“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
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
When I was a little girl, my parents got divorced. I was 6, my brother 9, my little sister just 5. We went to stay with my dad’s parents so he could continue on his job on the railroad. My grandfather was retired and had been in the navy. My grandmother was a rough and tough sort of woman that had been married five times, rodeo trick rider, sharecropper, all-around tough cookie. I share this with you because I had no pause, my family had no pause. The next steps my family took could have been changed or at the least given a pause, we as a family could see the purpose in our actions. When I was 9, I ran away from home. They called my mom (which I had been told was dead) and she flew to see me face to face to tell me, her daughter, she could not take me back to live with her. She got on a plane the next morning.
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Topics:
self love,
Southwest Institute of Healing Arts,
spirituality,
SWIHA,
Mindfulness,
Self-care,
Guided meditation,
Essential Oils,
Meditation,
Mind,
yoga,
Breath,
Spiritual,
mind-body wellness practitioner,
Boundaries,
Sacred Space,
Holistic Education,
Mindful Practices,
Calmness,
Pause,
meditate,
breathing
There is an old adage which states, "If you love something, let it go. If it comes back, it's yours forever. If it doesn't, then it was never meant to be."
There is no truer definition of surrender than freely letting something go forever with no attachment to it (whatever “it” is) coming back— while still being open to the miracle that it might. Surrender is not giving up; it’s releasing control or attachment to what you want, fully believing there is a higher, greater purpose for whatever happens. This process can be considered a walk in faith!
As strange and trite as it might sound, my recent stay in “Facebook jail” truly taught me valuable life coaching lessons in the art of surrender. As shared in a previous blog, Facebook disabled my personal account with no explanation other than to say that my account had been deemed a security risk and that no further explanation could (or would) be given. Now I realize that it is truly a “first-world problem” to have a Facebook account disabled. You might be thinking, “Come on, KC, there are much more important things to think about, let alone spend precious time praying about!” This is true, and the experience has been humbling and illuminating. In fact, as a result of being in “Facebook jail,” I truly have experienced a walk in faith. The following are the life coaching steps I took and will continue to take in the future:
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Topics:
Life Coaching,
yoga,
Serenity,
Faith,
Vulnerable,
Yoga Teacher Training,
Breath,
Yoga Off the Mat,
Suffering,
Serenity Prayer,
Charlottesville,
Surrender,
releasing attachments,
Breathing Fitness,
Vulnerability,
Pain and Suffering,
Brene Brown,
Racism
SWIHA has one of the most divserse college communities; one classroom may hold veteran soldiers, nurses, policemen, school teachers, scientists, fitness coaches, or freshly grduated teenagers. The wonderful thing about thaving this kind of eclectic student body, is the diversity of stories of how everyone ended up at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts.
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Topics:
holistic,
Massage,
Polarity,
SWIHA,
yoga,
breathe,
energy healing,
Reiki,
Yoga Teacher Training,
Breath,
asana,
releasement
Stress is a natural reaction as a response for our bodies to protect us from threats. The sympathetic and parasympathetic system work together to create the fight-or-flight reaction. Hormones are released to make your heart beat faster, blood vessels constrict, and digestion slows so your body can react quickly. When you’re in danger, your mind and body take over to do what it has to protect itself. Once you’re out of danger, your body goes back to its normal state. The longer stress lasts, the worse it can become for your mind and your body, and then it is considered chronic. Chronic stress can create disease and many other issues that can stop you from living the full life you deserve.
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Topics:
sleep,
Whole Foods,
Mindfulness,
breathe,
Stress,
Be Present,
exercise,
Breathing Techniques,
Healthy Eating,
Healthy Eating Tips,
Diet,
Reduce Stress,
Chronic Stress,
Breath
