SWIHA Blog

Yoga means union: The union of oneself and the divine source; the union of mind, body and spirit; the union of your internal Self with the self that manifests in the world. Yoga is not intended to be a passive practice of self-mastery, it’s a system for living that provides us with an ethical framework — the Yamas and Niyamas — for how we should treat ourselves, and how we should treat others.

The first pillar in this framework is Ahimsa (nonviolence or non-harming) which is often used to justify veganism as the standard diet for yogis. Stopping here makes ahimsa a one-dimensional practice focused on reducing violence against some beings (animals), while failing to look at the broader picture of reducing our harmful impact within society.

“I have always had a passion for mind-body health,” McCall Brown tells us, “I found myself studying and talking about it to friends and family all of the time, so I thought: ‘why don't I become a coach and help others find greater health and happiness?’”

McCall brings that level of self-actualization and merges it with her knowledge of Guided Imagery, Holistic Nutrition and spiritual psychology to help clients step in to their best self through her business, Beautifully Balanced by McCall! She has fully embraced the title of Intuitive Mind Body Wellness and Emotion Code Practitioner.

Editor’s Note: In keeping with SWIHA’s commitment to uplift BIPOC voices in the spiritual community, today’s guest blog is by Kimberlee Morrison, writer, yogi and founder of Love Revolution Yoga. She uses her voice and her yoga to create inclusion, understanding and empowerment. This blog gives insight in to ways that BIPOC folks in spiritual spaces are made to feel uncomfortable when speaking about injustice within their community and the anxieties unique to their experience. Thank you, Kimberlee!

We all know our body possesses natural defenses against sickness—our immune system, a dynamic and ever-learning mechanism to keep us healthy and fight off infection. However (and especially with the emergence of the novel Corona Virus) you may be looking to boost that ability alongside the other precautionary measures you’re taking. In holistic healing, we believe in addressing the ‘root’ of mind-body-spirit health, so today we’ll be doing exactly that—with three roots that are excellent ways to support your immune health!

If you’re someone trying to eliminate animal products from your diet or avoid dairy, you may find yourself occasionally missing some summertime staples – Janet Lee, raw food chef and Holistic Nutrition instructor at SWIHA is here to help you! With her creative kitchen skills and years of dedication to a raw, plant-based diet, she shared this recipe on #WellnessWednesday in a live video on SWIHA’s Facebook, which you can replay below!

With deep sadness, we as a community honored one of our recent graduates, Edwin “Bud” Sims. He passed from this earth the evening of Father’s Day. While Bud was a big, bold, beautiful black man, it was the size and availability of his heart that stood out as his most defining feature.

“Bud had one of the biggest hearts ever!” was the most consistent and prevalent comment made when people learned the news of his unexpected death due to congenital heart failure.

Just as taking a program at SWIHA is transformational, so is creating one. And, it starts from the same place—identifying a need!

The impetus for this program came from noticing an important clarity that emerged from our current Holistic Nutrition and Wellness Practitioner program (HNWP). 

The HNWP is an excellent program which aligns with National Association for Nutritional Professionals (NANP).  As a result, the program is heavily saturated in holistic nutrition and science education.

‘Happy Father’s Day’ does not always seem to fit for some people who had less than an ‘A+’ experience with their fathers.  The ‘A’ often stands of Abusive, Abandonment, or Awfully-emotionally-unavailable.

Long ago, I learned to celebrate the lessons my father gifted me as a child of an Alcoholic father.  Yes, I have an overdeveloped sense of responsibility; yes, I highly prefer to be ‘in control’, and yes, I tend to ‘do it myself’ because I can predict the results.  While I have had to learn to temper and refined all these qualities I inherited as a result of who my father was, in the end, they have served me well.

The last lesson my father taught me has most shaped my life.  It is the importance of being able to imagine. 

My father’s birthday was June 13 and often fell on Father’s Day.  In late December, 20 years ago, my father had just returned from an AA meeting with a burning desire to work the 5^th & 8^th steps:

Many people are opting to remove dairy from their diet, opening their eyes to the many alternatives and getting creative with ways to recreate traditionally dairy-based items! Janet Lee, a raw food chef and SWIHA Holistic Nutrition instructor, recently shared on a Facebook Live video for #WellnessWednesday two ways to make delicious and nutritious coconut yogurt.

Coconuts have numerous health benefits – they contain fiber, manganese, copper, iron and medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), supporting your heart and bones, healthy weight loss, as well as having many essential electrolytes to prevent fatigue. When you add probiotics to the mix for gut health, you have a treat that is yummy and supportive of your total wellness.

It has often been said, one of the worst mistakes a leader can make is to do too little in a time of crisis.  While wearing a mask has been something I was hesitant to commit to due to my personal traumas with having my face covered, the time has come for me ... for SWIHA ...to do more to help prevent the widespread increase of coronavirus infections in Arizona.

As of Friday, June 19, 2020 SWIHA will require Face Coverings (e.g., masks, cloth face covering, face shield, etc.) to be worn by staff, instructors, and students when entering the building, walking in the hallways, shopping in the bookstore, and in any communal areas until safe physical distancing can be established within the classrooms.