SWIHA Blog

The Gita & Gratitude — An Epic Tale of Thanksgiving

Posted by KC Miller on 11/23/23 8:00 AM

An ancient sage told of a rich man having all of life's luxuries — money, property, a doting wife, sons who bore him grandsons, adoring daughters, prize-winning steeds, overflowing barns from fruitful harvests. Despite his bounty, he was not happy because of his obsessive, worrisome attitude.  His worry preoccupied his thoughts day and night, causing him untold paranoia and mental anguish. His wife, daughters, and servants began to avoid him for fear of his accusations and confabulations.

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Topics: Gratitude, Mindfulness, KC Miller, yoga, Thanksgiving, Yoga Philosophy, The Bhagavad Gita

Thanksgiving Every Day in Someway

Posted by KC Miller on 11/24/22 8:00 AM

“If you give thanks every day, every day is then Thanksgiving!”

Many scientific studies have been done documenting the benefits of gratitude and the practice of giving thanks including a study conducted by the Association of Psychological Science. Their findings showed those who had deeper, vulnerable conversations and made the effort to socialize more frequently with others were significantly and statistically happier and healthier.

Let’s look at six easy steps to ensure your health and happiness using the acronym THANKS.

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Topics: Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, Gratitude, SWIHA, Self-care, Psychology, Arizona, Tempe, Brene Brown, chakras, Holistic Education, Thanksgiving, Holiday Season, Honor, Giving Thanks, Chakra System

Consider These 10 Ways to Utilize Journaling during Yoga Teacher Training

Posted by KC Miller on 1/27/22 4:00 PM

Journaling is about creating clarity, prioritizing your energy, and provides an opportunity for positive self-talk. It is also an amazing way to see how much you’ve grown, changes in mindset, and your progress toward your goals.

Through documenting our thoughts and feelings, we advance our self-awareness and self-control. It gives us the ability to analyze how we are currently showing up in the world and provides us the opportunity to feel empowered in our decisions.

Consider these 10 ways below on how to utilize journaling as Svadhyaya, or self-reflection, either through life, or especially during your experience of going through Yoga Teacher Training. Ultimately, your journal is a place to practice vulnerability and honesty, and bring that in to the world to truly live yoga!

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Topics: Gratitude, yoga, Mindfulness, journaling, Yoga Teacher Training, Yoga Sutras, Arizona, YTT, Tempe, Yogi, yoga teacher, Sacred Space, Holistic Education, Ahimsa, Self-Awareness, Gratitude Journal, My Spirit of Yoga, Svadhyaya, Self-Control, Principles of Yoga, Alter, Satya, Self-Reflection

5 New Habits You Can Do To Start the New Year Right

Posted by Jade Marvin on 12/28/21 4:00 PM

As the holidays are dwindling down, and the start of the New Year is approaching, we usually begin to think about goals, resolutions, and what we want to accomplish the next year. Typically, when making New Year’s resolutions, people think of really big things they want to change about themselves or their lives. Oftentimes, these really big goals can seem unattainable, and usually, within a few months, fewer and fewer people are staying consistent with their once super eager attitudes and goals. Having this in mind, why not start the New Year right with 5 small habits you can do to give you an immediate sensation of success and achievement?

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Topics: self love, Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, Gratitude, SWIHA, journaling, Gifts and Graces, Goals, habits, Arizona, resolutions, Success, Morning Routine, Commitment, Self-Acceptance, New Year, New Years Resolution, Positivity, 2022, Champions of Change, Cleaning, Routine

A Shower of G.R.A.T.I.T.U.D.E

Posted by KC Miller on 11/25/21 4:00 PM

G-IVE GRATITUDE A TRY

Gratitude has always been familiar to me; basically, I’ve been a pretty happy-go-lucky person my whole life. By nature, I’m an optimist! As a longtime student of A Course in Miracles, I consciously choose to be “miracle ready” which means choosing to be in a state of gratitude and readiness as a daily practice. An “attitude of gratitude” was fully reinforced during my travels to India.

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Topics: Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, Kamini Desai, Gratitude, SWIHA, Mindfulness, KC Miller, Yoga Teacher Training, yoga nidra, Spirit, Holistic wellness, yoga, Arizona, India, Holistic Education, Amrit Institute, Thanksgiving, Gratitude Journal, Amrit Yoga, Grateful, Blessings, Blessons, Wisdom

5 Ways Gratitude Journaling Will Change Your Life for the Better

Posted by Jade Marvin on 9/2/21 4:00 PM

Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.” - Eckhart Tolle

Starting your day in a positive mood, energized, and ready to take on the world could be a normal morning for you if you start your daily routine with a gratitude journal. Overthinking is a common enemy for many, constantly replaying scenarios that have not even happened yet. Or comparing yourself to others and constantly wanting what you don’t have can take a heavy toll on your mental health. On a subconscious level, journaling helps counteract our Negativity bias.

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Topics: Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, Gratitude, SWIHA, journaling, entrepreneur, Intuition, Meditation, Self-Esteem, habits, intuitive guidance, Holistic Education, Stress Reduction, Self-Healing, continuing education, Positivity, Negative Bias, Better Sleep, Increased Happiness, Gratitude Journal, Holistic Modalities

In Pursuit of Magic: Lessons Found in the “Spirit” of Halloween

Posted by Taylor Jablonowski on 10/29/18 2:00 PM


The month of October lends itself inherently to the theme of Potential.  It’s a month of transition: days grow shorter, the air cools, and trees shed their leaves in anticipation of a winter nap. It’s the pause before a new chapter, where we reflect on lessons learned while planning for the future.

Ancient Gaels celebrated this mid-point between the autumnal and winter equinoxes with the festival Samhain, meaning “summer’s end”. It marked their harvest time and honored the birth-death-rebirth cycle of Mother Nature through celebrations and rituals. Samhain was eventually incorporated in to Christian culture to take place at the end of October proceeding All Hallows day (November 1st). We now know it as Halloween!

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Topics: Motivational Monday, Gratitude, Forgiveness, Manifestation, Ceremony, Halloween, Sacred Space

Achieve Business Success by Adding an Extra Shot of Confidence to Your Morning Routine

Posted by Barbara Iuliano on 4/3/17 8:56 AM

Our brains have a way of creating daily habits and sticking to them whether or not they are helpful to us. Most of us already have a morning routine even if we are unaware that it exists. This may include having a non-negotiable cup of coffee, brushing our teeth without exception and searching for our car keys even after we swore we would not misplace them again. All too often it seems that we are wired to repeat ourselves with little awareness that we are doing it.

Without realizing, many of us choose to start our days the same way only to find later its outcome was not what we desired. By understanding this, we can quickly transform bad habits into a routine that gives us a greater sense of control throughout the day, prepares us for its inevitable surprises, and boosts us into the satisfaction stratosphere by adding a turbo shot of confidence.

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Topics: self love, Gratitude, Success, Business Success, Morning, Morning Routine, Daily Habits, Commitment, Self-Acceptance, Progress

Finding Courage and Gratitude Within Criticism

Posted by KC on 2/27/17 10:11 AM

We all know what it’s like to have someone be critical of us; some of us take it with more grace than others. However, instead of looking at a comment as negative or demeaning, imagine considering the critics in your life as ‘Messengers of Courage’. For you to face whatever comment or criticism they toss out, takes courage on your part, and it gives you an opportunity to do a moral inventory of who you really are, where you stand in the world, and exactly what the truth is about yourself!

One of my biggest moments of courage in facing a critic happened a few years ago during a Celebrate Your Life event in Scottsdale, Arizona. For years, Mishka Productions, created by Ariel Wolfe and her daughter Liz Dawn, have been bringing best-selling authors and new-age thought leaders together for a weekend of intense spiritual growth. It has been my honor to be a part of the conference from almost the beginning, partly because long before the Celebrate Your Life events began, I was friends with Ariel Wolfe.

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Topics: transformational, Life Coaching, holistic, Gratitude, SWIHA, Spiritual, celebrate your life

Gratitude Challenge by Bill Gisclair-Sullivan, SWIHA Mind-Body Transformational Psychology Graduate

Posted by Bill Gisclair-Sullivan on 4/25/16 3:20 AM

When we talk about gratitude, we are talking about the act of truly being thankful. Thankful for the blessings we have in life -- the simple pleasures, the gifts of nature, health, happiness, family, friends, etc.

Gratitude shifts our focus from what we want to what we have.

It allows us to look at the ready abundance of all that is great in our lives. When we are truly grateful there is a profound change in our attitude towards life. Truly giving thanks makes us happier, healthier, and more resilient. It makes our relationships stronger and improves our overall health by reducing stress in our lives.

We all sometimes take for granted, the little things in our lives. The things someone else would and have given their lives for: freedom, food, a place to live, an education, a bed to sleep in, clothes on our backs, etc. What about simple things others don't have like sight, touch, smell, and hearing? I know most of us just take those things for granted. Just for a second, imagine your life without them. Think how your life would change and then you will truly be thankful.

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Topics: Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, Great Graduates, Life Coaching, Count your blessings, Blog, wellness, Holistic Nutrition, Gratitude, spiritual Studies, SWIHA, Transformational Life Story, gratitude challenge, Psychology, Nutrition, abundance, Hypnotherapy

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