SWIHA Blog

Hypnotherapy is a powerful way to create change in your life. It brings you into a highly relaxed state of inner concentration and focused attention so that you can make new choices based on the awareness and clarity that arises. Additionally, self-hypnosis is an empowering skill to reduce chronic pain, improve sleep, and alleviate stress!

You may know the old adage: Laughter is the best medicine! However, did you know that SWIHA has an entire club dedicated to it?

The SWIHA Ha Ha Laughter Club allows acting like a kid again and regaining a child's sense of fun and playfulness! Dr. Madan Kataria, the founder of Laughter Yoga, calls it "Kindergarten for adults". We spoke with Laurie Nathanson, a Laughter Leader for the club since 2012, who gave some great insight on what the club is about (Hint: a lot of laughs!)

The journey of an entrepreneur is never linear – especially in terms of levels of motivation. Somedays we may jump out of bed, ready and willing to take on the world. We know we’ll succeed and we’re so excited! The next day, however, may bring feelings of doubt or impatience.

At Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, we believe in holding space for each point on the emotional spectrum. Today we want to share with you some inspiring stories from our graduates who have preserved and truly found their heart’s calling. Click the link above each photo to read their full story!

There is a story told of a guru who was approached by many people wanting to know the secrets of manifestation. He closed his eyes, and so did those saying they were seeking wisdom. The yogi took a deep breath, as did those waiting. After what seemed to be a long time, the wise man opened his eyes and said, “If you want pears, plant pear seeds!” With that, he descended the mountain, leaving some to understand, while many only mumbled in their confusion.

The first Friday in September, over 300 people gathered to listen to Yogi Amrit Desai, one of the few remaining living yoga masters who originally brought over the authentic teachings of yoga in the early 1960’s. Nine years before his arrival, the seeds were planted!

Autumn is nearing! The days are growing shorter, Pumpkin Spice season is in full swing, and here in Arizona we’re eyeing our hoodies and scarves in eager anticipation.

Southwest Institute of Healing Arts is all about sustainability and conscious choices, so today we bring to you some Fall DIY projects that are healthy, waste-free and likely made from things you already keep in your home!

Veronica Wright, a graduate of SWIHA’s online Holistic Nutrition Wellness Practitioner program, has long held a passion for teaching.

“My life before SWIHA consisted of teaching my boys at home, managing a field trip based homeschool group, and working part time as a retail manager. Before homeschooling my boys, I taught early childhood education for 10 years,” she shares, “I loved my life before SWIHA, though I always knew I was destined to do more.”

Pamela Borowoski once had a long struggle with both her self-worth and spirituality. She tells us: “In my younger days when I followed a different religious path, I attended Bible College and went on to become a local and overseas missionary and I thought that, since I was no longer in that faith, that I'd never find a spiritual calling like I had before.“

As she began the slow process of healing from her traumas and heartaches, she focused her energy on her family. Yet, she still found herself barely getting by.

“I was disabled,” Pamela shares, “I was so anxious and depressed I could not drive. I barely left the house. I was in pain physically, emotionally and spiritually.”

If you’re on social media, you’ve surely seen the devastating images of the fires currently ravaging the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. This delicate and ancient ecosystem is burning at its highest rate since 2013, threatening millions of species of plants and animals, indigenous tribes, and the climate of our entire planet.

If you are outraged and heartbroken, you are not alone. Southwest Institute of Healing Arts is a community of healers, and together we can consciously contribute to the well-being of our planet.

We all have days where we’re in an inexplicable funk and can’t seem to shake it; nothing out of the ordinary is happening externally yet we feel unmotivated, sad, foggy or simply just blah. In recent years, scientific research into the connection between our brains and our bellies has suggested that these moods may not be as random as they seem.

In 2015, the National Center for Biotechnology Information concluded that: “Insights into the gut-brain crosstalk have revealed a complex communication system that not only ensures the proper maintenance of gastrointestinal homeostasis, but is likely to have multiple effects on affect, motivation, and higher cognitive functions.

Using crystals to promote healing is a six-thousand-year-old practice, dating back to the time of the ancient Sumerians of Mesopotamia. The crystal healing philosophy we know today is formed on concepts borrowed from the Chinese concept of life-energy (chi or qi) and the Hindu/Buddhist concept of chakras, or vortices of life-energy that connect physical and spiritual element within our bodies.

Crystals are solid, with atoms arranged in what is called crystal systems. Seven types of crystal systems exist, producing different physical geometry. However, they all share the characteristic of atoms arranged in tightly ordered, repeating patterns. Crystalline lattices split cleanly and smoothly, which is how gemstones are faceted to catch light in fine jewelry.