Melissa Meyer was feeling pretty stressed after “a crazy few years” when she left her marriage, bought a house in Hawthorne, and was commuting to a tough corporate job in Westchester County, N.Y. Meyer turned to sound healing, a practice that uses singing bowls, gongs and chimes to produce therapeutic sounds and vibrations. She visited a few practitioners but felt the greatest benefit after a session with Lisa Annese. “Her sound healings are magical,” Meyer says. “They helped me heal myself in so many ways.”
How did Annese go from being a CPA to owner of a spiritual center in Wyckoff called “The Space by Lisa Annese” that in addition to Tibetan bowl therapy offers Kundalini yoga, past life regression, tarot readings, Shamanic breathwork, Reiki and other modalities? Read on to learn how a few crazy years of her own sent Annese on a spiritual journey that continues today.
She wasn’t ‘living her truth’ until recently
Lisa Annese plays Tibetan singing bowls during a group sound bath meditation.
Annese was born and raised in Nutley. Her mother, a math teacher, and father, a Navy architectural engineer, set high standards. “There was no room for anything not to be perfect,” Annese says. “The expectation was you would be an A+ student.”
Annese studied accounting at Montclair State University and went on to earn an MBA there. She became a CPA and worked at Ernst & Young (EY) for 10 years, first as an accountant and then in campus recruiting. While employed at EY, she met her husband, stopping work after the birth of their first son.
“Until I was 40, all my personal decisions were made by putting other people’s interests first,” she says. “I derived satisfaction by seeking approval from others. Then I realized thateverything you need for self-worth, happiness and approval is inside of you.”
Her spiritual journey deepened when she discovered her son’s hearing loss
In June 2020, she separated from her husband, moving to an apartment in Franklin Lakes and sharing equal custody of sons Anthony, then 8, and Michael, 7. Two months later, Michael was diagnosed with permanent bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, a condition caused by damage to the inner ear.
Now facing two major challenges, Annese realized that she needed to slow down. “It was a wake-up call,” she says. She was already studying Kundalini yoga, a practice that aims to activate a spiritual energy said to be located at the base of the spine, through chanting, singing, breathing exercises, and repetitive poses. But she wanted more.
Lisa Annese and her sons Michael and Anthony at Petco Park in San Diego — the trio plan on visiting all major league parks together.
After reading about sound healing with Tibetan bowls and experiencing its benefits, she began studying at the Singing Bowl and Sound Institute of New York with founder Katherine Hamer. “She saw the light in me,” Annese says. “She became the mentor for the life I am building.”
Hamer says Annese brings a natural empathy and heartfelt understanding to her work. “She has developed an intuitive approach to sound healing that gently resonates with her clients’ needs,” Hamer says. “Her gentle spirit and caring heart have made her a cherished member of the sound healing community.”
Today, Annese teaches singing bowls healing under Hamer and serves as a bowl distributor.
Annese worried that Michael would not be comfortable wearing hearing aids. She didn’t need to—he chose turquoise for his first pair. “He’s so confident with a beautiful light in him,” Annese says. “Everyone thought he was a kid with cool blue ears.” (Michael’s current pair is green.)
Her business keeps expanding…
After hurting her back while carrying her metal bowls to treat people in their homes, Annese began renting a room in a Wyckoff home zoned for commercial use and called her business “The Divine Sound.” This year, she changed the name to “The Space by Lisa Annese” and expanded to the second floor to accommodate both private and group classes and other practitioners.
“It’s not a yoga studio, it’s a true healing center with different modalities,” she says. “You come to be who you really want to be.” Annese also leads retreats, with one scheduled in April.
As does her expertise
In addition to Kundalini yoga and Tibetan bowl healing, Annese is trained as a death doula and Kirtan devotional prayer leader.
She also serves as a lector at the Church of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Franklin Lakes, reading at Thursday morning mass and once a month at Saturday evening mass. “That’s my journey, to speak God’s truth,” she says.
5. She wrote and published a book
I Am Light: 180 Days to Remember Who You Are, (WorldChangers Media, 2022) contains 450 pages of reflections, movements and meditations. “When the book came out, I said, ‘Hello world, I have arrived,’” she says. Annese is working on a second book of prayers and mantras with visual elements.
Lisa Annese celebrates winning Ms. New Jersey in September 2024.
6. She is the current United States of America Ms. New Jersey
Last year, Annese saw a post on the Franklin Lakes Moms Facebook page about a beauty pageant for the United States of America’s Teen, Miss, Ms. and Mrs. New Jersey. Despite not feeling her best, Annese knew she had to do it. “I know my energy thrives on fame,” she says. “It elevates me.”
The pageant was held last September in the Sheraton Parsippany Hotel, where the contestants competed in swimsuit, dance, evening gown and patriot wear categories; were interviewed; and answered a question on stage.
“It wasn’t me against other participants, it was me against me,” she says.“I was connecting to my femininity, taking off the armor and allowing myself to heal the little girl inside.” She’s using her platform to raise awareness of the beauty of meditation and to supportand advocate for those with special needs and deafness.
7. Even her birth date is meaningful to her
Annese was born on March 4, a message she takes to heart. ”All I do is keep marching forth,” she says. “I’m having a great time being who I am.”
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: The Space by Lisa Annese in Wyckoff NJ offers Tibetan bowls, yoga
