“Before SWIHA, I was struggling to conform to societal standards. The corporate employee, ideal mother, independent woman, etc, and all these titles took me further from myself, what makes me, me. I didn’t realize it at the time, however, it became my passion to encourage and empower others to live authentically. The titles listed are important, however, they are not all.”
Read MoreTopics: spirituality, holistic entrepreneur, Great Graduate, Intuition, intuitve guide, integrative healing arts practitioner, IHAP, Grief, Religion
Body appreciation. We could all give a little more gratitude to the vessel that carries and houses our spirit. Humans are the children of the Earth and the Universe. Our bodies are made up of the elements and space. Recycled out of the past and renewed, electrical and 60% water. We are literally one with life itself. As within so without. Our bodies allow us to connect and experience the world we live in. They function without our consciousness telling it what to do. They express our feelings and thoughts. We experience luscious pleasures, debilitating pain, and everything in between.
Read MoreTopics: self love, Great Graduate, Whole Foods, Nutrition, integrative healing arts practitioner, Licensed Massage Therapist, IHAP
In honor of National Be On-Purpose Month, this January 2023, SWIHA Great Graduate and Healing Arts Practitioner Lourdes Menendez shares how intention and mindfulness show up in her life. Lourdes asserts, “Before SWIHA I had goals and purposes, however, I was not focused on how to continue living on purpose to achieve those goals. Then, the universe led me to SWIHA. I was randomly looking for a school to learn Hypnotherapy and an internal voice said ‘that one right there’ exactly when I was reading SWIHA's mission statement! I am passionate about Hypnotherapy because the benefits are limitless. Our subconscious is deep and has a limitless capacity and all the answers are inside us.”
Read MoreTopics: Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, Great Graduate, SWIHA, Mindfulness, Hypnotherapy, Arizona, Tempe, integrative healing arts practitioner, Goal-Setting, IHAP, Intention, National Be on Purpose Month 2023
I was overweight, mentally drained and an emotional eater (and drinker). My own traumas and dramas became my triggers. After five years of struggling through starvation and rationalizing my circumstances—I realized it was all due to my own insecurities and bad decisions. Choices that I made while my self-worth was lacking, oh who am I kidding, it was non-existent. I was not living purposefully; I was just existing. At the time I had no idea there was a place called Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA).
All my life, I had compared myself to others. I compared my life to how others were living, and I believed that I was not living life as I should have been. I felt as though I was not giving my children the life that so many others were giving theirs, therefore I was a bad parent.
Read MoreTopics: Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, western herbalism, SWIHA, Urban Farming, Arizona, Tempe, mind body wellness pracitioner, integrative healing arts practitioner, Herbalist, National Be on Purpose Month 2023, Self-worth
This time of year, it’s easy to begin to recite unconscious, redundant holiday greetings such as Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays, or Happy New Year. While a sincere sentiment might be your intention, could we just stop a minute and acknowledge those who aren’t feeling so merry and bright this season?
Holidays can be an emotional time of year for some, especially those who mark the holidays with anniversaries such as “This is the first holiday without (insert loved one’s name)!” Or, “I cannot believe it’s been so many years that (loved one) hasn’t been here for the holidays.” Remembering and reminiscing are part of the grieving process.
Rather than skirt around the grief or try to act as if it’s not there, consider these thoughtful and compassionate HAPPY options:
Read MoreTopics: Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, SWIHA, Mindfulness, Holistic Healing, KC Miller, Arizona, Tempe, integrative healing arts practitioner, Holding Space, Christmas, Holidays, IHAP, winter solstice, Connection, Solstice, Healing Procress, Healing Process, Space Holder, Grief Stages, Grief
Have you ever been told that you are too sensitive, too touchy, that you take things too personally, or even that you are too nice to people? I hear these things on a daily basis and if you have been told these things, chances are you could be a Highly Sensitive Person too. We are all sensitive to some degree; however, some of us are HSP (Highly Sensitive Persons). I am HSP. What is HSP and how do you get it? This is what I have learned about HSP. First, let me clarify that HSP is not a disorder, condition, or diagnosis, it’s a personality trait also known as sensory processing sensitivity (SPS) and approximately 15% to 20% of the population are HSP. Highly Sensitive People process all information more deeply including all types of stimuli such as emotions, what they see, hear, feel, and touch and are aware of subtleties that other people miss.
Read MoreTopics: Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, holistic entrepreneur, SWIHA, eft, Mindfulness, journaling, Self-care, Spiritual Coaching, Meditation, Hypnotherapy, aromatherapy, Arizona, Tempe, Empath, integrative healing arts practitioner, highly sensitive person, Online Education, SWIHA Student Blog Series, Introvert, Breath Work
The meaning of spirituality has evolved and expanded over time, and various meanings can be found alongside each other. What does spirituality mean in the modern world? Modern Spirituality centers on the deepest values and meanings by which people live. This idea often embraces the idea of an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his or her being. This is exactly what Great Graduate Sophia Duhon was searching for before her time at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts. Sophia explains, “Before SWIHA, I felt a bit lost in terms of what my life purpose was, and how I wanted to go about educating myself, helping others, and raising the vibration of my spiritual self. My interest in non-denominational spirituality is what led me to SWIHA, as well as my desire to bring accessible Spirituality to everyone and anyone interested in the wisdom of the soul!”
Read MoreTopics: Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, Life Coaching, spirituality, holistic entrepreneur, SWIHA, holistic business, Arizona, coaching, Tempe, integrative healing arts practitioner, tarot readings, Spiritual Life Coaching, Herbal Business, Ministerial Studies, Online Business, Modern Spirituality
“Before I came to SWIHA I was very much steeped into one method of meditation in a close-knit community that surrounded it. However, it became a dogmatic life for me that eventually led me to suffer from being in a fixed mindset. After a 360 reality collapse, I began opening my mind to other things and intuitively leaning into a growth mindset. Which ultimately led me to SWIHA.”
Read MoreTopics: Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, Life Coaching, holistic entrepreneur, SWIHA, Intuition, Hypnotherapy, aromatherapy, Arizona, intuitive, Tempe, integrative healing arts practitioner, IHAP, Ceremony, Mother Earth, Prayer, Admissions, Growth Mindset, Somatic Work, aroma auriculotherapy, embodiment, Emotional freedom techniques (EFT)
“Just before I enrolled, due to a near-death experience, I began going through a transformational spiritual awakening. I was confused by all the personal changes I was experiencing. I knew I wanted to do something, yet I did not know what or where to begin. I was a certified nursing assistant in the Hospice field for 24 years. I was divinely guided to help people in a new way. The divine message I received was to awaken people's hearts. Then I found SWIHA and enrolled. The adviser helped to point me in the direction of Hypnotherapy. The Integrative Healing Arts Practitioner program with a focus in Hypnotherapy taught me the tools I didn't even know I needed for my own self-healing. As I went through the program, I underwent my own healing journey and came out as the best version of myself. I now have the confidence that I will only get better and better from here.”
Read MoreTopics: self love, Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, Toe Reading, holistic entrepreneur, Great Graduate, SWIHA, Past Life Regressions, Hypnotherapy, Arizona, PTSD, Tempe, integrative healing arts practitioner, Weight Management, Fears, Phobias, Pain Management, Auriculotherapy, IHAP, GRIT, authentic self, Spiritual Life Coaching
I have been on the journey of entrepreneurship for almost 5 years before beginning my path at SWIHA as an Integrative Healing Arts Practitioner student. After bringing my daughter into this world, Ella Rae, my mother, and I started a skin, soul, self-care business: Dragonfly co., and our mission has been to create “products you can feel good about.” Through the years, I felt the call in my heart to expand this mission. I knew that feeling good was about more than just looking good. It prompted me to create and coin the term: ‘feel-good living” ((soon to be trademarked!)) While moving through my own life experiences of separation, loss, and transition — I became wholeheartedly committed to setting out on the journey of discovering what ‘feel-good living’ actually is. My partner, daughter, and I moved out to Arizona, on a whim or what I feel was a divine call, in January of 2022. Shortly after, I discovered SWIHA, randomly and unintentionally. Through this journey of defining ‘feel-good living,’ SWIHA is providing a safe container for me to fully embody and explore every layer of this lifestyle.
Read MoreTopics: Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, holistic entrepreneur, SWIHA, Spiritual Coaching, spiritual studies, Arizona, Tempe, intuitve guide, integrative healing arts practitioner, IHAP, SWIHA Students, Spiritual Coach and Celebrant, The Feel-Good Sisterhood, Trauma-informed
