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 to reveal how for the first time in her life, she found a community of people interested in the same things as her. So why did she choose Yoga and massage? “Yoga was the first time I experienced spirituality in an unconditional form, and it allowed me to connect to my body, mind and breath without having to do anything else.” Taran went on to add that she wanted to bring that feeling to other people, while also helping them process their emotions and feel better. Taran’s passion for massage grew throughout her time at SWIHA, yet she recalled how she often massaged friends and family as a child. “I always massaged everyone when I was little, and I always loved touch and healing. I was always giving friends and family back and shoulder rubs, so I guess it was in me all along!”
While Taran has yet to create her own LLC, she has a thriving massage and healing practice that has largely been generated through word-of-mouth and referrals. Lately, she’s been doing a lot of prenatal massage, yet her clients range from the youth to older men and women, and everyone in between. “I think that people can feel a deep peaceful energy in my work, and when they come out of a session, they feel extremely peaceful, calm, very loving,” shared Taran. She offers massage therapy, private yoga sessions, cranial work and sound healings all from her home studio. Taran also performs out at local yoga studios and offices, offering crystal bowl healing concerts for anywhere between 20-40 people. Her concerts incorporate a bit of yoga and breath work, leading people into deep layers of meditation. What follows is an entire hour of being bathed by everything from gongs to flutes, acoustic guitar, didgeridoo, djembe, toning, Sanskrit chants, and of course, crystal bowls. Taran shared how, “this creates healing on the cellular and molecular levels in the body, leading to homeostasis for the mind, body and soul.”
When asked what one of the most valuable things she learned at SWIHA was, Taran recalled her class with sound healing pioneer Dr. John Beaulieu, which sparked her passion for sound therapy and healing work. If your fortunate enough to know Taran personally, you’ll know how large of a role music plays in her life, as she’s truly an incredible singer and a highly talented musician. Her personal motto is, “Art, in every form,” and she really walks her talk. Taran revealed how she feels that music is ultimately the path by which she can reach the greatest amount of people. “Music is the way in which I can fully express myself, and bring deeper feelings to people, especially on a larger scale. My goal is to empower, uplift and inspire people through music.”
In regards to what it feels like to apply her SWIHA knowledge in a session or client interaction, Taran is just really grateful for the wide array of tools at her disposal. “It’s very empowering to be able to have such a wide skill set, as I feel really prepared to answer any question or treat any kind of injury or illness. Being present with a client in a session like this reminds me that I’m in alignment with my highest potential.”
While Taran’s business as a massage practitioner and a healer is doing great now, she shared the importance of perseverance while starting out on the healing practitioner path, while also recounting all the bumps in the road along the way to her SWIHA graduation: “Being able to complete the entire program, even though it was a struggle, was a huge lesson in and of itself. Throughout my year and a half at SWIHA, I took a leave and went to Alaska, ran into financial trouble, had to extend my program to the last possible day (in order to graduate on time), and I did S.O.Y exchange work. I wanted to quit a lot of times, yet it was a huge transitional period of my life. I remember getting my massage practitioner license papers and filling up with tears, because all of my hard work finally paid off!”
In regards to the beginning of her practice, Taran reiterated the importance of hard work. “It took me a solid year of doing unfulfilling massage work at a chiropractor’s office before I had the confidence to go off on my own. For a few months after graduating, I was offering $30 massages, just because I wanted to gain more experience! Always say yes to opportunities and to clients, and have faith and trust in the process.”
Lastly, Taran had this inspiring message to share to future graduates looking to follow in her footsteps. “I watched a lot of people from my graduating class that kind of gave up on becoming a professional practitioner. You have to be action oriented, go out there, connect with other therapists, and really work hard. Don’t ever give up, and remember why you started in the first place. Always keep that divine spark alive, and remain inspired to bring that deeper level of healing to people. Simply show up, remember why you do the things you do, and work from a sincere place of giving. Oh, and be patient… it takes time!”
If your interested in connecting with Taran for a massage, to book a sound healing experience, or to check out her amazing music, you can reach her at the following links: Email: taran.emmert@gmail.com | Fb: Taran Emmert Music Page
About the Author, Anthony Scarpulla
As a recent graduate of the University of Miami with a B.A. in Creative Writing and Journalism, Anthony Scarpulla serves as freelance Creative Copywriter. With a deep yearning to uncover the hidden, spiritual and esoteric realms of life and nature, Anthony aims to incorporate his passion into everything he loves, whether it’s writing poetry, music production and djing, to blogging, editing, and one day soon, healing work!
