SWIHA Blog

Are you looking to minimize exposure to environmental toxins, find effective alternatives to chemical-filled cleaners, and surround yourself with natural scents instead of synthetic fragrances? Essential oils will be, well...essential to your quest!

Essential oils are extracted from plants, capturing its scent and flavor or “essence”. These oils are obtained through various methods such as distillation or cold pressing, taking care to consider the chemical makeup of the plant and produce only a pure end-product.

The month of October lends itself inherently to the theme of Potential.  It’s a month of transition: days grow shorter, the air cools, and trees shed their leaves in anticipation of a winter nap. It’s the pause before a new chapter, where we reflect on lessons learned while planning for the future.

Ancient Gaels celebrated this mid-point between the autumnal and winter equinoxes with the festival Samhain, meaning “summer’s end”. It marked their harvest time and honored the birth-death-rebirth cycle of Mother Nature through celebrations and rituals. Samhain was eventually incorporated in to Christian culture to take place at the end of October proceeding All Hallows day (November 1^st). We now know it as Halloween!

You know the phrase “sick to my stomach”? There’s more truth to that than you may think!

Researchers estimate that up to 85% of our body’s immune response is attributed to our digestive system. More than five hundred species of bacteria live in our gut, referred to as “gut flora”. In fact, the amount of bacteria in our gut out-numbers the body’s cell count by ten times.

Though we’ve just begun to discover the intricate relationship between our bodies and bacteria, it’s known that these creatures play essential roles in homeostasis. Friendly bacteria are responsible for things such as nutrient absorption, mucosal barrier function, upkeep of lymphoid tissue, and optimal functioning of our immune system.

Ahh...there’s a chill in the air, cider in our mugs and eager anticipation of the holiday season in our hearts!

Autumn is abundant; it’s when we reap the benefits of our hard summer’s work and give thanks for our blessings. Though, before you go overboard with the Halloween candy and turkey dinners, consider visiting your local farmer’s market and reaching for some of the delicious and nutritious foods in season this fall!

What to Shop For

The fall season brings a harvest of healthful and super tasty produce. From the entire cruciferous family (like cauliflower and cabbage) to root veggies (carrots, onions, sweet potatoes) to the iconic squash crew (such as pumpkins, zucchini, and butternut squash), there’s plenty of inspiration to be found.

Take a moment to picture yourself facing the ocean, with your toes in sand and your eyes closed as the wind caresses your skin. Are you feeling light, happy, and cleansed in that moment?

There’s a reason why: The unending movement of the ocean waves and resulting wind cause the physical location of the beach to vibrate at a higher frequency, thus positively affecting our sense of well-being. A mental or physical trip to the ocean is actually beneficial to your health. Pretty fascinating, right?

This green elixir has been touted by health gurus and celebrities alike for its wide range of benefits and the ease at which you can incorporate it in to your morning routine. Today we’re taking a look at an oft-overlooked veggie: the humble celery.

Celery juice is powerhouse of antioxidants, phytonutrients and enzymes in a liquid form that can be easily consumed, bypassing the energy-consuming process of digestion. By drinking it first thing in the morning, many claim it’s given them better skin, more energy, and improved their gut health.

What has the power to monopolize your time, relationships and even your thoughts? You’re probably holding it in your hand right now.

The science of how an abundance of technology influences us as human beings is still in its infancy, so we actually know very little about the long-term hazards of a screen-to-screen existence. However, we can inuit that constantly monitoring our email and posting Facebook status updates is making us less productive, more disconnected from our real lives, and less satisfied with ourselves.

If you’re a part of SWIHA’s student and graduate Conscious Branding group on Facebook, you’ve surely picked up a few hints from this #bosslady during her informative (and fun!) live videos. Sharon Rose graduated from the Advanced Yoga Teacher and Healing Arts Practitioner program, and alongside building her own coaching business as The Soul Stylist, she serves as a Success Coach at Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, supporting students and graduates embarking on the journey of entrepreneurship.

Today, Sharon Rose gives you her answers to some of the many questions that budding holistic business owners bring to SWIHA’s Success Center:

According to ancient Chinese legend, Emperor Shen Nung was resting against a Camellia sinensis tree while waiting for his drinking water to boil. Suddenly, the wind picked up and caused the leaves of the tree to fall in to the steaming pot!

Instead of throwing out the water, Shen Nung decided to try the concoction. He described a warm feeling from the brew, as if the liquid was travelling to each part of his body, making a journey around his insides. He named the beverage ch’a, the Chinese character meaning “to investigate”. We now call it tea.

‘Grafting’ is a word used to describe the process of taking a branch from one tree and connecting it with another tree to duplicate its future growth.  What a perfect metaphor of our intention as we move from the campus SWIHA has enjoyed for almost 15 years to a new location in Tempe, Arizona.  We want to take the ‘positive light’ from the halls of the campus and the hearts of all the staff, instructors and students to our new location just a few miles away. We’ve decided to coin the term ‘spiritual grafting’ to affirm our intention to take what SWIHA has been and done over the last 26 years —transferring and re-growing our ‘Light’!