SWIHA Blog

How Kayla Winger's Journey to Becoming a Massage Therapist Changed Her Life

Posted by Jade Marvin on 4/18/24 4:00 PM

What was your life like before SWIHA? What led you to SWIHA and to your particular program of study? Why are you passionate about this modality?

Prior to choosing to attend SWIHA, I had actually been working at a massage studio at the front desk while I was in school working toward becoming a therapist or a counselor. After getting my degree, I worked as a psychiatric technician for about a year, until I realized I wanted more freedom in my everyday life. I wanted to spend more time with my daughter, and ultimately I wanted to find a more creative career path to support my desire to help other people heal! After a brief, deep internal battle of 'what others would think' or 'what I should be doing' (none of that matters anyway), I sat on my couch and laughed to myself at the realization that I COULD be a massage therapist and make great money doing so, all while creating my own schedule. At that moment, I decided I was going to sign up for the massage program and just go for it.. and I did.

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Topics: Massage Therapy, Great Graduate, Massage program, Entrepreneurs, Arizona Massage School

From Europe to Arizona: Massage Therapist, Franchesca Booth, Helps Others Live a Pain-Free Life

Posted by Jade Marvin on 12/14/23 4:00 PM

I’ve been interested and involved in holistic health since the 80s. I lived overseas for several decades, was a practicing Licensed Massage Therapist, and started my own holistic health clinic before returning to the US. I attended SWIHA so the AZ board would recognize my European qualifications and medical massage experience. I firmly believe in helping others as naturally as possible so they may live pain-free.”

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Topics: Massage Therapy, Great Graduate, Licensed Massage Therapist, Massage Therapy CEUs, Arizona Massage School

Fall Festival at SWIHA: Yoga Classes, Sound Healing, Massage Championship, Local Vendors, and Kids Camp

Posted by Jade Marvin on 10/6/22 4:00 PM

Southwest Institute of Healing Arts will be holding a celebration of Mind, Body, and Spirit on the greenbelt next to our beautiful campuses. The Healing Arts Fall Festival, previously known as the Holistic Health Gathering, is a complimentary, community, family-friendly celebration of yoga, healing arts modalities, and UNITY! SWIHA invites you to join us for a full day of yoga classes, meditation, sound healing, a massage championship, and over 50 vendors! Bring your entire family to enjoy the Kids Camp Collaboration with Luna Mind Body Spirit, who will be hosting kids yoga, a somatic kids experience, a bouncy house, and face painting. This full day of activities is open to anyone and everyone! Come be a part of our conscious community.

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Topics: Sound Healing, Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, SWIHA, yoga nidra, Arizona, healing arts, spirit of yoga, Tempe, yoga classes, vibrational healing, SWIHA Events, Entrepreneurs, Arizona Massage School, Massage Championship, Fall Festival, Healing Arts Fall Festival, Vibrational Yin, Drum Circle, Vendors, Local Business, Small Business, Arizona Massage Championship, Holistic Health Gathering

30 Years and Thriving — It Takes a Village

Posted by KC Miller on 9/15/22 11:13 AM

30 years ago this year, with a prayer and a small loan from my husband, Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, came into existence. Starting with two classrooms and 6 students, the college has grown to 16 classrooms, in three buildings, serving nearly 600 on-campus students, and nearly as many online students across the country.

As a longtime student of A Course In Miracles, one day long ago I prayed in earnest what is known as the ‘miracle prayer’: “What would you have me do? Where would you have me go? What would you have me say, and to whom?” From that prayer came the vision of creating a place where individuals could come to discover their gifts, where education would not be a “cookie cutter” experience and where individual expression and diversity was encouraged and honored. Starting as a massage college, SWIHA is striving 30 years later by offering 16 Certificates of Excellences, 10 different diplomas, Associates in Healing Arts, and over 300 individual continuing education classes.

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Topics: Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, SWIHA, KC Miller, Massage School, Southwest Institute of Natural Aesthetics, Arizona, spirit of yoga, Tempe, Yoga studio, Holistic Education, Arizona Yoga Studio, Arizona Massage School, Thirty Years, ACCET, Massage Clinic, Thirty Year Anniversary, Thirty and Thriving

How Medical Massage Therapist, Renae Valdes-Seago, Transforms Lives with the Healing Power of Touch

Posted by Jade Marvin on 8/4/22 4:00 PM

Before SWIHA I had the privilege and blessing of being a full-time wife and mom of four amazing children. We owned a mortgage company that my husband ran. My husband of 15 years passed away unexpectedly after a 25+ year struggle with chronic pain which led to opioid addiction. This rocked our world and my children and I lost everything. The depths and darkness of addiction ran deep and his passing uncovered a painful spiral of a brilliant man.” said Renae Valdes-Seago. She continues, “I found myself lost, undereducated, underemployed and urgently needing to figure out how to provide for my family. I didn’t find SWIHA, my angel grandmother led me to this institution for my own healing and to rediscover the gifts I was born with. I felt guided to choose medical massage because of the world I existed in loving a man who hurt constantly and searched tirelessly for respite from pain.”

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Topics: Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, spirituality, Massage Therapy, SWIHA, entrepreneur, Holistic Healing, Holistic wellness, Arizona, Tempe, Licensed Massage Therapist, medical massage, Shamanic Reiki, Arizona Massage School

Why 2022 is the Best Time to Seek a Career as a Massage Therapist

Posted by Jade Marvin on 2/3/22 4:00 PM

More than ever people need to be touched. Physically and emotionally, the soul needs to be touched through understanding, meeting people where they are at, and holding them in a space where they can come into a place of calm homeostasis and healing. There has never been a better time to seek an education in massage and the healing arts than now because we have been isolated for so long that we now understand how connection and human interaction is such an important part of the human psyche.”  - Joel Hamilton, SWIHA Associate Dean of On-Campus Education

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Topics: Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, Massage Therapy, SWIHA, Holistic Healing, massage, Arizona, Licensed Massage Therapist, Our Success Center, Career Statistics, Gainful Employment, Healing Modalities, Arizona Board of Massage Therapists, Arizona Massage School

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