We recently connected with LaShone Wilson and have shared our conversation below.

LaShone , appreciate you joining us today. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

From the time I was born, and throughout my twenties, l lived and breathed in survival mode. I almost always felt as if I was climbing up hill. The energy needed for this kind of existence is exhausting. I seldom felt safe or at ease. I housed within me a soft sense of burning anger as I was in constant internal upheaval.

My two brothers and I were raised by a single mom in the projects who happened to be a heroin addict. In comparison to some of the neighborhood families, we were doing ok. We had a steady roof over our heads, clothes, and food. Our most basic needs were met. Even as a little girl, I was grateful for this. Yet I had many social, emotional, and intellectual needs unmeet. As I recall these experiences, I am careful not to exaggerate and or give a negative impression of the woman I have come to admire, my mother, Paulette.

Yes, One Breath at a Time Wellness Services is a mission driven company. Our every interaction is to empower people, especially women and children in the development of physical, social, and emotional health and well-being. We support people in developing self-regulation skills so they can feel sensations, self-reflect, and use internal and mindful resources to move forward. My life experience has proven to me firsthand that we human beings are not just physical but emotional, mental, social, and spiritual. Unless all these aspects are developed, we will experience internal turmoil and imbalance which will reduce the quality of one’s life and possibly shorten it.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I worked for the Federal government for 15 years; 10 years at the House of Representatives and 5 years at the National Indian Gaming Commission. At what I considered the peak of my career, me along with six other Directors were laid off from the National Indian Gaming Commission. It happened quick and felt like an out of body experience to me. I excelled in almost every area in my position and do not believe I could have done anything different to prevent the layoff. Being employed by the Federal Government provided me with a sense of stability and at the time was part of my identity. When I lost that job, I immediately felt unstable which prompted deeply rooted fear. As soon as I took a few deep breaths, enough mental space was created for me to consider my next move.

During the time I was working for the government, I was practicing Bikram Hot Yoga almost every day. I started the practice because of a tear in my meniscus which happened while running. The hot room, 105 degrees and 40 percent humidity became my physical therapy. In a few months and without conscious permission, the practice embedded itself in those undeveloped and invisible places formed in my childhood. After a short period of practicing yoga, I felt physically strong, brave, and simply more empowered to continue with my personal self-work. I started reading profusely to shift my mindset. Because we are emotionally and physically integrated, one effective habit produces another and another. As life would have it, this is the same in the opposite direction. During this time. I also worked with a psychologist to help me with some of the deeply embedded issues of my childhood. This was a whole-body approach. It was consuming, at times uncomfortable, enlightening and the most loving and effective thing I have ever done for myself. As long as I live, this journey will never end.

Soon after the government layoff in 2010, I attended the 9-week Bikram training in California. Since then and for the past fourteen years, I have taken several yoga and mindfulness training courses. I went back to school completing an MA and certification program in Integrative Health and Wellness coaching. I became certified in Reflexology and Salt Therapy. I completed additional training in Rishikesh, India which gave me the credentials to develop and certify individuals within the Yoga Alliance guidelines. I have worked with children and adults with cancer and have taught hundreds of children yoga and mindfulness in the DC Public Schools. I partner with government agencies and companies in effective ways to integrate yoga and or mindfulness into the workplace.

I am MOST proud of my resilience and ability to create a safe space that allows me to lovingly, yet specifically and intelligently guide people in and through transformation-one breath at a time. It’s never just about a yoga class or coaching session with me. It’s about the present moment in which we partner together in becoming more expansive human beings. In every interaction, I bring forth my life experience, my hosts of education, emotional intelligence, customer service savvy, passion for being well, my belief in humanity, and ability to build community. I live what I teach. I believe in it as it continues to serve me. I am able to speak it and energetically demonstrate the unbiased power of self-regulation and mindful living. The cumulative energy of all these things in addition to universal favor makes me effective and far reaching. I have never taken one class or one person for granted. Lastly, I have never underestimated the power of mind-body connection and development.

The problems One Breath at a Time Wellness exist to address are: (1) the behavioral strongholds that prevent consistent exercise/movement (2) a safe space of belonging where like-minded people can improve mental, physical and social health and overall well-being (3) and the development of self-regulation skills that increase the likelihood of resilience and enables one to thrive instead of simply survive. We know these problems are expansive, complex and have many entry points. Yet the traditional health care system is unable to provide proactive and sustaining solutions fueling the mental, emotional and physical health crisis. The Covid pandemic has added additional social and educational layers of deficiencies causing a break in society that shows up in higher levels of crime and use of legal and illegal substances. These are societal problems that must be addressed with humane and community-oriented solutions by several entities. One Breath at a Time Health and Wellness is a potent yet small solution to the health and wellness crisis. We are fueled with more than statics and theoretical data. The empirical evidence of human testimonies along with our ability to personalize, demonstrate and make a healthy and more fulfilling lifestyle more accessible is what we offer clients.

We are in the process of opening One Breath Yoga and Wellness Center in Waldorf. MD. After successfully managing a long standing and successful studio in DC in and through the Covid Pandemic as well as share yoga and mindfulness consistently for fourteen years, we are ready to offer our services under our own brick and mortar. This will be the first hot yoga and wellness Center in Waldorf. We are allowing our experience to guide us as well as the professional climate brought about from the pandemic. The Waldorf community and beyond is in for one of the most thoughtful community-oriented wellness offerings in the DMV and we are grateful for the opportunity.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I believe in the services I offer. I know them, the inner workings of them and how they transform the human perspective. It doesn’t matter why you start the practice of hot yoga; or any other mindfulness practice, a steady practice produces physical and mental transformation. Although many people cannot put their hand on it, they see the positive results in me. This promotes a partnership where we thrive perhaps at a different pace yet together. I don’t teach the ideals of perfection as it doesn’t exist yet movement towards a healthier and more satisfying lifestyle is possible and sustainable for everyone who has access to his/her conscious mind. I often combine the four most dominant learning styles; visual, auditory, kinesthetic and reading/writing making so that the interactions are impactful.

Lastly, just like the whole of a person is most important; the whole of a community is as well. I acknowledge and seek to play a vital role in developing a strong, and diverse community. Without the community, nothing matters. There is no cause too small to gather. The development of community is the key to unlocking critical outcomes of human mental, emotional and physical progress.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

Being able to read and having access to books has been the holy grail of personal and professional growth. Although I did not have the words to explain it, I knew from an early age that reading would play a major role in freeing me from my life circumstances and in many ways, freeing me from myself. More specifically, the reading of books that helped me shift my perspective towards a more centered, empowered and purposeful life catapulted me from thoughts of suicide to strong desires to live and to share that with others. Everything under the sun has been documented. Much of it is free and easy to access via the internet. Just thinking about it excites me.

Some of the books that significantly impacted my thinking and philosophy are: A Course In Miracles, The Four Agreements, 101 Essays That will Change the Way You Think, As a Man Thinketh, Tuesdays with Morrie, A Woman’s Worth, the Alchemist, The Body Keeps the Score and Younger Next Year. I am sure there are many more, yet these are the books that rapidly come to mind.

Because of my love for books, I have created a program for children, Reading is Yogamental. This program infuses my two loves reading and yoga. It supports children social, emotional and physical development, increases self-regulation through yoga, breathing and self-affirming exercises.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.onebreathatatime.info/
• Instagram: www.facebook.com/lashone.earlwilson
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/lashone.earlwilson
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/lashonewilson/
• Other: I can also be reached via e-mail at [email protected]