The first person I met was Tiffany Nicole. She is a Certified Mindset Coach. During her talk, she happened to be speaking about intuition. Ironic, right? She asked for a volunteer; someone to raise their hand who was trying to make a big decision in their life. Out all the loads of hands that went up, she chose me. It turned out that her coin toss demonstration completely reinforced my gut feeling about there being something wrong and I had to break things off completely. Tiffany’s advice was YAK “You Always Know.” She said that we as humans always run around and ask our friends and family what we should do about something we are unsure of rather than listening to our own gut. That day, I also discovered the Effiji Breath. Elijah, the Founder of the Effiji Breath Technique mentioned something very profound,  “Breath is Life.” The first thing you do when you are born is inhale and the last thing you do when you pass away is exhale. 

That day, I breathed very deeply and everything became crystal clear. I came out of that experience at peace with my decision to end my relationship. I saw myself happy without him and that gave me strength and reassurance that I would be ok. 

I had my dad fly out and help me pack up my fiancé’s belongings, so as soon as he came home, he was escorted out. My dad asked him if he ever loved me. He replied with a heavy heart that he still does but things were complicated and he couldn’t explain. I stood in my apartment alone, confused and devastated when my phone rang.  

It was him. He started by saying, “I need to tell you something…I am married.” I was mute. All the words escaped me. I was in complete and utter shock. The betrayal I felt was indescribable. How could this man mess with me and my emotions? 

I can tell you that at that very moment I knew my life would forever change and I had a choice to make. I could crumble and wallow in self-pity or I could choose to learn from this and find peace. I remembered I had taken some time off of work to celebrate our engagement in January, so instead I decided I would try to find a place where I could go be by myself and continue the healing process. I also signed up for an intensive weekend of Effiji breathwork in Miami and this was where my healing really began.

Effiji breath allows you to shed the unnecessary emotions. For me, it allowed me to find peace in my heart about what happened. It put me in control of my emotions and allowed me to recover to the point where I could be open to love again. I felt “broken” before doing this breathwork and afterwards the pieces all came together making me feel whole. This took many breaths and I even went for an intensive retreat in November in San Rafael, California.During the intensive weekends, we would breathe two 1-hour breaths per day. It was during my 1st breath of the weekend in California that it all dawned on me about what I could do with the deposit at the Mondrian. 

I completely visualized hosting an event on 11/11/18. I shot up from the breath after it was over and started writing notes. I pictured the event on 11/11 because I have been guided by 11:11. I got my job offer a few years back to move out to California at 11:11 on the dot. I recall looking at the clock at 11:11 and mentally noting, “make a wish” and then my phone rang with a job offer. Also, when I moved back from California to Miami, I ended up with apartment #111. Then,  I saw an event on 11/11 at the Mondrian with Tiffany Nicole, Effiji Breath and yoga….WHAT A COINCIDENCE! 

I felt a sense of relief that I figured out a way to create a positive out of a negative or like people say, “turn lemons into lemonade.” I still had some time between then and I wanted to keep the healing process going, so I attended a Happiness Retreat in Boone, NC. We started every day in Boone with yoga and meditation. That mind-body connection was truly healing that I experienced with yoga. Yoga became a very regular part of my routine going forward. The happiness program was a 3-day program and each day we discovered as a group a new aspect of this 3-series breathwork. This practice was created by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, who is a humanitarian, spiritual leader and ambassador of peace. This practice we learned has so many benefits which include reducing anxiety, improving sleep and treating depression to name a few. The happiness program is taught all around the world and has helped people with PTSD and is also taught at jails to help give those hope and peace.

The program is designed for anyone who wants to be happier. Who doesn’t want to learn how to be even happier? This 3-step breathing is something you can practice daily for 20-minutes. If I miss a day, I do notice a difference. The days I do my breathing, my mind is more calm. After experiencing the happiness program in Boone, I learned that there was a local group in Miami who also practice the Sudarshan Kriya, the name for this 3-step breathing. I then knew that the Art of Living Center and a segment of happiness had to be a part of my event too.