SWIHA Blog

The sudden death of Janet Ellis’ only sister in 1998 brought her to her knees and was the catalyst that ultimately brought her to Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA). “When I am emerging from a crisis, my usual response is to embark on some learning journey. In December 2006, I was completing what I thought would be my last semester at ASU.  I had earned a bachelor’s degree in Family and Human Development and a minor in Psychology and Gender Studies. I then decided that I wanted to apply to their Marriage & Family Therapy program,” said Janet.

While her application was being processed, Janet decided to indulge her curiosity and find out what SWIHA was all about. The school had a great reputation for powerful classes with great experiences, and she had a personal interest in the newly formed Life Coaching program. One evening in January 2006, Janet attended a Gifts & Graces, facilitated by KC Miller. Janet said, “That experience so powerfully confirmed what I felt as a deep calling, that I enrolled in the Life Coaching – Foundations class, and I’ve never looked back!”

Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) is a common herb most folks are familiar with. It’s often seen in teas that support sleep, upset stomach, calming, and overall de-stressing. While this delightfully sunny, little herb can certainly do these things, it has many other highly useful benefits.

Have you ever accidentally over steeped a cup of chamomile tea? The longer the tea sits, the more its bitter properties will come through. Bitters are excellent to use in cases of digestive concerns such as indigestion, bloating, colic, and gas. Some bitters can be harsh and should be used with great care. Yet chamomile is very mild for a bitter. It is  gentle and pleasantly flavorful, so it is often given to children suffering from colic. Some bitters are so unpalatable, many adults will avoid ingesting them, making chamomile a favorable choice.

Another use for this herb is for anti-inflammatory properties. This action can be external or internal. Externally, a salve can be used for burns, insect bites, and wound healing. It’s very effective and often used with calendula, which also promotes the healing process. Internally, this herb has an affinity for the digestive system. So think of chamomile for IBS, inflammation of the digestive tract, nausea, or indigestion. Another specific use is for the relief of gout and acidic buildup that some people suffer from after eating red meat. It is definitely important to buy a dried, high quality chamomile to get a therapeutic effect from drinking the tea. If you do buy pre-bagged teas, find a respectable brand and use several bags per cup. 

Becci Rusinko was searching for a flexible Yoga Teacher Training program that she could do in the evenings and found the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts’ (SWIHA) YTT program.

She initially graduated in April of 2011 with her 200 hour YTT certificate. Then she came back in October of 2011 and completed her 800 hour yoga therapist program, which included holistic nutrition certificate.

Throughout the program at SWIHA, Becci felt that almost every class was her favorite and filled with so much valuable information. “I learned so much that I use daily in all of my classes.”

She felt that she had such fantastic teachers that taught her so much. “My most memorable teachers would be Dr. Henele and Dr. Mahdi and Chef Rachel from the nutrition program and Mary Bruce from the yoga program.”

The knowledge that Becci felt to be the most valuable was to be authentic to her true self and not to try and be someone who she isn't. Becci said, “I hold that so close to my heart every day.”

There was a part of Becci’s life when she was in search of the right thing and she re-found yoga.  “Not only did yoga help cure my physically, it also improved my mentality and made me a different/better person.” After a few years of practice, she looked back at her old self and saw how incredibly different she was. “I decided I needed to share with others what had changed me into such an amazingly different person.” Her passion for sharing yoga comes from having total faith and love for the whole practice. She loves knowing how yoga can help anyone who is open to allow it to transform their life.

Many experts talk about the mind-body-spirit connection, yet what a lot of them don’t understand is how to actually connect them. That’s where the breath comes in. The body is connected to the mind and spirit through breath by mindfully concentrating on the breath. In a study conducted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, researchers claim to have found the measurement of mindfulness through breath counting. However, the lead researcher said, “Counting isn't the main focus; it's the experiential awareness of breath.” In other words, the breath has the ability to take us to a special place, a place deep within the mind and body to reach that spiritual connection. Spirit is within the breath, not without the breath.  

Everyone and everything is made of energy, just vibrating at different frequencies. That energy may be moved and shifted with the breath to clear blockages, remove stagnant air, and open one up to new life. The practice of mindful breathing keeps the energy flowing and moving within the body, mind, and spirit. The more we practice connecting with the breath, the stronger the connection becomes between the mind, body, and spirit. This pathway through mindful breathing allows us to connect to our inner knowing for positive transformation and healing.

‘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:

Lorrie VanPelt Smith confides that she struggled with acne when she was in high school and was always searching for things that worked.  She found that many products and treatments were costly, and didn't always do what they claimed they would do. After working in the legal field for years, Lorrie admits that she felt burned out, so when a co-worker said she was looking into aesthetics, Lorrie felt like this could be a career path that would be challenging, as well rewarding by helping others achieve their skincare goals.  And she was right!

“I am passionate about what I do, as I want each person who walks into my studio to see and feel the beautiful person that I see in them.  There is so much negativity in our world these days, and everyone trying to keep up with the Joneses, that my passion is for my client to see their own beauty, embraces it, and love the skin they are in!”, explained Lorrie enthusiastically.

Vision and Dream boards are fun and easy ways to help you manifest your dreams, goals, and visions. There are several ways to do this. But with manifestation, there must also be persistence and effort!

If this is your first time with vision board work, a great way to start is to simply get clear on just one or two things you really want. If you want to go to Hawaii for a vacation, find a picture of Hawaii that represents your idea, cut the picture out, and then tape it somewhere where you can see it every day. You can place it on your fridge door or on your bathroom mirror. Be sure to look at it for a few minutes every single day and imagine yourself on this vacation. You need to really get into it! See what you want to see: the ocean, the sandy beaches, and mountains! Or close your eyes and hear what you would love to hear, like the ocean waves and birds. Maybe close your eyes and get into the feelings you hope to experience: how it would feel to get to know the local people or how the ocean breeze and warmth of the sun feels on your skin. See if you can actually taste the pineapples and coconuts or even smell the sweet scent of flowers or the salty ocean air. 

Orlando Green was employed as a Student Advisor at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA) when he completed his Yoga Teacher Training (200-hour level) and Life Coaching Program. He considers himself a continuing student having also completed the Hatha Gong program with Duane Armitage. His move to Puerto Rico has put his work towards becoming a  Yoga Therapist on hold.  However, his life has not been on hold, for even a minute, since arriving on the tropic paradise!

When asked about his favorite class while studying at SWIHA, Orlando shared that his favorite class was not actually in his Yoga Teacher Training program, rather in SWIHA’s Spirit of Yoga (SOY) studio: “My first step into SOY was on a Saturday Intro to Yoga class taught by Aradhana Armitage. I had been very reluctant to do yoga due to my back injury – yet after some urging from several colleagues at SWIHA that included a ‘double dare ya’ – I attended Aradhana’s class. She was very aware of my limitations and made me feel welcome in spite of what I perceived as limitations. After the first four weeks of yoga, I returned for an additional four weeks—and then I was hooked.   I began my Yoga Teacher Training shortly thereafter.”

Self-care is a modern concept that has permeated our culture and intrigued people in many different fields.

What does self-care really mean? According to this article from the University of Kentucky, it includes a regulatory process by which we approach the normal daily functions of our lives. These functions include, but are not limited to, eating, sleeping, exercise, medical care, relaxation or meditation, and journaling. People that are known to exude excellent forms of self-care seem to all have one main thing in common: They do normal things in extraordinary ways. For example, a form of self-care for someone who wants to exercise and move their body may be to hire a coach and train for a marathon. It might also look like combining creative activities into a fitness regimen, such as doing yoga or aerial arts. Another way in which people can practice self-care is by making a certain length of sleep a non-negotiable priority. For the average American, sleep can be a hard thing to come by. According to this article from Entrepreneur.com the most successful entrepreneurs start their days early and have developed a sleep routine that is natural, and consistent. Self-care permeates through every action that we take during our waking and sleeping hours.

Aricha Pluid became aware of Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA) when she was still living in Oregon, her home state, while searching for advanced training opportunities online. “I moved to Arizona with my husband in search of a new and different experience, but nearly half of my decision to sell just about everything and move to the desert was fueled by the promise of SWIHA, an oasis.“