Meet Amanda Atkinson | Owner Breath.Dance LLC- Breath and Movement for Wholeness- Yoga, Breathwork, Reiki, Sound Healing and more!

We had the good fortune of connecting with Amanda Atkinson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Amanda, what’s the most important thing you’ve done for your children?
In short, Living Authentically.

Allow me to elaborate.

I find this to be emphasized in business, especially in entrepreneurship as in self grown business there is such open opportunity to reinvent self and play many roles such as owner, facilitator, manager, accountant, marketing guru, designer, confidante, and so many more. Sometimes it is hard to identify Self through the lense of these many rolls and even harder to find balance in the juggling of multiple hats at once. In order to find that balance it is necessary to be as authentic and as fluid as possible.

Throughout the last decade as a business owner and entrepreneur this reinvention has happened many times. At the heart of my original LLC, Love of the Earth, the core values and mission were simple… “Follow Your Heart”. That left an open window of opportunity to shift and transform as new knowledge and new opportunity presented itself.

My daughter is 12 now and was 1 1/2 when I began my journey of entrepreneurship. I was able to grow as a business owner and as a mother simultaneously. I feel the most important gift to myself and therefore to my daughter is the example of taking the risk to be authentic and to allow that self expression to evolve naturally over time. I have been able to show her that by breathing into what you are passionate about you have the ability to manifest success in life. More importantly that that manifestation of success can be measured in many different ways.

Throughout the course of my entrepreneurial life my daughter has been a key element in how my business shifts and transforms based on her needs and my availability of time. This has allowed me the opportunity to put motherhood as the priority and allow the work to flow around those needs. She has been by my side the whole time and has had the opportunity to attend many of the Reiki trainings, classes and workshops I have facilitated and attended. This has given her the gift of learning things she would not have otherwise been exposed to – building her holistic skill set at an early age. My hope is that these experiences show her that she can be and manifest anything in her life without the limitation of the standard and limited box of “success.”

Living authentically, with freedom of time management and self discovery are the lessons I hope she takes into her adult life. Having the confidence to take risks and to know she can do and be whatever she desires.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Breath.Dance is the expression of the evolution of myself and the tools that have made an impact on my own personal journey. I share nothing that I have not tested on my own personal experience of self growth.

“Breath and Movement for Wholeness” is a tried a true method of moving through the uncomfortable spaces in life to breathe into the challenges and through to the other side.

What excites me about this model and these tools is that it unlocks the doorway to freedom inside EVERYONE with the tools you already naturally possess- YOUR BREATH and MOVING YOUR BODY INTENTIONALLY. My work is to simply act as a reflection for you to remember what you already know about yourself and help you expand into your authentic expression of awesomeness.

I got to where I am today professionally on breath and one challenge at a time. While this journey has been full of ease and joy it definitely has not always been easy. This work shakes shit up and helps me to see all the shadow aspects of self that are hungry for self love. It is a constant process of review, reflection and transformation. If it was easy- it would not be authentic! The challenges are limiting beliefs and the only way to overcome that in my experience is to breath and move through it with as much grace as possible.

The biggest and most valuable lesson I have learned as a seeker turned entrepreneur is this… I know nothing. I am a forever student. I am only here to serve as a reflection and reminder. I can always learn more and grow.

Here is my story- I share it so that you may be inspired to share your own and to love yourself more deeply…

Hi- my name is Amanda. Mother, Daughter, Sister, Friend.

I have always been the friend in the pack to take care of the family. And I have always had a fascination with the nature-nurture roll and the healer/priestess archetype. In my late 20’s my mother survived a severe brain injury. As one of her primary caregivers I began to actively seek holistic remedies to help manage the trials myself and my family were facing. It was at this time that Reiki, Yoga, and Breathwork came into my conscious path as a means of management for self regulation, emotional healing and physiological support for my Mom’s recovery as well.

I am a Wyoming native and Colorado transplant. My youth was spent enjoying the great outdoors of the high plains and Medicine Bow & Rocky Mountains. From an early age I was influenced by my family to have a healthy and active lifestyle and I participated in as many school and city sports and activities and music programs as possible.

My journey took a turn in my mid teens where I found myself on the other side of health during a 4 year period of addiction. At 19 spirit spoke to me and woke me up and since then I have been on a path of recovery and rediscovering my love for healthy living in mind, body and spirit. The journey down the wrong road lit the fire in me to help others live their best lives and heal through yoga, reiki and breath work.

I have been a holistic practitioner since 2009, a full time Reiki Master Teacher since 2012 and teaching yoga since 2016. I don’t see myself in any other profession as this is what truly lights me up. The best part about this work is seeing others catch the same spark for their well being…that’s what really brings me the most joy.

Breath.Dance is not just a business, in fact that is the very last thing I believe it is. Breath.Dance is a living and breathing energy that lives inside every single one of us. The brand is just a mirror of the magic that lives in you. It does not belong to me- I can not own it or even direct it- for it is the Breath and Movement for Wholeness that directs my life and allows me the opportunity to share the gift of remembrance.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Easy. We would go to the mountains. Campout, soak in hot springs, gaze into the starlight, hike tall mountains, sit in streams, harvest herbs and medicines from the land. Simply BE.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Wow! I could go on all day and not be able to mention all the people that have inspired this entrepreneurial path- there are SO MANY. Every client I have ever had has been a teacher and a reflection of self and growing.

For today I would like to shout out my greatest mentor and Cosmic Mama, Dr. Charla Hermann. I have studied the deeper teachings of balance and harmony of life with her for the last 9 years as her apprentice. The guidance and lessons I have received at her side are a key factor in how I structure my personal and business life. Looking to the directions and the elements to diagnose and find balance each step of the way has proven to be an invaluable tool that I believe would benefit every single person on the planet. I attribute this knowing to the success I have experienced in my personal life as well as my entrepreneurship.

Website: https://www.breath.dance/

Instagram: @breath.dance111

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/breath.dance111

Youtube: Breath Dance https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC976EV9MRqB_7qY6b3igZeQ/videos

Other: Find me at Denver Yoga Studios- Rooted Heart yoga and Wellness, Yoga Six Northfield, Denver Athletic Club and TWST

Image Credits
Begleiter Photography