You can call me, Lala

Nice to meet you. I’m Angela but you can call me Lala.

My path to breathwork began with a devastating heartbreak that course-corrected me onto a path of wholeness. As I was rebuilding my life and myself piece by piece, it became painfully clear that I didn’t know who I was outside of that relationship – or even what I wanted – underneath the layers of the woman I had become for others, outsourcing my worth through their love and validation. I didn’t love myself and I didn’t know how to start because I never had.

So, my real work began and I knew that more therapy wasn’t going to cut it for the type of healing I desired. I had been in therapy on and off since I was five and silently battled depression the better part of my life. The heartbreak and the choices I made within that relationship were symptoms of wounds that went much deeper that needed healing. Things I had been expertly avoiding my entire life: my mother’s abandonment and abuse, and the related trauma - intergenerational, childhood, sexual, and emotional. I knew my issues were complex but I was committed to find meaning in my life and existence, and to feel love for myself.

I worked hard to unravel all the stories of who I was and what had happened to me. I took radical accountability for my life and began learning how to love myself and others without self-abandonment. I cried, danced, got more therapy, did energy healing, practiced yoga, used ancestral medicines, used western medicines, and relied on an incredible community.

It took years, but I eventually had more good days than bad, and beat my depression. I was happier and healthier than I’d ever been in my life. However, my states were inconsistent and unstable. I would spiral into self depreciation and feelings of unworthiness at minor mistakes and have episodes of feeling incredibly alone and unloved.

After taking my first breathwork class, I knew that I had discovered something magical that I needed more of. My body was buzzing with electricity and I had accessed an altered state where I felt connected to everything and everyone, including myself. As I continued breathwork, it brought me inward, again and again, allowing me to connect to myself at a depth I had never experienced. I was finally feeling my emotions I thought were “dealt with”, without judgement or rushing them.

I became a loving witness to myself, with an inner voice that became curious and compassionate. I was able to access my unconscious conditioning, release coping mechanisms, and develop a relationship with my body where I felt safe. After my practice, I started creating, writing, and dreaming like I was a little kid again. It became my spiritual practice.

My breathwork practice has saved my life and helped me achieve what traditional therapy never quite could and medicine only gave me temporarily — true self love and inner peace.

I am grateful for those who taught me the lessons that set me free and were mirroring that which I could not see at the time. You were my greatest teachers. I’m sorry, I love you, please forgive me, and thank you.

Ultimately, I believe people are capable of immense growth and healing, and that this work is an inward journey to reconnect with ourselves - all within the privacy of our own hearts.