By Omi Bell
Eight years into running my nonprofit, I found myself in a hotel room in Morocco crying for hours.
On paper, I was living the dream: I’d grown my organization from a handful of volunteers to a 20+ person team, landed on a Nike billboard, traveled internationally to lead pitch workshops for women, and raised millions to support under-resourced entrepreneurs.
But behind the headlines, my body was waving a white flag. My fight-or-flight response, my constant sense of “keep going or lose everything” had been in overdrive for years. I was serving my community’s needs while ignoring my own.
It wasn’t until I took a three-month sabbatical that I realized: I didn’t know how to rest. And that lack of rest was quietly costing me my health.
Sadly, I’m not alone. A Gallup study found burnout costs the global economy $322 billion annually through lost productivity, absenteeism, and turnover. In a 2024 Mercer study, 82% of U.S. workers including many female executives were found to be at high risk for burnout, often mistaking early warning signs for “dedication.” And recent surveys show 46% of women report feeling burned out, compared to 37% of men.
How Breathwork and Sound Healing Saved My Health
That sabbatical led me to rediscover breathwork, sound healing, and become certified in the practices of Breathwork and Yoga Nidra. These tools didn’t just help me recover, they transformed the way I lead.
Breathwork became my anchor. Deep, intentional breathing lowers cortisol, eases anxiety, improves focus, and even boosts creativity. Sound healing works on another level; its vibrations can gently shift the brain from the rapid beta waves of problem-solving into slower alpha and theta waves linked to deep relaxation, emotional processing, and clearer thinking.
The first time I experienced these practices together, I felt more rested in 45 minutes than I had after weeks of so-called “vacation.” That’s when I knew: this was bigger than me. This was a tool for leaders everywhere.
Why Yoga Nidra is a Rest Superpower
Yoga Nidra, often called “yogic sleep,” guides you into a deeply relaxed state between wakefulness and sleep. Your body rests while your mind stays aware, activating the parasympathetic nervous system, lowering blood pressure, improving emotional regulation, and supporting better sleep patterns.
Unlike traditional meditation, there’s no pressure to “clear your mind.” You simply lie down, listen, and let the practice do the work. For leaders, it’s a way to get the equivalent of hours of deep rest in just 20–40 minutes without leaving the office or needing a nap room.
From Burnout Culture to Rest Culture
I created Boardrooms & Breathwork to bring these tools into corporate and leadership spaces. It’s a keynote and experiential workshop that blends my personal journey with the science of rest inviting leaders to feel the shift in real time.
Rest isn’t about slowing down for the sake of slowing down. It’s about building the clarity, creativity, and groundedness that sustainable leadership requires. If fight-or-flight got you here, it’s rest that will take you further.
3 Rest Tools Leaders Can Use in 5 Minutes or Less:
- Box Breathing (4-4-4-4) Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4. Repeat for 2–5 minutes to calm the nervous system before a meeting or presentation.
- 60-Second Sound Reset Play a singing bowl, tuning fork, or even a calming chime tone. Close your eyes and focus only on the sound as it fades. This helps your mind switch out of “problem-solving” mode.
- Mini Yoga Nidra Scan Take a slow breath, then mentally scan from head to toe, noticing and softening any tension. This can release stress quickly without leaving your desk.
Workplace wellness isn’t a perk. It’s a performance strategy. The most important work we’ll ever do as leaders isn’t just what we build, it’s learning how to care for the body and mind that make that building possible.
And sometimes, the bravest thing you can do for your team is to show them what real rest looks like.
Omi Bell is a certified breathwork and Yoga Nidra facilitator, sound healer, business visionary, and Kennedy Center Artist who bridges wellness and leadership to help people reclaim rest as a pathway to power. She has guided hundreds of people across the country through breathwork, sound bowl meditations, and nervous system regulation experiences offering accessible, transformational practices to everyone from executives and creatives to first-time participants. As the founder and CEO of Black Girl Ventures, Omi has funded over 550 under-resourced companies and impacted more than 20,000 entrepreneurs and small business owners. Learn more at omibell.com. Follow on Instagram @OmiBell and on LinkedIn at OmiBell.
