SWIHA Blog

“Though I reside in Wisconsin and SWIHA is a distance from me, I know my people are out there,” Jamie Reklau says with a full heart.

From an early age, Jamie has loved to build others confidence, offer wisdom and lend an ear when needed. She tells us: “During my junior high school years, I passed around a notebook and started a ‘Dear Jamie’ column.  I had passion, even back then, to offer new ideas and do whatever I could to assist my classmates to have a better life.”

However, as she navigated adulthood, she realized that she had shut herself off from her authenticity: “I felt like I was not allowed to be my genuine self,” says Jamie, “I lived a highly traumatic life. I survived a Traumatic Brain Injury and lived most of my life feeling like I could never accomplish anything meaningful. My mindset was that it wasn't in the cards for me.”

It’s no secret: Our society is saturated with unhealthy, unbalanced options for food. In fact, many households spend over three-thousand dollars--or 10% of the average income--eating out per year; the United States fast food industry is forecasted to make 223 billion dollars by 2020.

The Standard American Diet (S.A.D) is causing an epidemic of diabetes, cancer, heart disease and a slew of other ailments to affect ourselves, friends, family and loved ones. According to the U.S Department of Health & Human Services and the Center for Disease Control:

Anthony Oliver has always loved science, nature, psychology and helping others, though he wasn’t always sure how to merge all of those things into a profitable future.

“The thing that led me to SWIHA was my mother, Veronica Oliver, because she had completed the Mind Body Wellness Practitioner program and is now a certified Clinical Hypnotherapist,” he tells us, “She told me that I should consider taking nutrition classes through SWIHA, and intuitively it felt right to me.”

Anthony recently graduated from the Holistic Nutrition Wellness Practitioner program and is awaiting examinations for his Behavior Modification Specialist and Fitness Nutrition Specialist certifications. He says that SWIHA significantly changed his life in a multitude of ways: “I value myself much more than I did before because I know I have credentials now that make me marketable and I am more knowledgeable about holistic methods of healing.”

Herbs and spices have been an integral part of cuisines around the world since the days of hunter-gatherers; and not just for their taste! Early Egyptians, Indians and Greeks are just a few cultures who have documented the use of herbs and spices for medicinal purposes and passed down their knowledge from generation to generation.

In the present-day, modern science has uncovered some fascinating properties to these tasty additions, reaffirming some ancient knowledge and discovering new ways of thinking about what we put in to our meals. As the great thinker, Hippocrates, advised us: “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”

Today, we’ll be looking at some super seasonings and their studied health benefits!

More than ever, consumers are paying close attention to what they put in their body, avoiding unbalanced fast food in favor of organic whole foods. This shift toward a wellness-conscious mindset is changing the landscape of the health industry and fueling an increased demand for reputable, knowledgeable authorities on Holistic Nutrition.

We at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts witness firsthand the amazing transformations that passionate Nutrition Coaches facilitate, and we love supporting our graduates as they embark on their journey of becoming conscious, successful wellness pioneers! Our graduates have become motivational speakers, opened restaurants and catering businesses, written wellness blogs and cookbooks, and created successful coaching businesses. The one thing they all have in common? They began with a passion for healthy food!

Superfoods are low-calorie, nutrient-dense and full of fiber foods which are high in antioxidants and help fight free radicals in your system. Many even contain essential fatty acids, like omega-3, -6, -9, and hard-to-find omega-7. While the idea of a ‘superfood’ is a modern concept, they are mostly ancient root vegetables, fruits, and even fungus and algae.

In honor of National Nutrition Month, we will be exploring some of the trending superfoods and how to incorporate them in to your diet. As an exciting bonus: all the foods on this list are vegan and gluten-free!

We all know that words, spoken or thought, have power. One way to harness that energy in our favor is through developing a personal mantra!

Chanting or reciting mantras is a beneficial meditative practice with spiritual roots in Hinduism and Buddhism. Though now in our mainstream vernacular, the word mantra comes from Sanskrit: man meaning mind, and tra meaning transport or vehicle. What’s fascinating about them is that there is a growing amount of scientific studies showing that having a dedicated mantra can be beneficial to your wellness and achievement! According to research, spending just a few minutes every day thinking positively can calm your nerves, increase confidence, and improve your chances of attaining your goals.

This week, we asked our SWIHA community of healers to share their personal mantras with us!

One of the foundational teachings of Yoga, and one that attracts many practitioners, is that it is within our power to return to inner-peace at anytime. In fact, our natural state is calm and happy, according to Yoga Sutra 1.3: United in the heart, consciousness steadies, and we abide in our true nature — joy.

“As cliche as it sounds, I truly cannot believe I get to do what I love each day,” Taressa Riazzi, Hypnotherapist and Life Coach, tell us.

It used to be a very different story for Taressa. Prior to her healing journey, she was struggling through a challenging time; doing her best to be a stay-at-home mom while battling significant depression and debilitating anxiety. After realizing that putting everyone’s needs ahead of her own was having a negative impact on her emotional landscape, she knew something had to change.

“I originally was drawn to Southwest Institute of Healing Arts for the nutrition program,” she tells us, “however, after I experienced hypnosis and saw the impact it had on me and those I worked with, I decided to primarily practice hypnosis and life coaching.

At SWIHA, we know that pursuing any of the healing arts involves lots of growth and transformation and that personal healing must take place before a practitioner is able to facilitate the healing of others.

While it would be very convenient to only have to heal or grow just once in our lives, the process is constant and full of twists and turns. From intense classes during your education to emotional sessions when you step fully in to the role of Healer, you’ll always be called to expand and progress.

How exciting! And also: how exhausting!