SWIHA Blog

For Nicole Fonovich, life was looking increasingly bleak. Born with two autoimmune diseases, a softball-sized fatty benign tumor between her shoulder blades, and a degenerative disc ailment, Nicole was struggling to tread the gray waters of her faltering health. Not only were her maladies causing her immense physical strife—including two surgeries on her lower back, another two surgeries to deal with the tumor, and a spinal fusion—they were also creating immense personal and emotional loss in the form of two miscarriages.

Too often, I meet people on their spiritual path who are fed up with their lack of progress, lack of knowledge, lack of you-name-it... Often, these are the same people whose every inch of last spring’s vision board has already come true, who have grown leaps and bounds in the past year, and who have a long list of achievements already under their belt.

Despite the “bigger picture” of their overwhelming success, these folks tend to fall into a pit of despair in reaction to their recent missteps or scattered goals. They devote more time to suffering over their mistakes than creating, learning, healing, and growing. They open the door to self-criticism and, in doing so, slam the door shut on universal guidance. And, on top of it all, you can bet that these rock stars are painfully aware of their self-sabotaging behavior… and are adding that, too, to their growing catalog of “weaknesses.”

Thalia Ayres Randolph wants to set the record straight: she never set out to do any of this. Not the international travel, not being featured on one of the most popular reality television shows in America, not the dedicated work as a spiritual leader and teacher…

Exit, Stage Right

As a young woman pursuing a career in musical theatre in Toronto, Canada, Thalia was convinced that the performing arts were the foundation of her identity and would always serve as her path. Yet, performing on a professional level wasn’t exactly leaving her with a lasting sense of happiness, and she found herself pursuing solace through yoga and Reiki; as she strived toward the spotlight, her spiritual gifts were coming to light as well.

In 2007, I was introduced to yoga by a friend who directed me to take a class in Kundalini. Little did I know that the place where I would first step foot on the mat would be the same place I would train to become a yoga teacher myself nine years later: SWIHA.

A Rough Start

Back then, it felt like so much was happening physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually that I was not sure what to do or how to process what was coming up for me. While I dabbled in yoga since that fateful class in 2007—taking an occasional class and attempting to join Instagram yoga challenges—it wasn’t until 2015 that I finally committed to seeking yoga as a way of healing.

If you could get a glimpse at your past lives, would you? Would you be brave enough to face the struggles and triumphs, the pain and the glory, the tears and the laughter of another you? And if you could bear witness to the past, would you change how you live your current life knowing that another lay before you?

India gets into your soul. Seeing it is like meeting again with an old friend—a re-acquaintance with a land that is transformative, inspiring, and pure magic.

India is also vast and profoundly diverse in its landscapes, languages, customs, and clothing.  The big cities, and even some small towns, bustle with activity 24/7. It is said that India can be an assault on the senses and can lead to a feeling of “culture shock,” yet I feel otherwise. India touches a place within you that is as old as time itself. It reminds you that you are infinite. It reminds you of your Truth.

Sometimes, the journey leads us to a destination we never could have expected. For Nickole Swensen, it was that unanticipated curve in the path that led her to her true purpose: a life of healing, though certainly not as she had planned it...

“I originally went to SWIHA to study holistic nutrition,” Nickole confides. “I was fascinated with the way food impacts our bodies and wanted to share my love of food with future clients. I was really interested in learning more about ways to heal and help others that would use all the elements—mind, body, and spirit.”

Yet, it was in the midst of her nutritional studies in SWIHA’s Mind-Body Wellness program that Nickole learned about auriculotherapy for the first time. Immediately, she was hooked. “I found it amazingly powerful, so I started using it on myself and my family,” she says. “The energy and knowledge that instructor Cheryl Speen brought to my auriculotherapy class was unbelievable. I actually loved her class so much that I took it twice—just for fun!”

Those who know me know that my journey into yoga started very late in life. While I had always had an interest in yoga, I usually ended up feeling disheartened whenever I’d venture to an actual class. Time after time, I’d find myself in the same chaotic environment: a room full of sweaty people jumping through the poses at lightning speed while an instructor stood at the front of the room, barking out the moves like a drill sergeant! Leaving the studio after these experiences, I’d wind up feeling uneasy with the same thought plaguing me the whole journey home: “Well, that was not what I expected...”

Courtney Long knew three things. First, that she had a big mission in life; second, that she wanted to help; and third, that she simply didn’t know how! As a child, she felt restless in the world, always sensing that her fine-tuned sensitivity, her desire for the solitude of the outdoors, and her “weirdness” made her different from the other kids in Lambertville, Michigan.

I’m a Reiki Master, and I’m a Christian. Can these two things co-exist? Absolutely! Every Reiki healer and practitioner brings their own beliefs with them to their Reiki practice. In my case, those beliefs are Christian and Biblical. I’ve personally found that my Christian walk has been strengthened by going through my Reiki training and travelling to Japan to visit the sacred site of where Reiki is believed to have begun.

The Bible teaches of Jesus’ practice of laying on of hands to create healing– very much like what those practicing Reiki do. While it is not called Reiki in the Bible, the application is the same as what is described in the Bible: “Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up... pray for each other so that you may be healed” (James 5:14-16).