SWIHA Blog

Laura Moore, owner of LaTouch Wellness, is a highly-seasoned and equally high-spirited practitioner who began her massage therapist practice in Michigan over 15 years ago, where she worked in spa settings and the local YMCA. One of her most memorable experiences was working at Ora Oxygen Spa, located inside the Detroit Metropolitan International Airport, was where she offered massage therapy, manicure and pedicure services to travelers. Laura expresses her gratitude for this specific experience, as she really enjoyed meeting people from all around the world, and having the opportunity to witness the similarities in all of us. Honored to have her as one of SWIHA’s #GreatGraduates, Laura shares that her continued education with SWIHA has “offered a different approach to my healing practice”.

Upon relocating to Arizona, she discovered SWIHA and occasionally attended the monthly “Gifts & Graces” event, where SWIHA opens their doors to the public and features guest speakers with powerful messages, in addition to complimentary sessions to those attending, including Toe Reading, Life Coaching, Energywork and more. Laura always appreciated the motivational aspect of the first Friday night events, however, she didn’t quite anticipate becoming a student. Laura shares:

Adrian Ealy is a multitalented and equally meticulous practitioner who’s calling and current practice as an energetic bodyworker complements his strong background in Kung Fu and fitness. His approach to his own thriving health, as well as those he serves, integrates mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. Thanks to a series of events, conversations and a strong sense of discernment on his part, Adrian’s journey is now very much in alignment with his purposeful calling.

Just before his studies began, Adrian worked for a corporate company, and began noticing signs of stress and strain on his body. His knowledge in fitness led him to pursue yoga as an additional means of healing physical discomfort, especially because the roots of Kung Fu stem directly from yoga. Adrian chose to enroll in Yoga Teacher Training at Spirit of Yoga offered through Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA) solely for the purpose enhancing his own personal practice.

Actively doing the work required in the Yoga Teacher Training program, Adrian was gifted a certificate to receive a massage. He willing took advantage of the opportunity to receive as massage as he was still experiencing job-related discomfort.

As her 50th birthday approached, Sandy Flores knew she wanted to do something special to honor the next stage of her life, now that she and her husband, Bill, had an empty nest. She always dreamed of completing her college degree and thought this would be the perfect time to focus on her and her passions.

As she looked at schools and curriculums, nothing seemed to fit her personality, interests, and goals. That is, until late one night, while looking at schools on the internet, she stumbled upon the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA). Just reading the College’s name alone seemed to bring a stir of excitement. Each and every class she scrolled through sounded interesting and life-affirming, which was something she desperately longed for during her mid-life crossroads. She felt butterflies in her stomach as she read that the school offered online classes for distance students. She began to entertain the idea that perhaps finding SWIHA was no coincidence at all. The next morning, Sandy called and spoke with an online advisor and by the end of the week, she was fully enrolled to study Holistic Nutrition and Hypnotherapy. The most exciting affirmation to her decision came when the advisor told her the starting date for her classes – Sandy’s 50th birthday!

Kristen Burkhardt-Hanson had always been a troubled soul; she spent most of her life addicted to substances, alcohol, and making poor life decisions. She worked equally as long in the spa and salon industry and was over-worked, under-paid, and stressed out. She was longing for a different kind of life that gave her a sense of meaning and purpose.

Leif Hanson always felt alone and disconnected from the world. On the outside he appeared to be happy and easy-going, however, on the inside he was miserable and lacked confidence. At times he found it difficult to make friends and maintain a social life. He liked his job as a software engineer but he longed to have purpose and live life in an exciting and meaningful way; he just didn’t know what that looked like yet.

After both of their divorces, Leif and Kristen met online. After dating for a few years Leif moved Kristen to Arizona with her two daughters for a chance at a new life. They both became sober in 2010, and while they had the best intentions to have a fabulous marriage, they quickly discovered their behavior and attitudes from their previous marriages and experiences were beginning to seep in.

Tamira Burns says she got “The Call” around age seven, in the form of a profound angel encounter that many might label as “crazy”, or the imaginings of a creative, gifted child.

“My heart felt like it would explode from the love I felt! The angel opened my path before me and advised me to follow my father, as he was a true child of God,” Tamira says of her angel encounter.

Tamira’s father was what she describes as a “secular humanist and a naturalist, who loved the earth and cared for all the creatures upon it with a profound love.” Her father felt that “god” was an ego construct of humanity to control the masses, and that churches were no more than a place to be reprogrammed, which confused Tamira as a child, as she did not understand the very personal relationship her father had with what he called “spirit” until she was much older.

Her mother was an excommunicated Catholic, abandoned by the church and stuck in a “spiritual orphanhood.” As a child, Tamira’s family did not attend church, and did not have a bible in the house. Her home was filled with books on nature and culture, anthropological journals and magazines such as the Smithsonian, Omni, and National Geographic.

Like many students who attend SWIHA (Southwest Institute of Healing Arts), Elizabeth Brotherson came to the school looking for an alternative career path. She was hoping to supplement her income as a preschool teacher by earning a living doing something she was passionate about. Elizabeth had always been drawn to energy work and had a natural intuition for knowing when someone might need help or healing, so when she found SWIHA, she knew it was the perfect fit for her.

“SWIHA embraces the total embodiment of the healing arts, encouraging you to use your natural abilities, while giving you the tools to take it that extra step to make you a successful therapist,” she explains regarding what attracted her to SWIHA.

Elizabeth, or Beth, as she often goes by, enrolled in SWIHA’s Professional Massage Practitioner 750 hour program, and immediately began her journey to becoming a Licensed Massage Therapist. She says after starting her first myotherapy class she was hooked! She went on to take every myotherapy class SWIHA offered, as well as deep tissue, massage, trigger point courses, and sports massage, in addition to core courses such as anatomy and reflexology.

Every year, about 45 percent of Americans make a New Year’s resolution. It’s safe to assume that of that number, many people make resolutions concerning dieting and eating healthy. However, there’s a more holistic, intuitive method for maintaining weight and eating healthy.

This year we invite you to reach your nutrition, food, and even weight loss goals by eating and cooking intuitively. Make 2015 the year to get away from dieting and discover intuitive eating!

To begin, let’s examine a few definitions related to intuitive eating:

• Intuitive: Using or based on what one feels to be true even without conscious reasoning; instinctive.
• Conscious: Aware of and responding to one's surroundings; awake.
• Mindful: Conscious or aware of something.
• Cooking: The practice or skill of preparing food by combining, mixing, and heating ingredients.
• Intuitive Cooking: With these definitions, we define Intuitive Cooking as: Being aware and conscious in the practice of preparing food by combining, mixing or heating ingredients.

By KC Miller

Imagine a gate that connects the mysteries of the heavens to what we could manifest here on earth. Just the thought of such a portal sounds kind of Star Wars-like, doesn’t it? And yet, there is a potent ear point that has been written about as far back as 500 BC in a timeless book known as The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine, a compilation of acupuncture procedures that were practiced since ancient times.

This mysterious point is called ‘Shen Men’, which translates to ‘Spirit-Gate’. It is the point believed to connect heaven and earth, mind and body; it brings imbalance or disease to a restored balance and facilitates healing. It is one powerful point!

‘Shen Men’, also known as the ‘Heavenly Gate’, is located in the center upper third portion of the ear, situated at the apex of the triangular fossa. It is one of the most recognized auricular points and used in the treatment of a wide variety of conditions, including pain sedation, addiction abatement, and the reduction of physical and emotional inflammation. By stimulating this tiny pin-sized point, it is reported to bring heavenly energy into the body for healing. Many practitioners and teachers believe we can actually heighten our spirituality just by taking three to five slow, deep breathes while activating this ear point a few times a day!

Great skin is often associated with youth and beauty. Gorgeous models with glowing faces adorn magazine covers. Countless ballads and romance novels wax poetically about the thrill of a lover’s touch on their skin.

Keeping our skin healthy and supple is a huge business throughout the world. A 2013 story in the Huffington Post, written by Rebecca Adams, states women in the U.S. spend $426 billion on beauty products alone. This figure does not include beauty and spa treatments such as facials, waxing, deep pore cleaning or microdermabrasion, laser treatments or photo facials.

Women in the U.S. spend $426 billion on beauty products alone.

Nor does the monetary figure include skin diseases and medical treatments. As the largest organ in the human body our skin (also known as epidermis or integument) has the practical purpose of protecting the underlying muscles, bones, ligaments and internal organs. It is also prone to maladies that range from acne to xerosis (abnormal dryness of the skin.)

The roots of reflexology date as far back as ancient times. A non-invasive, complementary practice, reflexology involves the use of thumb and finger techniques, applying alternating pressure to reflexes. It is a clothed technique limited to the feet, the hands, and the ears. According to the Arizona Reflexology Association (AZRA), these reflexes match up to different parts of the body, also referred to as “maps,” located on the feet, hands, and outer ears.

Over the last century, reflexology has become fairly main stream due to diligent study by medical doctors and surgeons. Dr. William FitzGerald and his student Dr. Joe Shelby Riley created Zone Theory, a basis for reflexology. (See Fact 1 for details about the Zone Theory.) A physiotherapist working with Dr. Joe Shelby Riley, Eunice Ingham, documented organ reflex areas that complemented the Zone Theory. When Ingham saw the positive impact of reflexology on the clients in their practice, she chose to share her findings and the techniques of reflexology throughout the United States and Europe. Her teachings are the framework for the current teachings of reflexology today!