Where did you complete your training (or where are you still in training)?
(Zila is short for my full name which is Fazila). I am a trainee with Breathing Space (my Teacher is with Unity Breathwork) and we are past the 2/3 mark of the course – it’s a hybrid program with the in-person component coming end of November in Mexico.
My Bio
My name is Zila and I am the founder of Zilabreathes and the Co-Director of Nunyara House. I have relied on my breath to center myself during grueling studies in engineering and law; held it close to regulate my nervous system during a fast-paced career in cybersecurity; paid minute attention to it during meditations; let it gently guide me through yoga practices; and now honor its power with conscious connect breathwork (CCB) or ‘circular breathing’.
In 2019, I began participating in Ayahuasca ceremonies in Costa Rica that led me through powerful heart-opening experiences of inter-connectedness, but also painful realizations that I was holding on to an identity that no longer served me. The breath was my anchor through these journeys. I commenced studying, writing and publishing poetry, as this gave me a language for embracing my inner world. My poetry can be found here: zilabreathes.com/poetry or on IG: @zilapoetry
Two years later I experienced my first conscious connected breathwork session – it filled me with light and a visceral knowing that my life is being orchestrated for my own evolution. I was astounded to realize that the breath, always with us, can be the medicine of choice that leads to deep insights. However, unlike plant medicine, the breather remains fully in control of their journey at all times, with their inner wisdom as their guide. Each breather is gifted their own unique experience.
In 2022, heartbreak and major life changes led me on a quest for change. I left my home of 50 years in Toronto, Canada and landed in Los Angeles for a year, before a swift transition to Joshua Tree, a magical place for renewal, introspection and connection to nature. I am training with Breathing Space, to become a breathwork facilitator recognized by the Global Professional Breathwork Alliance. Yoga is also near and dear to me and I am currently in the midst of a rigorous yoga teacher training program with Inner Dimension Academy. The word yoga comes from the Sanskrit word ‘yuj’ which means to yoke or to unite. I look forward to holding space in 2025 for uniting breath with movement.
At Nunyara House, a retreat property being built in California’s high desert, I am excited and deeply grateful to be designing transformative inner journeys with the breath for others. To learn more, sign up at zilabreathes.com for my newsletter or visit @zilabreathes or @nunyarahouse on Instagram! (Nunyara means ‘Restored to Health’).