ABOUT ELA
Dr. Ela Manga is a medical doctor, author, and pioneering voice in the field of breathwork. In practice for over 25 years, she quickly saw the limits of Western medicine and committed to a holistic paradigm that honours our multidimensional nature and innate capacity to heal.
Drawing from her Indian heritage, South African roots, and life experience, Ela has forged a path that challenges the constructs of separation, disconnection and supremacy— from the personal to societal — and breaks the silence around death, fear, and power.
She has a passion and gift for shifting perspectives, dissolving conventional narratives, and inviting people to see themselves through new, liberating angles that emphasise wholeness rather than fragmentation. Known for blending the precision of science with the depth of mysticism, she opens pathways of understanding that feel both grounded and transcendent.
As founder of Breathwork Africa, she has developed a radical yet gentle approach to breath that integrates science, indigenous wisdom, and the feminine principle of fierce presence. For her, breath is more than a tool for wellbeing — it is collective medicine, a force for justice, and the language of our shared humanity.
Ela’s work is not about comfort — it is about awakening. She invites people to disrupt rigid paradigms, think differently about what it means to be alive, and reclaim the creative intelligence of the body. She is passionate about restoring awe in the human form, not as escape, but as fuel for responsibility, agency, and collective action.
As a woman of breath, Ela embodies both fire and compassion — fierce enough to name the shadows we avoid, and tender enough to hold the spaces where transformation becomes possible.
Her one-on-one work includes guiding leaders to inhabit an embodied, heart-centered territory from which to lead; mentoring health professionals; and supporting people navigating profound change. She empowers individuals with the innate intelligence of their body, restoring agency and vitality — particularly for those under-resourced and marginalised. She also works with leaders, activists, and healers to prevent burnout and sustain their purpose.
Author of BREATHE – Strategising Energy in the Age of Burnout and UMOYA – The Science and Wonder of Conscious Breathing, and creator of the 7 Threads of Pneumanity, Ela brings fiery compassion to global stages, medical schools, leadership forums, and grassroots communities. Through Breathwork Africa, now active in 27 countries, she continues to weave breath into the work of community building, activism, and consciousness.
Based in Johannesburg, the pulsating, multicultural hub of South Africa, Ela spends her days working with individuals on their journey of change, training breathwork practitioners, and collaborating with communities, businesses, and schools. She also carves time for her own creative expressions — through watercolour, time in nature (her greatest teacher), and listening to her breath to guide her next steps.