to create a supportive space to help people fully let go of any stressors and worries, even though it’s virtual.
It’s really cool that you use aromatherapy and music therapy in your practice. It truly sounds like an intersensory and whole body experience. We’re really curious to know how you use music therapy and how you have developed specially curated playlists.
Music is a HUGE part of my breathwork classes. They are intended to take my clients on a journey. Every song that I pick tells a story with the lyrics that will resonate with my clients. The song may have them remember an experience or it might encourage an emotion to express more easily. I let my intuition create the playlist. I tap into the energy of my client or the group, and know instinctually if the song is right or wrong for the group or the person. And sometimes, we move so much energy before we go into the active breathing that I’m playing DJ on the spot to better support them while they are breathing. You can find hundreds of my breathwork playlists on my Spotify and Apple Music profiles.
When was the first time that you recognized the benefits of simply taking time to breath? What sort of mental or physical change did you notice?
The first meditation class I took was when I was in college at UC Berkeley. It was a semester where I was interning part time at Univision, in addition to having a full load of classes. I was beyond stressed and overwhelmed and knew I needed support to manage the anxiety. In this class we were told to close our eyes and take a deep breath in. Honestly, this class gave me a bit of anxiety because it was so outside of my comfort zone. People all around me were going into a deep trance, yet I had no idea how this was happening. I continued to breathe, but did not fully close my eyes. Yet despite my resistance to fully let go of control, I did feel a sense of calm by the end of each class. After that semester, I forgot about meditating and didn’t get in touch with it until I was once again super stressed out. However this time it was different, I was ready to dive deep and fully experience the healing benefits of active breathing and meditating.
We definitely saw a shift in rhetoric around the New Year where people were not talking about making resolutions, but instead, manifesting. What advice do you have for manifesting and setting intentions for the year or season ahead?
One of the most important things about manifesting is to be clear on what you want in your life. Sounds obvious, but so many people are unsure of what they want or are afraid to declare it. Having clarity and starting to take actions towards that goal, makes it so much easier to manifest. Another important thing is recognizing what beliefs you have that are preventing you from manifesting. Basically it’s looking to see if there’s any programming that’s the opposite of what you want. For example, if you want to make more money, do you have any beliefs that having more money is going to make you into a “bad,” selfish person? The next step is to reprogram your beliefs so they are aligned with your goals. Breathwork helps you do this, by allowing you to access your subconscious and creating a way of thinking about things.
In the same vein, what are some misconceptions about manifesting that may come from the practice trending on social media?
While affirmations are helpful, if there’s a part of you that truly believes you’re unlovable, it’s going to be hard to manifest that relationship. You have to do the subconscious work. You need to get your thoughts aligned and you need to do the healing work. This is what I help my RESET clients with. And it’s incredible how quickly you will manifest once you get aligned and feel confident in yourself.
Many small businesses have been negatively affected by the pandemic and according to a survey conducted online in late March by the Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative, 86% of Latino small business owners reported significant negative impact on their businesses during the span of COVID-19 in the US. What sort of impact have you seen in your own community? How has your business been impacted by the pandemic?
I would say about 30% of my community either got furloughed or laid off from their job during the pandemic. That became very stressful as they tried to figure out how to continue supporting themselves and their family. However, many of them ended up creating a business that is now thriving due to the lay off. Or they decided to pivot what they were offering. That’s also something that I helped them with through my 1-1 coaching program. When you have tools to navigate a stressful situation, unexpected blessings can come out of them. I also immediately made the choice to change my offerings to reflect the current situation. Before the pandemic I would host in person events and teach at studios. Luckily, I had already been teaching virtual classes the year before, so the transition to full time virtual classes was simple. However, creating classes and programs that resonated with people required experimenting and really listening to my community to how I could be of service to them. Immediately, people realized that virtual breathwork sessions are just as powerful. Even more so since you are in the privacy of your home and you’re not self conscious about crying or having any other emotional release, the way you might in a meditation studio laying next to a complete stranger.
1 in 3 American said that they felt lonely after the initial impact of COVID-19, which has the potential to severely impact mental health and performance in other areas of life. Part of your platform is called “Community Gatherings”, which are meetings focused on communal support and growth. Can you give us more insight about these gatherings and the benefits of staying connected during our current times? What are other ways that you think people can actively combat loneliness?
I created Community Gathering right at the start of the pandemic as a way to support my community process the fear and anxiety we were all experiencing due to Covid-19. The isolation was very triggering to many people, and having a safe place where we could meet virtually on a weekly basis became something they could look forward to and be reminded that they are not alone in how they feel. Several people have told me that Community Gathering literally saved their life during the pandemic. It’s a free breathwork class, where not only you breathe for 30 minutes, but you have a deep healing experience. Now that things are starting to go back to “normal” I have several clients telling me they are afraid of losing their virtual community and feeling lonely again as the pandemic has changed a lot of relationships, including the loss of many. Once you feel comfortable being more social, I would suggest volunteering or joining a class where you can practice a hobby. Meditation classes are a great way to meet like minded people and have a deep connection from the start.
Many people have been working from home for over a year now. What are your thoughts about blending the home and work space? How can we keep our homes a safes pace when it comes to WFH?
One thing I suggest to my clients who are working from home, is to create an office area in their home so that there is a clear physical boundary of where you work and where you rest. I know not everyone has a separate room, but even if it’s a section in a room, it creates an energetic boundary for you. Also, make sure you smoke cleanse your home often. Using sage, cedar, or any other dry herb to smudge your home and remove any negative energies that may have come from your work Zoom call or emails.
What are your plans for 2021? Should we be on the lookout for anything new from Breathwork?
As we start to recover from this pandemic, I’m working on hosting a wellness retreat at the end of the year. I’m also creating a course to teach people how to manifest their big dreams. I’m working on developing a tv show about the healing world. And I plan to continue teaching people practical tools to manage stress and anxiety through my Breathwork for Anxiety program.
How have you been staying positive during shelter in place?
Spending time out in nature has been one of the most healing and relaxing things I do for my mental health. Not only does the fresh air help you breathe easier (which gives your body what it needs to function), being out in nature also has a calming effect. Even spending 5 minutes outside feeling the sun on my skin, I immediately start to feel better, more hopeful, and calmer. But it’s important to leave your devices inside and instead focus on what’s around you. What do you see? Smell? Hear? Mother Nature can help us heal if we give her a chance.
What is your motto in life?
Dream Bigger.
To learn more about Ana Lilia, please follow her via the below platforms:
www.analilia.net
Free Weekly Breathwork Class
7 Day program: www.feelcalmtoday.com
Instagram: @_ana_lilia
Photography by L.A. MOMMA PHOTOGRAPHY / Rachel Carrillo
