Co-Pilot Stories: From yoga to breathwork.

Tell me a little bit about your wellness journey.

I grew up with both my grandmothers being very into wellness in different ways. I had one of my grandmothers was into the traditional ways that you would read in women’s magazine-don’t eat this, eat this. She walked every day and swam every day. My other grandmother was very much the same she went to yoga every day- up until the pandemic she was 82 and she was still going to the gym 4 times a week with my grandfather who is 90. I have always grown up with these strong women who have made me aware of health and wellness before it was a thing. I found yoga at the age of 17 when I was still in high school right before I went to University. In one of my first classes, I saw this girl at the front who was so strong and I wanted to be that girl. When I went to University I started to experience anxiety and panic attacks for the first time and I had no idea that stress could manifest in these ways. I thought I was sick and had no understanding of why I was feeling a certain way. I was feeling so trapped in my body that and began to go back to Yoga. I was always doing physical activity and stopped when I went to university without realizing that this physical modality was such a big part of my life. Yoga helped me to relive these stresses. My anxiety was a blessing in disguise as it pushed me to do what I wanted to do, and speak my truth.

What motivates you to help others?

We live in these bodies every single day but so many of us are so disconnected from the capabilities of our bodies-not just in a physical way but a mental way. I believe we were all put here for a very specific reason and I am now able to share my journey and what I went through with others. I believe we have so much more power than what we give ourselves.

What do you want people to feel when they come to your social channel?

I want people to feel inspired to be themselves, and feel authentic. I never want someone to leave feeling not accepted or celebrated. I think we are all meant to be individuals and we can all cultivate this with our social.

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What led you to breathwork?

Breathwork is something I have had exposure to with all my practice in yoga-in yoga we call it pranayama. For me, it is something I am leaning towards more now as I am more sound in my physical practice. When your are young and you look at yoga most of us are drawn to the physicality of it-and I think thats normal.  I was able to train my mind and understand these higher concepts through training my body. It leads us into this beautiful path. I didn’t appreciate it at the beginning but in the last few years, I have been drawing on it so much.

Now I can’t believe the physical sensation I felt through breathwork, the visualizations I would have and the lasting feeling I would have after it. It has been peaking my interest since then -and now it is part of our practice.

What is your favourite session on the Othership Breathing App?

Altitude lounge is all I want to do ever-all the time. I always had this conception that you needed these hour-long classes to get to where you wanted to get to-but with the Othership app under 5 mins being able to do that is insane. It’s easy and accessible.

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What is one piece of advice you would have for someone who is just beginning their journey?

Try not to be judgmental. I know it’s really hard! I have it too, but I really think skepticism and judgement are our ego’s first line of defense. There are a lot of things our rational mind will not understand but if you pay attention and allow space for an experience to be what it’s meant to be, you may surprise yourself. I think breathwork and meditation are the closest things we have to magic as it does have a ripple effect and over time you will see it play out in your reality.

We couldn’t agree with Deanna more - breathwork and meditation are two of the closest things to magic that we all have access to. Sometimes you just need a little encouragement and guidance to drop into your own flow.

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Breathe with Deanna and tune into her favourite breathwork sessions on the Othership Breathing app.

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Learn more about Deanna and her wellness offerings here.

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