SWIHA Blog

If you were to tell someone fifty years ago that you’re going to a hypnotherapy session or a sound bath, their reaction would likely have been a mix of confusion and laughter. Holistic wellness was something for the counterculture, living on the fringe in spiritual communities and somewhat cloaked in taboo.

Today, more and more people are embracing holistic modalities

• Between 2012 and 2016, the number of Americans doing yoga increased from 20.4 million to 36 million.
• The number of U.S. consumers who adhere to a vegan diet grew from 1% to 6% between 2014 and 2017, increasing 600%.
• The global demand for essential oils was 226.9 kilotons in 2018.
• Wellness tourism is growing 12% per year, with awareness doubling from 1 in 10 people to 1 in 5 people.
• The number of spas have doubled since 2007, producing 2.6 million additional U.S jobs.
• Employment of massage therapists is expected to increase 26% from 2016 to 2026.

Full of fiber and packed with nutrition, green smoothies are a staple in any health-conscious diet. Making this delicious drink is as easy as 1, 2, 3!

• 1 cup of fruit
• 2 cups of liquid
• 3 cups of greens

Step One: Choose Your Liquid Base

To ensure even blending, add two cups of liquid to your blender first. Be mindful of the sugar content of liquid bases, and feel free to choose more than one!

“Everything that happens in life has a lesson. Sometimes you have to look harder to find it, but it is there,” affirms Jenny Sirwet.

Jenny is a graduate of the 800-Hour Yoga Teacher Training program, has studied Polarity, Life Coaching and Aromatherapy, and serves future SWIHA community members in the Admissions department with her warm and welcoming presence. Though Jenny is now what we lovingly call a ‘SWIHA-Lifer’, she admits that she didn’t quite jump in to her journey feet-first: “I was allergic to the word ‘trauma’ when I first started as a student at SWIHA,” discloses Jenny, “That word was a trigger for me. It was a reminder of the ‘victim mentality’, which I try to avoid.”

Five years ago, Jenny suffered a serious back injury which launched her into a journey of healing and a mindset of growth. After a year and a half of  physical therapy, she had lumbar spine surgery in August of 2016 followed by six more months of remedial exercises.

Every year, the EWG (Environmental Working Group) analyzes the chemical residue on fruits and vegetables widely available in the average grocery store. Their report notes things such as the average number of pesticides found on a single sample and the maximum number of particles detected.

Here are their findings for 2019:

It’s no secret: Our society is saturated with unhealthy, unbalanced options for food. In fact, many households spend over three-thousand dollars--or 10% of the average income--eating out per year; the United States fast food industry is forecasted to make 223 billion dollars by 2020.

The Standard American Diet (S.A.D) is causing an epidemic of diabetes, cancer, heart disease and a slew of other ailments to affect ourselves, friends, family and loved ones. According to the U.S Department of Health & Human Services and the Center for Disease Control:

Herbs and spices have been an integral part of cuisines around the world since the days of hunter-gatherers; and not just for their taste! Early Egyptians, Indians and Greeks are just a few cultures who have documented the use of herbs and spices for medicinal purposes and passed down their knowledge from generation to generation.

In the present-day, modern science has uncovered some fascinating properties to these tasty additions, reaffirming some ancient knowledge and discovering new ways of thinking about what we put in to our meals. As the great thinker, Hippocrates, advised us: “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”

Today, we’ll be looking at some super seasonings and their studied health benefits!

Superfoods are low-calorie, nutrient-dense and full of fiber foods which are high in antioxidants and help fight free radicals in your system. Many even contain essential fatty acids, like omega-3, -6, -9, and hard-to-find omega-7. While the idea of a ‘superfood’ is a modern concept, they are mostly ancient root vegetables, fruits, and even fungus and algae.

In honor of National Nutrition Month, we will be exploring some of the trending superfoods and how to incorporate them in to your diet. As an exciting bonus: all the foods on this list are vegan and gluten-free!

“As cliche as it sounds, I truly cannot believe I get to do what I love each day,” Taressa Riazzi, Hypnotherapist and Life Coach, tell us.

It used to be a very different story for Taressa. Prior to her healing journey, she was struggling through a challenging time; doing her best to be a stay-at-home mom while battling significant depression and debilitating anxiety. After realizing that putting everyone’s needs ahead of her own was having a negative impact on her emotional landscape, she knew something had to change.

“I originally was drawn to Southwest Institute of Healing Arts for the nutrition program,” she tells us, “however, after I experienced hypnosis and saw the impact it had on me and those I worked with, I decided to primarily practice hypnosis and life coaching.

At SWIHA, we know that pursuing any of the healing arts involves lots of growth and transformation and that personal healing must take place before a practitioner is able to facilitate the healing of others.

While it would be very convenient to only have to heal or grow just once in our lives, the process is constant and full of twists and turns. From intense classes during your education to emotional sessions when you step fully in to the role of Healer, you’ll always be called to expand and progress.

How exciting! And also: how exhausting!

Serendipitously, April Sanchez found her calling while working in...a call center!

She tells us: “After being promoted to a team manager, I had a team of customer service agents that I conducted daily coaching and motivation with. I began to learn about a gift that I never realized I had. The performance of my team excelled and each of the individuals on my team grew, both professionally and personally.”

April wanted to continue to grow in her career and took positions that she thought she’d enjoy and be challenged by. However, she craved more one-on-one time coaching and motivating others than the positions provided and began to feel unmotivated and purposeless with the work she was doing.