Flow with Nico

How I Found my Flow

Hi! I'm Nico Kage Akiba, a certified mindfulness teacher, Biodynamic Breathwork & Trauma Release facilitator, myofascial deep tissue release bodyworker, forest bathing guide and plant medicine guardian. 

I began meditating in 2012 and my healing journey began in earnest in 2017. At that point my life looked pretty good from the outside. I had graduated from a respected business & engineering program at a prestigious university, enjoyed more dreamy adventures in faraway lands than most hope for in a lifetime, landed a good job with a supportive team, a loving partner, a cozy home in the beautiful Pacific Northwest and an abundance of friends to play and connect with.

Turmoil in the Deep

Beneath the surface, though, something was severely amiss. I had chronic insomnia since high school or earlier, and needed drugs to reliably fall asleep. I tensed up from simple activities like cooking, driving, and social interaction, leaving me frequently exhausted and grumpy. I was constantly self-critical and struggled to make any decisions. Life had become a series of problems to be optimally solved instead of a mystery to be explored or an adventure to be enjoyed. Often I would need to get high, turn the lights off and ambient music on, and lay on an acupressure mat for an hour or more just to unwind and reset. To most of the world I appeared chill, but internally my nonstop worries kept my nervous system on a constant high alert, and when my stress or anger burst to the surface it could take hours or even days to pass.

I realized that there was no point in having money if I couldn't enjoy it, so I quit my corporate job at Microsoft and devoted myself fully to healing. This journey took me from ancient Eastern practices of meditation and breath to modern findings in neuroscience, endocrinology and psychology. I brought an engineering first-principles approach that ignored dogma and followed a pragmatic North Star - open to everything, sticking with what works. I discovered that my body held deep tension, chiseled in from generations of persecution and exacerbated by situations that overwhelmed my developing nervous system as an infant and child. It became clear that every facet of my suffering - mental, behavioral, emotional, physical & spiritual - was just a different symptom of that root trauma. 

My Healing Journey

Meditation taught me to sense in every moment where my body was stuck, offer those places gentle presence and compassion, feel them fully and allow the energy to flow. This started my release, but much still remained; sometimes my body would even begin shaking and crying, overwhelmed by the intensity. So I learned to channel that energy into movement and expression with Biodynamic Breathwork & Trauma Release System, embodying the practice of allowing with my whole being. BBTRS supercharged my process of release, and brought a newfound fluidity to my body so I could enjoy dancing and singing like never before. Along the way, forest bathing, plant medicines and other entheogens (used in combination with meditation and breath) dissolved ancient layers of fear and separation, reconnecting me with a larger sense of belongingness and spaciousness that serves as my greatest resource. After experiencing in BBTRS the incredible power of touch as a healing tool, I discovered a love of bodywork and dove into Myofascial deep tissue and energetic release trainings that enable me to melt and free the stuck energy in myself and others with even more precision. 

By integrating the most effective techniques from dozens of different teachers, traditions and modalities, my release has continued to accelerate and permeate through my whole being. My body is looser than ever and my life - both moment-to-moment and overall - has dramatically improved in every aspect, including sleep. And my training continues always, every session and the feedback of each moment helping me expand and fine-tune my tools.

If you resonate with any part of my journey or approach and long for more flow in your life, please contact me here.

For more on my story, check out my Microsoft to Meditation series on Peace, Ease, Release. Professional resume available on LinkedIn.

My Inspirations