Antonieta Hensley: Standing Strong in Her Message as a Yoga Teacher and Hypnotherapist
When it comes to discovering Southwest Institute for Healing Arts (SWIHA), Antonieta Hensley has Google to thank! “After I saw all the courses, programs, and classes they offered, I was sold. It sounded like a temple or a mystery school available in the states and I knew it was calling for me before I ever stepped foot on the school grounds.” Antonieta graduated from the 600-hour Mind Body Wellness Practitioner program. She also went through the Yoga Teaching Training, Transformational Life Coaching, and Hypnotherapy programs. She went on to share how her time at SWIHA dramatically changed her life for the better: “The laws of attraction, eastern philosophies, energetic body healing, taboo subjects, and spirituality have always fascinated me. But that is only about 10% of what the school has to offer. It surpasses your expectations on both what you can learn and whom you can meet. There is no … Read More
My First Saguaro Floral Essence By Kathy Koziol, SWIHA Yoga Therapist Graduate
With the saguaro cacti in bloom, I am reminded of the very first floral essence I created. It was a memorable experience that produced a potent brew! I’d love to share my story with you: First of all, I am a Cactus Whisperer. I have had a connection with plants my entire life. It’s a gift that was given to me by my mother. Since I love plants so much, I took the Flower Essence Course at the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts in July of 2014. I loved the class and bemoaned the fact that I would have to wait almost a year to create a flower essence from my favorite of all cacti, the saguaro, since their blooming season is in the April-May time frame. Before I continue with my story, you might be wondering what a flower essence is. A lot of people mistakenly believe that flower … Read More
Attitudes Are Contagious By Jasmine Kearns, SWIHA student of Mind-Body Transformational Psychology
We have all lived through the following scenario or something similar: You wake up in the morning and are well rested, refreshed, and ready to start your day. You happily get ready and you might even sing along to the songs playing on the radio while driving in your car. You are in a wonderful mood and feel as if you are on top of the world. You get to work and head to your desk. All of a sudden your supervisor comes over and hands you a mountain of work along with a deadline that seems impossible to reach. As you go through the mountain of work and complete the assignments, you feel as though maybe you will make the deadline after all. However, after lunch your supervisor comes to tell you that your work is mediocre and needs to be redone. But you know that you did your … Read More
Think Outside the Shapes by Guest Blogger + Yoga Teacher Erica Vucich
I have been a yoga teacher for eight years. I have had some exhilarating times and some heart-breaking trials. Like anything in life, my yoga practice and my teaching has had highs and lows. In the beginning, every time I taught a class, I was on cloud nine. I left the class feeling as good if not better than the students I taught. I felt exhilarated, uplifted, accomplished, and joyful. I had found my groove, my path, my calling. I always thought that once you had found what you love to do, hardships never came again and life would be easy and uncomplicated. This is true to a degree, but doing what you love isn’t separate from life and so can’t be completely free from the challenges that naturally arise. For the first 5 years of my teaching career, I taught 1-2 classes a week as a weekend passion. Then … Read More
Zoey Greco – a combination of a mermaid, a hippie, and a gypsy
Zoey Greco was wrapping up her studies towards a Bachelor’s degree in sunny, Southern California back in 2012 when she began to feel a bit lost about how she was going to move forward in her life. “I knew I wanted to be a healer, yet I had NO idea how to enter into such a metaphysical field. I pondered how could I tell my family who had poured thousands of dollars into my education that I wanted to be an intuitive channel and energy healer?” All of her friends were applying and receiving acceptance letters to graduate programs or Fulbright scholarships and Zoey was wondering how she could possibly make her dreams a reality. Other careers have more clear paths to success—formal internships, graduate programs, the rat race. Zoey knew that those paths were not for her. As Zoey tells the story, “I confided these concerns to a like-minded … Read More
Taran Emmert: Healing Through Sound and Touch
Taran Emmert was initially going to a fine arts school, yet she couldn’t fathom the idea of waiting six more years until graduation. So, she followed her inner yearning to discover a new path. She always had an interest in massage and yoga, so she checked out four different schools. SWIHA was the last one she checked out, and immediately, it felt like home. While other schools were pushy with their approach, Taran shared how SWIHA felt so different than the others. “My advisor said: Take your time to think about it. Pray about it, let the answers come to you.” In February of 2012, Taran enrolled into the 750-hour professional massage practitioner program, which allowed her enough elective credits to also complete the 200-hour Yoga teacher training. Taran chuckled, then shared how at SWIHA “everybody was a bit different and weird, and it felt like home.” She went on … Read More
Jessica Ireland: Creating “Fertile” Grounds Through Healing
Prior to registering at SWIHA, Jessica Ireland was, in her own words, “barely existing.” “I lacked a post-secondary education, and the 15 years I worked in the finance industry meant nothing while I was applying for employment during the recession. I was struggling to put food on the table and keep a roof over my head, while spiraling further and further into a state of depression.” After receiving a steady stream of rejection letters from potential minimum wage employers, Jessica realized that unless she obtained some form of post-secondary education in an area that was growing throughout North America, she would eventually end up homeless and hungry. Enter SWIHA. “As soon as I discovered SWIHA, I knew that my search for the school and the education I desired was over. I relocated my 3 dogs and myself from Calgary, Alberta Canada to Phoenix, Arizona and haven’t looked back since.” Jessica … Read More
Kathy Koziol: Magical Mala Mama
Kathy Koziol had just received her license as a Real Estate agent prior to enrolling at SWIHA. She did the job for just a single day, and immediately knew that she wanted her life to head in another direction. She was ready to fulfill her Dharma, her life’s purpose that she was Divinely designed for. Kathy had held many careers throughout her life: Elementary School Teacher, Army Officer, Hearing Instrument Specialist, Luxury Automobile Sales Consultant, Master Gardener and Stay at Home Mom (which she referred to as “Domestic Goddess). “I was very satisfied with my life and always have been. I cherish every moment of the life given to me,” shared Kathy. “Every experience I had, positive or negative, helped me to lay the foundation of where I am today.” However, she wasn’t satisfied with the path she was heading down from a career perspective. Enter SWIHA. Kathy came to … Read More
Adrian Ealy: SWIHA Yoga Teacher Training & Massage Practitioner Graduate: Impacting His Community through Healing From the Heart
Adrian Ealy is a multitalented and equally meticulous practitioner who’s calling and current practice as an energetic bodyworker complements his strong background in Kung Fu and fitness. His approach to his own thriving health, as well as those he serves, integrates mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. Thanks to a series of events, conversations and a strong sense of discernment on his part, Adrian’s journey is now very much in alignment with his purposeful calling. Just before his studies began, Adrian worked for a corporate company, and began noticing signs of stress and strain on his body. His knowledge in fitness led him to pursue yoga as an additional means of healing physical discomfort, especially because the roots of Kung Fu stem directly from yoga. Adrian chose to enroll in Yoga Teacher Training at Spirit of Yoga offered through Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA) solely for the purpose enhancing his … Read More
Following her “hART”: Great Graduate Lisa Hecke’s Road to Entrepreneurship
By Jenna Zizzo Six years ago, Lisa Hecke felt lost. More than that, she was frustrated, angry and unhappy. No longer satisfied in her day job, Lisa found herself hunched over her knees, crying, sobbing, and seeking a new path. She recalls asking aloud for help, gasping through tears and heart wrenching sobs. “Please show me how to be happy again,” she begged the universe. “If I am meant to stay at this job then please show me how to be happy there, but if I am meant to move on then please show me where to go.” Suddenly, Lisa says, in one breath her entire body relaxed. A sense of calm washed over her, and she was finally able to surrender. This surrendering and asking for change was the first step on Lisa’s journey to career transformation. Almost immediately, Lisa began to see great opportunities open up before her … Read More