SWIHA Blog

Happy National Peanut Cluster Day!! Here’s to another calendar holiday you didn’t know you needed in your life. What’s not to love? Peanuts? Chocolate!? Give it to me! Peanut Clusters are the perfect combination of salty and sweet. The first retail peanut clusters were introduced in 1912 and were called the ‘Goo Goo Cluster’. Peanut Clusters were so popular with soldiers that they were even shipped weekly during World War II to those fighting the front lines. So, on this glorious holiday that mixes everyone's two favorite things: peanuts and chocolate - we must celebrate with a delicious recipe!

Peanut Clusters are relatively super easy to make! This can be a delectable dessert that's ready in minutes. You basically melt the chocolate, add the peanuts, stir them together, and then let them harden! Here is an exact recipe below:

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Topics: Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, Holistic Nutrition, SWIHA, Recipe, Holistic wellness, Holistic health, Arizona, Tempe, Holistic Nutrition Wellness Practitioner, National Nutrition Month, National Peanut Cluster Day

Chew your way into a healthy lifestyle this National Nutrition Month! What better way to launch yourself into the spring season than by motivating yourself to have a healthier lifestyle? National Nutrition Month was first celebrated in March of 1973, for only one week. The purpose was to deliver nutrition education to the public while also promoting the profession of dieticians. As interest in Nutrition grew, the week expanded into a month-long celebration in 1980! With this growing awareness of Nutrition, and the importance of making informed food choices and developing healthy eating habits, National Nutrition month can be exactly the call to action you need to get started on your health journey! Every year, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics establishes a theme for National Nutrition Month, this year the theme is “Celebrate a World of Flavors” - meant to embrace global cultures, cuisines, and inclusion.

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Topics: Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, Holistic Nutrition, SWIHA, Recipe of the Week, Recipe, Nutrition, Holistic wellness, Healthy Eating, healthy living, Gluten-free, Holistic Health and Wellness, Vegan Recipe, Nation Nutrition Month, Wellness Wednesday, Gluten-Free Recipe

“Holding Space for myself means permission to feel what I need to feel, space to just be here, exactly who and how I am, and to find my way forward - gently.” - Unknown

Before coming to SWIHA, Great Graduate of the 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training program, Mario Jiannino, was swept up in the whirlwind of life. Always go, go, going, and not really breathing through life. Mario explains, “I was really reactive to everything around me. I really thought that what I was reacting to before was so important. I realized that while taking Yoga, I have the ability to slow down and analyze things before I create my reaction.” Rather than experiencing and witnessing things, Mario found himself in a place of reaction. Having known and worked with KC Miller, Founder of Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, for several years, she finally approached Mario about the Yoga Program. Mario’s reflection was, “KC is insightful - she saw something in me that I didn't see in myself. Somebody out there believed that I was capable of doing something beyond myself, and she was right. I am passionate about this specific modality because Yoga taught me to breathe. I thought I knew so many things about life, until Yoga. Then, I woke up and witnessed so much beauty that was always with me.”

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Topics: Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, transformational, SWIHA, Mindfulness, 200 Hour Yoga Training, KC Miller, Yoga Teacher Training, yoga, Arizona, Breath, YTT, spirit of yoga, Tempe, Yoga studio, yoga teacher, Holding Space, Holistic Modalities, breathing, Personal Development

Happy National Cabbage Day! With this fabulous calendar holiday, let’s celebrate with some delicious Sauerkraut and Kimchi recipes! Before we get started, it’s important to learn a little more about fermented foods. What are fermented foods? Are they even good for you? Can you eat them? Should you eat them? In many ways, fermented foods can seem a little scary, or overwhelming if you are not used to eating them. They tend to have a really intense taste, however, so worth trying!

Food fermentation is a process that takes advantage of bacteria to alter ingredients. As mentioned before, this process often leads to fairly strong tastes, textures, and flavors. The bacteria partially breaks down the food, which is what creates this flavor and provides various health benefits too! The process in which the bacteria breaks down the food allows for the nutrients to be easier to digest, which in turn, gives you access to more nutrients than normal. Discussed further in the Holistic Nutrition: Raw Food Cuisine class offered here at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, research suggests that this is a great approach for health overall and has many potential health benefits for humans.

Now, let’s dive into the recipes!

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Topics: Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, Holistic Nutrition, SWIHA, Whole Foods, Recipe, Arizona, Tempe, Raw Foods, Holistic Education, National Cabbage Day, Saurkraut Recipe, Kimchi Recipe, Food Fermentation, Gut Microbiome, Raw Food Cuisine

Breath and life… when we enter this world we take our first breath, and when we leave this world, we take our last. Breathing seems like it is the most natural bodily function, as we don’t have to think about breathing, every second of every day. However, breath controls so much more in our life than we are aware of. Pranayama. In Sanskrit, Prana translates to “vital life force” and Yama translates to “gain control”. In yoga, breath is associated with Prana, and many ancient breath techniques were born which involve learning how to control your breath with different styles and lengths. When we learn more about the art of breathing, we may be able to take more control of our lives, and not just save our peace for the yoga mat.

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Topics: Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, SWIHA, Yoga Teacher Training, Breathing Techniques, yoga, Arizona, Breath, YTT, Tempe, Yogi, Yoga studio, Holistic Education, Calm, My Spirit of Yoga, Bellows Breath, Alternate Nostril Breathing, Tranquility

The concept of energy is very prevalent in the wellness space for entrepreneurs. Your energy and vibes as a business owner have more of an effect on your business than you may realize. When we aren’t careful, or intentional, our energy can affect others and our business in a way we may not have intended. Oftentimes, when things go awry, we look to outside forces that may be causing our goals to not come to fruition. In reality, we should be looking within, and evaluating/reflecting our energy and world. If you don’t like what you see, change something about it! There are so many factors that come into play. When looking to shift your energy, reflect on these 5 traits below, as many successful entrepreneurs in the wellness industry attain these values.

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Topics: Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, holistic entrepreneur, SWIHA, Arizona, Tempe, Boundaries, Holistic Education, Wellness Industry, Smart Goals, Health and Wellness, Purpose, Energy, Wellness Entrepreneur, Perseverance, Vibes, Integrity, Bravery

“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

Aromatics, resins, incense, and smudging are all great techniques for clearing and protecting an area, asking for guidance and setting intentions. Whether you are a professional or just curious about Aromatherapy for personal use, Aromatherapy is accessible to all. Amy Horn, LMT and one of SWIHA’s Aromatherapy Instructors states, “An energy clearing and protection spray is just one of the ways in which I incorporate healing botanicals into my daily life. Our bodies are so easily synchronized to the healing properties of thousands and thousands of different plant chemicals and energies. As a practitioner, try some aromatherapy in your sessions and document the results. Most often, I see that my clients’ sessions were amplified, with a deeper and more meaningful experience.”

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Topics: Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, aromatherapy, SWIHA, Essential Oils, Meditation, Holistic wellness, Holistic health, Arizona, Tempe, smudging, Aromatherapist, Energy Clearing, Energy Protection, Aromatics, Resins, Incense

“The power of intention is the power to manifest, to create, to live a life of unlimited abundance, and to attract into your life the right people at the right moments.” - Wayne Dyer

Great Graduate Kami Pollvogt, of the Life Coaching Program here at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, worked in corporate America for over twenty years. When her company downsized and eliminated her department, she was left wondering what she wanted to do with her life. For the first time in a long time, the possibilities were endless. Kami knew she had a passion for human psychology. Kami states, “I found I loved it and realized that all my life I was curious about human behavior and really liked helping others with achieving greater awareness of who they are”. This life revelation in 2016 brought Kami life lessons of self-awareness, living life with intention, and her journey to SWIHA.

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Topics: Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, Life Coaching, SWIHA, Mindfulness, Holistic Healing, life coach, Holistic wellness, Arizona, coaching, Tempe, Holistic Education, Group Coaching, Intention, Self-Awareness, Art Therapy, Holistic Coach

“You are stronger than your challenges. And your challenges are making you stronger. Deep within is a hidden reserve of inner power. Breathe. Get quiet. You will access it. You’re far stronger than you realize - with a capacity to stretch and grow in exciting ways.” - Karen Salmansohn

Before Eve Garifo-Morelli started her healing journey at SWIHA, she was a full-time caregiver for her father. Her entire life, 24/7 was surrounding her father who had suffered from a stroke and lost his speech, the use of his right arm, and now walked with a cane and brace on his right leg. For Eve, this became a high-stress situation having to be a full-time caregiver for her father. On one side, she loved him and fervently stood up to the job of taking care of her father. On the other hand, there were days that Eve found herself not leaving her house, showering, or taking care of herself. There needed to be a change.

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Topics: Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, yoga therapy, SWIHA, Intuition, Meditation, Yoga Teacher Training, yoga nidra, Transformation, yoga, Arizona, Tempe, Yogi, Yoga studio, chakras, Yoga Body Psychology, healing pages bookstore, My Spirit of Yoga, Yoga Cueing, Arizona Yoga Studio