Great Graduates from SWIHA, SWINA & SOY

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. “When I started learning about Law of Attraction and our thoughts and energies, 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!”

Alise Holland, like many of SWIHA’s students, was brought to the school by Spirit. On Labor Day, 2014, she saw a vision of a school for healing and the name, Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, came through in her vision. At the time, she had been teaching in a public classroom for eight years, and took a leap of faith and left the classroom in 2011. Alise shared how, even though she had her Doctorate in Education and had a flexible job, she knew that there was something missing and needed to find out what SWIHA had to offer. “It wasn’t until I attended SWIHA to better understand myself and how I show up in the world… That’s when it became simple; my life purpose is to serve others and be a Merchant of Hope.”

Although she grew up in poverty, Alise has realized that nothing is truly wasted, and she is grateful for all of her challenges. “What I find is that now that I am on my spiritual path, I am able to share my knowledge with others to enlighten them on their own spiritual path. In other words, I am able to turn all of my sufferings into service to help others.” For the longest time, Alise couldn’t figure out why she chose to become a teacher, when her true passion resided in tapping into her spiritual gifts. After attending SWIHA, she learned why. “I am still a teacher and mentor, but my audience has changed. It is now the World, and I am destined to be a Spiritual Guide to souls throughout humanity. People need the right kinds of knowledge, yet I will be using my spiritual gifts and knowledge to educate souls.”

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.

Glenda Bokamper, just like many before her, was divinely led to Southwest Institute of Healing Arts (SWIHA). Glenda had an idea about what she wanted to do and had embarked on a more traditional path towards her dreams. After she hit some bumps in the road, SWIHA made an appearance in her life and that has made a huge difference. “In nail school I became allergic to the fake nail products, leaving the spas in Scottsdale as my only option for employment. At the first spa that I worked, I was told to fake a treatment with my pedicures. Instead of faking it, I found SWIHA and took an introductory class. That was 15 years ago. I fell in love during that one class with feet and the mysteries that they hold. I have been loving feet from that day forward.”

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.

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.

Keta Baker is a true #GreatGraduate and the testimony of her journey is as divinely guided as she is. Keta’s story begins with her questioning the universe, “One Saturday afternoon in 2012, my sister brought me to this Italian restaurant in Phoenix. We pulled up to the restaurant and out of my mouth came the words, ‘This is a nice place to have my life coaching business housed in.’ This was followed by me looking up and saying, ‘What?’ . . . ‘What life coaching business?’” What Keta Baker didn’t fully understand at the time was that she was getting ‘downloads’ from Spirit.

Humbly, Keta explains, “I began to get these downloads of a whole business plan and what I was to do to help others as a Life Coach. I didn’t have anything to write on, so as soon as I got inside of the restaurant, I grabbed several napkins to record what I knew was God’s plan for my life. That evening I Googled what a Life Coach was and began searching for schools where I could learn to become a Life Coach. I prayed for direction for the path the Divine placed me on. A few days went by and after diligently listening and looking, SWIHA, Southwest Institute of Healing Arts, came up.”

Keta quickly called the next day to schedule a tour of the SWIHA campus in Tempe, Arizona.

“When I walked in the main lobby, it felt like birds were singing, music was playing, and the sun was shining inside the building. The environment was so friendly and welcoming and provided this awesome feeling. I sat with an Admissions Coach and she went over Life Coaching and tuition for the program. When I left, my mission was to get $1800 so I could enroll in the program.”

Adam Ramirez was at a place in his life where he desired to finish his education in something that he could really utilize as part of the medicine path he was already beginning to follow. “I put that inclination out to the universe, as I kept getting a hint towards finalizing my education, and as I came home one summer a few years back I met a friend of my mothers who seemed to be finishing her schooling through SWIHA. She told me all about this wonderful school, and I knew from there it was meant to be.”

From a young age, Adam has been concerned with the human race and the way we impacted ourselves and the world around us. He knew from a young age that he wanted to take away all the suffering and demise of the world. He started “learning about the human race (sociology/psychology), learning of how I could help and be an instrument of medicine to the people. We all have a rhyme and reason for being on this planet, finding our key and opening the door is on our part in order to grow and flourish.”

Adam’s business is with “our Divine Mother Earth and our ancestors in helping to bring about right relationship, right, action, right mind, and right heart into the world as we see it.” He doesn’t have a particular business name and goes by his given name of “Shield of the Feather”, or the Ancestral Medicine Revival movement. Adam has traveled with his mentor, Balance Toe, and his brother all around the country with different medicine and elders, helping to preserve and share among others those services and medicines handed down from generation to generation. This work is an effort “to maintain and keep alive that which once served our ancestors in a much different time, which I believe is needed now more than ever in our world once again.”

Ayesha Dalton’s recently-opened spa, just over 9 months old, has a warm and loving atmosphere that exudes professionalism and pristine care. Ayesha’s passion for beauty and well-being developed long before her studies at the Southwest Institute of Natural Aesthetics. She is passionate about what she does, sharing, “I value the importance of taking care of how I look. I’m here to help anyone who needs encouragement and advice to look and feel their best. Therefore my passion became obvious to me, as did the awareness that I should share this with all who want to experience it.”

Parul Agrawal is an internationally-known and highly-regarded author, coach and speaker who has truly taken her passion and created a successful platform that nourishes both her clients and herself! Parul latest achievement is so exciting! What started as juicing and workshops has grown into her having an international presence as a well-known and highly-rated published author. You’ll love her story: