Last updated: 04.07.25

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Living with chronic pain can be overwhelming, but for Despina Yannouli, mindfulness became a turning point. After years of intense pain and a challenging diagnosis of fibromyalgia, she found a new way to manage her symptoms and reclaim her life.

Earlier this week, we interviewed Despina about her journey so far - from discovering mindfulness to training as a Breathworks teacher and bringing those teachings to her home country, plus her top tips for new mindfulness teachers. 

Discovering Mindfulness for Pain Management

Despina spent more than 20 years working in senior roles at multinational Fortune 500 companies. The qualities of drive, discipline, pushing through and never giving up had served her in her career, but they began to take their toll on her health and wellbeing. 

“I did not protect myself,” she said, “and this had consequences for my physical and mental health. I was going through a burnout and my body was suffering with heavy pain.”

Doctors tried various treatments. “Sometimes a cocktail of medication would work for a while,” she explained, “but then the pain would come back.” The pain was intense and unrelenting, and eventually began to take over her daily life.

“There was a day I couldn't wake up and go to work. My children went to school, my husband left for work, they expected I would also get ready and go to work, but I was immobilised by the pain. I couldn't even go to the toilet."

Eventually, Despina was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, a long-term condition that causes widespread pain, fatigue, and heightened sensitivity to pressure or touch.

With no long-term solution in sight, Despina began searching for something different. “I started looking for something more innovative, more alternative,” she said. That’s when she found Breathworks.

She didn’t know much about mindfulness for pain, but something about it drew her in. At this point, she felt she had nothing to lose.

Although she’d read about mindfulness before, it had always been more theoretical. “It was more for pleasing the eyes,” she said. “It wasn’t something I’d really applied, especially in the kind of work environment I was in.”

Despina joined the Breathworks 8-week Mindfulness for Health course, and gradually, something began to shift.

“When the course finished, I remember I was crying. I wasn’t feeling any pain—and I was really looking for it, expecting it. It was like hide and seek. I thought, "maybe it’s hiding somewhere and will soon show up" but the pain was minimal - manageable. I had learned to pace my day, and my life.”

Training to be a Mindfulness Teacher

Following the 8-week course, Despina’s pain was no longer controlling her life. She had learned to pace her days, manage her symptoms, take care of herself, and with that came a renewed sense of possibility.

Soon after, she travelled to France for heart surgery. Her case was complex, and the surgeon gave her a 30–40% chance of success. The operation was a success, and afterwards, he told her that her positive attitude and the way she engaged with the process had played a vital role.

While in the ICU, with a morphine pump and needles and cables all over her body she remembered a story from Breathworks Founder, Vidyamala, who endured severe spinal injury and pain: “I didn’t need to think how I will make it till the morning, I was living one minute at a time, one breath at a time”, and soon all that was over.

For Despina, it was a turning point. “That was it,” she said. “That was it with the corporate world. That was it with stress and pressure and firm ideas about how things should be.”

With her husband’s encouragement to do what brings her joy, Despina made the decision to leave her career and train as a Breathworks Mindfulness Teacher. After everything she’d been through, she wanted to share what had helped her and support others to live with more ease, purpose, and self-compassion.

She completed her accreditation in 2020 and began teaching the following year.

Pictured: Despina (left) with Breathworks Senior Trainer, Andrea Cygler

Bringing the Breathworks Approach to Greece & Cyrpus

Since qualifying as a Breathworks teacher, Despina has been steadily making mindfulness more accessible across her home country of Greece and Cyprus. She has offered courses in a variety of settings, from healthcare services and workplaces to community groups and universities, building partnerships and opening doors for people from all walks of life to discover mindfulness.

One of her earliest challenges was translating Breathworks materials into Greek. 

“Unless someone has been through the whole process themselves, it's difficult do this kind of translation. You really need to know the essence of these concepts — not just the words, but what they mean in practice.

For example, in Greece, we don’t distinguish thumbs - it's all fingers! Also, the word Mindfulness is translated as the word Consciousness or Awareness. Also words like Resting, Settling, Yielding and Letting Go need to be inferred with other expressions. ” 

Despina’s commitment to quality and impact has also led her to work closely with academic partners. By inviting course participants to complete validated wellbeing questionnaires before and after her programmes, she has helped grow the evidence base for the effectiveness of the 8-week mindfulness programmes in Greece. These results have been shared at national and international  medical conferences, demonstrating the tangible benefits of the Breathworks approach.

A summary of the Mindfulness for Pain course has even been included in the eLearning platform of the Athens Kapodistrian University School of Medicine as an alternative approach to pain management, marking an important step in bringing mindfulness into formal health education.

Launching the First Breathworks Mindfulness Facilitator Training in Greek

As interest in mindfulness grew in Greece and Cyrpus, Despina recognised the need for accessible teacher training. She collaborated closely with former Head of Training, Ginny Wall, to introduce the respected Breathworks Teacher Training programme locally.

Seven participants joined the first cohort, all from diverse backgrounds, including psychology, education, marketing, accounting, and reflexology. All had previously completed one of Despina’s 8-week mindfulness courses.

Reflecting on the experience, Despina said, “Sometimes I take risks [like this] but I trusted the material, I trusted the process, and I trusted myself.” She also appreciated the guidance she received: “I had really excellent support with regards to supervision and guidance of how to go about it in every step”

Despina's training students quickly formed strong bonds:

“The group was amazing. They created an amazing bond amongst them… they became friends. They did the first training module online, but after connecting, asked to finish the second part of the training in-person. One person even flew from northern Greece!

[The students] really gave everything to this training experience. The reflective assignments they shared on the e-learning platform could be essays for publication!"

For Despina, this training opens new doors to share mindfulness widely: “It’s a new way for me to reach more people — not just through my own courses, but by supporting others to start sharing the Breathworks approach themselves.” This group of Certified Breathworks Facilitators are now equipped to lead short mindfulness sessions and introductory workshops.”

Meet the students from the first-ever cohort of Greek-speaking Breathworks Mindfulness Facilitators in the video below, including how they found Despina's training, and what they learned about mindfulness: 

Despina's Tips for New Mindfulness Teachers

We know that once our students complete their training, the next challenge is learning how to share their unique gifts with the world. How do you make people aware of mindfulness? How do you sell yourself? Where do you begin to grow your list of contacts? 

Despina has walked this journey herself, gradually building her practice over the last five years, in a way that feels authentic. We asked Despina if there was anything she's learned through this process, and any tips she would offer new teachers. Here's what she shared: 

1. Take your time and don’t rush results.

Despina warns that expecting quick outcomes can lead to frustration and stress. She reminds us that the Breathworks course is solid and effective when truly understood and practiced. “Do not rush or expect results from the first day, otherwise you may get disappointed, frustrated, stressed,” she says. Growth and connection happen over time.

2. Be your authentic self

Authenticity is what truly connects with people. Despina emphasises that it’s not about trying to sound perfect or like an expert, but about being genuine and showing up as yourself. “Ultimately, people will follow you because you inspire them and want to become like you; so, who are you?!” she says.

She encourages teachers to trust their own unique way of bringing the Breathworks material to life, sharing not just the words but the spirit behind them. For Despina, being authentic and grounded in her own experience has been the key to creating meaningful connections.

3. Stay flexible, curious and willing to adapt

Teaching mindfulness isn’t one-size-fits-all. Despina encourages new teachers to create a plan but be ready to adjust as they go. She’s found success by trying different venues, partnering with a variety of groups and experts in other fields, and experimenting with course formats. “Create a plan, update it as you go, and stay flexible,” she says.

Part of this process is learning from experience - “It’s great to know what doesn’t work!” Despina adds. She also stresses the importance of collecting feedback, whether through formal questionnaires or informal comments, and using this to improve courses and demonstrate their impact to others.

4. Start small and make it easy to join

Despina recommends starting courses even if only a few people pay the full fee, while filling the remaining places with discounted or free spots. In her experience, if a course covers its costs and will go ahead, there’s no harm in including extra participants who might not pay. Those who join through these opportunities often become enthusiastic supporters and help bring in future paying participants. She also suggests simple ideas like offering “bring a friend” places to make it easier for people to say yes and join the community.

5. Stay connected with yourself and your goals

Teaching mindfulness can be rewarding yet demanding. Despina advises setting clear intentions and revisiting them regularly to stay aligned with your values. Pausing to reflect helps you adapt and maintain balance. She also encourages taking balanced risks, staying connected to yourself and others, and remembering to laugh. “Take care of yourself — your heart, your body and mind,” she says. “Be true to yourself.”

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Additional Links

Contact Despina

🔗 https://www.unboxhappiness.gr/
✉️ [email protected]

Looking for support with pain or symptom management? 

🔗 Explore the Breathworks Mindfulness for Health course here 

Inspired to share mindfulness with others? 

🔗 Learn more about our Training Programme here.