SWIHA Blog

It may sound strange, but often people seek or wait for permission before moving forward in their lives. I would be willing to bet that, in one area of life, or another, you’ve been stalled around permission too. As you already know, inner conflicts may occur around all sorts of ideas, experiences, and goals. We could explore how the conflicts arose and why they’re present, but why? That takes forever! It’s so much quicker and easier to just resolve the conflict.

Most internal conflicts are resolved easily. One approach is to give yourself permission to either experience something (i.e. healing) or to otherwise move forward in some way (i.e. change). Throughout my career, I’ve noticed that conflicts tend to cluster around certain issues:

• Wellness/Health
• Money
• Success
• Being present to and focused on the moment of now (rather than the past or future)
• Relationships
• Personal responsibility – obligations – sacrifices – other
• Power/Being powerful/empowered
• Sex/sexual expression
• Letting go
• Being oneself/Self expression

At times, there may be a “need” for permission from oneself. Other times, the “needed” permission is from someone else, like a parent, child, loved one, or from the surrounding community (including your faith community), the world at large, or even from a spiritual source (i.e. God, Source, Universe).

Before she found SWIHA, Sarah Peters a young woman, working a stressful job in a medical office – She was sick, overweight, and lost.

“I was just starting to expand my health knowledge and learning how to self-heal. As I was searching for photography schools online, I 'accidentally' stumbled upon SWIHA,” shared Sarah. After 'stumbling' onto SWIHA’s website, Sarah enrolled into the Mind/Body Transformational Psychology program, specializing in hypnotherapy, Reiki, Life Coaching and yoga. Sarah became fascinated with almost every subject in her program: “I love the psychology of the mind; I love having deep conversations with people and I have always been sensitive to energies – other people’s energy as well as mine! It was so amazing to find a program that connected everything together for me – mind, body, energy and coaching!”

Sarah is currently transitioning into a Sound/Energy Healer and Yoga Teacher position at Knead Me Wellness in North Phoenix – a move she’s very excited about. She’ll begin taking clients there in March 2016, where she’ll share her wide array of gifts, including Reiki, Hypnotherapy, Coaching, Sound Healing and private yoga instruction.

I am a dentist and have been practicing here in the East Valley for the last four years. I love my profession but it is hard on my body, specifically my shoulders and neck. Each year I seem to notice more and more discomfort as I practice and occasionally even when I am away from work. It eventually got to a point where I could actually feel a burning and tingling sensation around my shoulder blades. I would notice this one to two times a day, sometimes while working, but sometimes just driving down the freeway. Knowing I want to practice dentistry for a very long time I have sought out many different professional opinions on how to best manage this issue and to hopefully find some relief. The only real relief I have found has been with massage. I have become a regular to several of the spas in the area receiving 2-3 massages per month, which has been helpful to a point.

It was in the wee hours of the evening that Spirit spoke to Sarah Senst. “I was unable to sleep one night feeling depressed and anxious about my future. A late night TV commercial for the Life Coaching program at SWIHA was shown! The commercial, the program and the school immediately spoke to me!”

What fueled Sarah’s passion and consuming interest in the Life Coaching program, stemmed from her position as the ultimate life coach – parenting! “I've always enjoyed engaging with people and learning their 'stories.’ This strength has allowed me to connect with many different people from many different backgrounds. People really do care that you care – they don’t care as much about what you know. I think people can feel that I care when they are around me. My passion became more focused after my own personal experience of raising three children in a one-adult home; I realized others could also benefit from support, non-judgement and acceptance in their own parenting experiences. I came to understand that society can be very critical of parents and it is not an area we are highly trained in or prepared for, yet it is perhaps one of the most important jobs in existence. I wanted to create a place where people could talk about the fears, resentments, anxieties, hopes, dreams, frustrations and blessings that accompany raising healthy children. Hence my coaching business, No Perfect Parents, was born in 2005.”

Sarah’s passion has evolved and has spread to many different venues for her to help others while using her gifts and graces. “I work as part of a small private group practice seeing individual clients. In addition to that, I am an independent contractor facilitating parenting classes, coaching juvenile offenders, and providing individual coaching for parents, teens and mature women.”

Like many SWIHA students, Kristin Apodaca’s path to SWIHA was full of trials and tribulations. Nearly seven years ago, Kristin and her family moved to Arizona for her husband’s new job, leaving her family and old life behind in Boca Raton, Florida. On the outside, she had it all: a loving husband, four beautiful and healthy children, a large home and many friend -- and yet, as Kristin revealed, she felt like she had no idea who she was as a person. Seven years of being a stay-at-home-mom took their toll on her.She spent that time feeling very resentful towards her husband for having to work such long hours, taking him away from their family and herself. All of these factors led her to a breaking point. “I had lost my identity,” confessed Kristin. After briefly using anti-depressants to help cope with her anxiety and depression, she knew there had to be a more holistic route available.

StevieAnne Petitt is well on her purposeful path to be an internationally-known and well-received Conscious Comedian and Inspirational Speaker. Stevie’s comedic approach to conscious living prompts her audience to “Lighten up Enlightenment”, finding the humor in this human experience!

Stevie’s journey has been nothing shy of miraculous. She lived in foster and group homes after childhood abuse that resulted in her becoming a ward of the state. Stevie remembers being divinely-guided by one or two mentors at each significant turning point in her journey. “Looking back now, I find that every event was divinely orchestrated to bring me to who I evolved into today. I have the vague memory of several mentors, counselors and therapists whose brief comments of praise and inspiration fueled me for months and motivated me to dream big.”

Despite occasional hospitalizations for suicide attempts, Stevie found that she was most herself when she was writing and using humor as her means of healing. Whether it was a facilitated group meeting among peers or a session with her various psychiatrists, her enthusiasm for life would show up whenever she was able to use metaphors or comedy to re-create the scenarios she was asked to dive deep into and make sense of. “It was so interesting. I recall even the most stoic of therapists laughing almost uncontrollably at my somewhat crass yet comedic approach to really dark, deep topics. Their expression humanized our sessions and I always kind of felt like that was the one area in which I could express and feel lovable and good enough. I learned that humor was what made me special and worthy of existing.”

Jennifer Csajko was so miserable at her job and she needed a little ‘divine intervention’. She didn't know what she wanted to do with her life. “I started learning about the Law of Attraction and I attracted SWIHA (Southwest Institute of Healing Arts) into my life. My yoga teacher liked the SWIHA Facebook page and when I clicked on it, I knew that this was what I was meant to do. I had to be a part of the program. That was in October and by January I had quit my job and was enrolled. Best decision I ever made!”

During her time at SWIHA, Jennifer said that the most valuable thing she learned was to be her authentic self, to find her voice and share it with the world. "I learned that everyone has a unique gift to share.”

Jennifer enrolled in the Holistic Wellness Practitioner Online Program. While she was taking the Life Coaching portion of the program, she discovered that she has always been a life coach. She just didn’t know what that was. “I've always been curious about people and relationships so it was a natural choice for me. As soon as I started taking the coaching classes, I knew I had come ‘home.’ This was for me. This is what I had been waiting for. I am so passionate about helping people and helping them to create better lives, all I wanted to do was be a part of that.”

After graduation she launched her business, Jennifer Csajko-Life Coach for Your Love Life. She has made it her job to help women figure out what they REALLY want in a relationship. “I support them as they take action towards creating the relationship of their dreams and getting the love they want. I help women who are single (and done mingling) or who feel stuck in their relationship move forward. While working with me I help my clients gain clarity and create a plan of action towards getting the relationship they REALLY want.”

Paul Smith is the epitome of a SWIHA #GreatGraduate, displaying the reverent and resilient balance between action and stillness. Paul is a life-long student who has used every ounce of his experience to expand his own personal growth and empower that in others.

He shares that he has found his life purpose through integrating his past experiences and observations: “Human beings have the capacity to be so healthy and so happy. All people can have a very loving connection between family, friends, colleagues and teammates. I have been observing and studying throughout my entire life so that I could help others. Unfortunately a few tragedies have occurred: my grandfather died of cancer, my high school head football coach died of cancer, my little cousin overdosed on prescription medication and my little brother took his own life. I've observed so many other tragedies and challenges - and numerous disheartening news stories are aired every day.

With each event, my heart was broken and my awareness was opened. I witnessed the harmful effects that conventional medicine and therapies can sometimes have on peoples’ lives so I set out to learn about - and provide - healthier alternative options. I decided to leave everything and embarked on a pilgrimage throughout India and Nepal to study Ayurveda and Buddhism. I returned and graduated from college with a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy, Psychology and Sociology and was determined to keep momentum and learn more. I was looking into becoming a doctor and going to either Naturopathic or Chiropractic school when I discovered SWIHA and decided that it was a much better fit for me personally. It was a great choice!”

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!”

Ravynn Rohner is a graduate who has literally transformed her life and humbly taken space in the seat of the teacher. In 2011, Ravynn started doing yoga regularly in her hometown of Casa Grande, Arizona and her teacher was a Spirit of Yoga graduate. Having taken Cranial Unwinding at SWIHA in 2007, she was familiar with the school, and began thinking about taking the 800-hour Yoga Teacher Training Program.

“At the time, I was in my fourth debilitating year of Fibromyalgia (full body pain and fatigue), only taking care of my responsibilities for my son and doing yoga; the rest of the time I was in bed, with my Nana being a huge support system at the time. After meeting with Admissions, I was led to enroll in the Mind-Body Wellness Practitioner Program with concentrations in Life Coaching, Polarity, and Yoga. In the back of my mind, I wondered if I’d be able to improve my Fibro because doctors told me that I’d have the syndrome for life, be on medications more and more as time went on, and that my body had betrayed me. I went into ‘fighter’ mode, thinking #WatchThis. I didn’t want to believe, I couldn’t believe, what the doctors predicted. My son needed a mother that was healthy and present. I walked into SWIHA with both hope and doubt. It was the perfect program choice for me, as the Life Coaching allowed me to clean out the mental garbage that kept the pain in my body. Polarity was the modality and vehicle that allowed me to release the stuck energy or physical pain, and Yoga was the icing on the cake that gave me strength to get off all my medications. I was #FibroFree, four months into my program!”