As youngsters, we are often asked, “What do you want to BE when you grow up?” The question being asked is really what do you want to DO for a living?
For Will Zecco, he knew in middle school he wanted to BE a hairstylist. And yet his dad wouldn’t hear of it! He wanted Will to do “college”. So Will attended a community college and became a Fashion Designer, doing costume design for a local theatre group. He was good at what he was doing, including singing and dancing in the local productions, yet he still had a dream of being something else.
A hometown newspaper did an article featuring Will with the headline “Local Boy Becomes Designer.” A state Senator sent Will a letter congratulating him and offering that if there was ever anything he could do for him, to let him know. As Will often says, “We only get what you’re brave enough to ask for!” Will boldly asked the Senator about a grant and got a full ride to go to Cosmetology school.
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Topics:
SWINA,
Southwest Institute of Healing Arts,
Aesthetician,
SWIHA,
yoga,
200 Hour Yoga Training,
Yoga Teacher Training,
Southwest Institute of Natural Aesthetics,
YTT,
spirit of yoga,
Yogi,
Safe Space,
Holding Space,
Trauma-Aware,
Hairdresser,
Makeup Artist,
Esthetician School,
SOY
“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
For over 20 years Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA) has been offering a 200-hour yoga alliance approved yoga teacher training under the banner of “Unity Yoga”. Students are encouraged to find their own authentic expression of yoga, with an emphasis on cueing safe, anatomically correct asana-based studio classes. We’ve successfully graduated hundreds of students over the years that have found their own voices and adapted what they’ve learned into compelling and creative studio classes that they offer all across the country.
As we have sought to enrich our Advanced Yoga Teacher offerings we have begun to focus on the deeper aspects of yoga including meditation in the form of Yoga Nidra —a guided yogic sleep system refined by Kamini Desai, PhD.
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Topics:
Southwest Institute of Healing Arts,
Mind Body Wellness,
SWIHA,
Certified Yoga Teacher,
200 Hour Yoga Training,
Guided meditation,
Advanced Yoga Training,
Meditation,
KC Miller,
Yoga Teacher Training,
yoga nidra,
Breathing Techniques,
yoga,
YTT,
spirit of yoga,
Namaste,
chakras,
Wellness Industry,
Amrit Institute,
Yoga Philosophy,
Postures of Consciousness,
Amrit Yoga,
Amrit,
Meditation in Motion
In 2007, I was introduced to yoga by a friend who directed me to take a class in Kundalini. Little did I know that the place where I would first step foot on the mat would be the same place I would train to become a yoga teacher myself nine years later: SWIHA.
A Rough Start
Back then, it felt like so much was happening physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually that I was not sure what to do or how to process what was coming up for me. While I dabbled in yoga since that fateful class in 2007—taking an occasional class and attempting to join Instagram yoga challenges—it wasn’t until 2015 that I finally committed to seeking yoga as a way of healing.
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Topics:
yoga,
200 Hour Yoga Training,
Advanced Yoga Training,
Yoga Teacher Training,
800 Hour YTT
The year was 2000, and Lisa Grunwald—who now goes by the name Gullveig—was facing her first year of college in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The stress of the transition from high school kid to university student was weighing heavily on her, and her normal anxiety had suddenly escalated to a whole new level. Some days, it got so bad that she would have dozens of panic attacks a day. To top it off, she suddenly developed lockjaw, a frightening condition which keeps the mouth from opening and functioning properly…
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Topics:
Reiki master,
200 Hour Yoga Training,
Advanced Yoga Training,
Reiki,
Yoga Teacher Training,
yoga nidra,
yoga,
chakras
Like so many graduates, Leah Baguet’s path to holistic wellness began with a journey. She was surrounded by stress at her job, working through a series of medical challenges, and coping with the premature death of a close family member.
So, what makes Leah’s journey so different? Well, it was a literal one!
“I realized that life is just too short,” Leah shares. “I decided to quit my full-time job and travel the world with my husband. Upon returning, I didn’t want to go back to the regular hustle and bustle of a 9 to 5 job. That’s when SWIHA came into my life.”
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Topics:
Vegetarian,
Holistic Nutrition,
yoga,
200 Hour Yoga Training,
Yoga Teacher Training,
Work Yoga
The monthly event, Gifts and Graces, is initially what brought Tara Walker-Munroe to Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA). That evening led her to enroll in the 800-hour Yoga Teacher Training program at Spirit of Yoga (SOY), SWIHA’s extended yoga school and studio. Now that she has graduated, Tara reflected that the first 200 hours of her Yoga Teacher Training were actually her favorite part of the entire program.
“There is such a sense of community that is built. So much love and compassion shared all while learning how to help others find themselves, find stillness, and cultivate peace. It's a beautiful experience. Even if someone is not interested in teaching, the 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training program is great for self discovery, self growth, self knowledge.”
During her yoga training, Tara found that her favorite teachers were Laura McKinzie, Duane Armitage, Aradhana Kaur, and India Bee. She shared that they all taught with compassion and grace. During her training, she learned the tools needed to succeed and were instilled with the confidence needed to face self-doubt. “I also have to say my fellow classmates inspired me. When you embark on such a journey, the opportunity for learning is all around you.” Tara wanted to add that she also loved her Polarity teachers- Gilad, Tracy, and Dina. In all honesty, she knows there are people she is leaving out so she shared that it's safe to say that she loved all her teachers at SWIHA/SOY.
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Topics:
hatha gong,
Polarity,
Gong,
Great Graduate,
cranial unwinding,
yoga,
200 Hour Yoga Training,
self discovery,
Yoga for Recovery,
Yoga Teacher Training,
Gong Meditation,
Depression,
Gong Healing
Prior to attending the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA), Trinity Songha was a certified 200 hour yoga teacher from Seattle, WA. When she moved to Arizona in August of 2011, she decided that she would further her training in yoga teaching by enrolling in the 800 hour yoga program at SWIHA and she is very grateful that she did.
Trinity went on to graduate from 2 major programs at SWIHA. She completed the Yoga 800 hour program in May of 2012, and several months after graduating, she re-enrolled in the 1000 hour master massage program and completed it in April of 2013.
During her time at SWIHA, Trinity felt that she had many favorite classes. Few of which were Myotherapy, Aromatherapy - 5 Element Acupressure for Emotional Healing and Transformational Life Coaching. She liked Myotherapy because it was one of her favorite modalities to give and receive, and she liked the other two because they were transformative – both personally and professionally. One of her most favorite teachers was Pam. She had her for Anatomy and she made the class both fun and educational.
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Topics:
Life Coaching,
Massage,
Massage Therapy,
Great Graduate,
200 Hour Yoga Training,
Myotherapy,
800 Hour Training,
Anatomy,
Vulnerable,
Advanced Yoga Training,
Wholehearted,
Yoga Teacher Training,
Potential,
Massage School,
Massage program,
Life Coaching Program,
aromatherapy,
yoga,
Acupressure
Prior to SWIHA, Jessica Wilton worked a full-time job in the environmental planning and permitting industry. She was a consultant and frequently worked outside of business hours to meet deadlines and provide the necessary support to obtain federal, state, and local permits for energy generation and transmission projects. She met a lot of great people and was pleased to have helped obtain these permits for a variety of solar and wind generation projects. However, she felt like something was missing. She was good at her job, yet wasn't passionate about it and felt like she should be doing something different. She also wanted to spend more time with her family and raising her two children. About three years ago, her husband took a job that required him to be gone for more than half of each month. A year later, she was overwhelmed with two young children, a traveling husband, and a demanding full-time job. “I came to the realization that it was time for me to make a change. Both my husband and I wanted one of us to be more present in our kids’ daily lives, and it was my turn.”
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Topics:
Children's Yoga,
yoga,
200 Hour Yoga Training,
Yoga Teacher Training,
Yoga Teacher Certification,
Famliy Yoga,
Kids Yoga
