Susan Nishizawa
My yoga, meditation, and reiki journey started after the birth of my first child. I had postpartum depression and was desperate for relief. My husband, of now almost twenty-three years, recommended the yoga studio down the block. I had just started getting interested in Paramahansa Yogananda’s teachings and so was open to trying yoga. Spirit was always at work supporting me because the yoga studio was only a ten minute walk from our apartment. I had experienced seeing Paramahansa Yogananda, who opened my heart and filled me with bliss, while taking a yoga class and felt a confirmation that this was my path. I started practicing 2 to 3 times a week. I felt so much more balanced and lighter and my husband noticed that I was much nicer when I came back from a yoga class! This began my journey as a yoga teacher. I took the 200 hour yoga training there and started teaching yoga in 2003.
Becoming aware of the energy while practicing, I began reading about reiki and Kundalini Yoga. My aunt and I took a reiki 1 & 2 training with Jessica Miller, who had trained under William Rand. To further my studies of reiki, I then did another Reiki Tummo Training level 1 to 3a in 2003. I noticed that it stirred up quite a bit of energy in the clients that I worked on, and was wondering why it brought up so much stuff. I then decided to take a Kundalini Yoga Training at the Awareness Center and received my certification in 2008. This was a transformational experience for me. It cleared so much of the heavy energy I was carrying, but left me feeling ungrounded and unable to help process my traumas.
After the death of my mother, I started working with Dr. Raven Lee to help process all the things I had been running from my whole life. I took her 3 year Mystic Shaman Training which really helped me work through and ground back into my body. The Integrated Shakti Reiki Master Training she was offering also felt right. I finally understood that I was always working with Shakti energy, but didn’t realize it! I became a Level 1 Integrated Shakti Reiki Master in 2013 and Level 2 in 2016.
To appreciate being back in my body, I took the Yin Yoga 1 & 2 Trainings at Spiral Path in 2016 and 2017 and Restorative Yoga Training in 2018 with Cindy Li to start working with mindfulness and the nervous system.
After my Shaman Training ended, I decided to hone in on my yoga skills, and took a 300 hour Advanced Yoga Training at Yoga Madre. I received my certification in 2019.
During my Shaman Training, I was offered a job teaching recovering addicts and/or those suffering from mental illness. I know that without my own personal work, I could never have been able to teach this population. To support them I took a trauma training, Warrior at Ease Yoga Training, in 2020, and a Mental Health Aware Yoga Training in 2022. This then led me to the iRest Yoga Nidra Meditation Level 1 & 2 Training by Richard Miller that I completed in 2020 and 2022. After these last trainings, I felt like I had a road map to working through the challenges of living in this world. I learned how to hold space for sensation, emotions, thoughts, and become aware of Awareness and Being. This has been invaluable to me in my own healing. I have always been looking for different modalities of healing, whether it be yoga, meditation, or reiki, to find a way to process my own suffering. Finding a connection to Spirit, which is inherently wisdom and compassion, and sitting with what is arising is what I realize is what true healing is. In gratitude that I can share what has helped me, my hope is that it will help you on your journey towards conscious awareness of your own wholeness.
My Skill's
We all have the ability to consciously experience ‘God’ within us. Reconnecting to our Spirit provides us the support, love, self-acceptance and wisdom to navigate the ‘human existence’ with ease and grace. We begin to experience Spirit by reconnecting to our body, mind and emotional fields through yoga, meditation and Integrated Shakti Reiki.
Experience
Area of Specialization
Restorative Yoga, Yin Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Reiki Master, iRest Meditation Teacher, Aromatherapy
Training
May 2022: iRest Yoga Nidra Meditation Level 2 Training
April 2022: Mental Health Aware Yoga Professional Development Training
December 2020: Floracopeia Aromatherapy Foundations Certificate Course
November 2020: Jin Shin Jyutsu Basic 1 & 2 Online Seminar
August 2020: iRest Yoga Nidra Meditation Level 1 Training
June 2020: Warrior at Ease Yoga and Trauma Training
April 2019: 300-Hour Advanced Yoga Training with Rene Quenell at Yoga Madre
February 2019: Integrated Shakti Reiki Master Teacher Training 1 with Dr. B. Raven Lee
August 2018: Restorative Teacher Training online with Cyndi Lee at Om Yoga Center
November 2017: Yoga Anatomy Training with Tiffany Cruikshank at Yoga Medicine
October 2014 – May 2017: 3-Year Mystic Shaman Training with Dr. B. Raven Lee
May 2017: Level 2 Yin Yoga Training with Addie deHilster at Spiral Path Yoga Center
June 2016: Integrative Shakti Reiki Master Training 2 with Dr. B. Raven Lee
June 2016: Level 1 Yin Yoga Training with Addie deHilster at Spiral Path Yoga Center
October 2013: Integrative Shakti Reiki Master Training 1 with Dr. B. Raven Lee
October 2007 – July 2008: Level 1 200-Hour Kundalini Yoga Training at The Awareness Center
August 2006: Ganesh, Gayatri, Mahamrityunjaya Mantra Initiation from the Vedic Healing Institute
November 2003: Level 3a Reiki Tummo with Padmacahaya International Institute for Inner Study
March 2003: Level 1&2 Reiki Tummo with Padmacahaya International Institute for Inner Study
June 2002: 200-Hour Hatha Yoga Training at The Yoga Kingdom Sanctuary
April 2002: Level 1 & 2 Reiki Attunements with Jessica Miller
Member
Happiness
Testimonials
Susan’s class has reacquainted me with my spiritual practice and brought it to the next level. I’m excited to continue with her as my instructor!
Relearning to relax, let go of negative feelings. Her class makes me feel free.
I have been taking Kundalini yoga class with Susan on Monday nights for several years. She is always happy to see all her students. It is fortunate for me and the rest of the class to be able to work with an instructor full of passion for the work and who instills hope and confidence to her students in every single class.
I have known Susan for 10 years now, taking her Kundalini yoga classes since 2008. I am grateful for all her teachings, coaching and Reiki healing sessions. She is just great, to say the least.
Susan’s classes have been very healing for me. I feel at peace and grounded after each session.
Susan knows her students. She is warm, welcoming, lighthearted and loving. She brings wisdom and context to each class. You always leave class knowing it was the right thing to do. Susan always helps you tap into yourself and your body. I am so proud that she is my teacher (heart).
Susan is a super instructor. She’s passionate about yoga and is so patient no matter what level you are. Her voice is soothing and puts your mind in another world. Excellent instructor and I highly recommend her to others.
I have been a long term student and fan of Susan’s Kundalini and Yin yoga classes. Susan is able to give space for deep relaxation and encounter with myself as well as physical mindfulness. She really cares for me as she does for other students. Her sound bowls are magical and sometimes she sings along with them.
When Susan is giving me Reiki, I can deeply relax. She is communicating on several levels with what is there in the very moment and she responds with her whole being as a shamanic healer. I trust her. Her Reiki speaks to the physical as well as to spirit. I have been traveling a lot and I can highly recommend sessions to overcome jet lag or back pain.
I have seen Susan Nishizawa for about 18 months now. Her knowledge about healing, spirituality, and physiology is tremendous. Her healing is professional, deep and powerful. She uses elements from classic Reiki healing, Shamanic traditions, and yoga. Susan is very warm, open, present and non-judgmental in her approach. I have grown and learned a lot through her healing work and I give her my highest recommendations.
Susan is an incredible Reiki healer with wisdom, compassion and soul. Many times she has helped me through physical pains, cultivating emotional balance and stability. She has a beautiful way working with clients one-on-one where safety and trust are at the heart of her mission. On several occasions after a healing she has checked up on me to make sure the healing set me in the right direction. Susan is an extraordinary healer and soulful human.
Susan has been my yoga teacher for over 4 years. I am a regular at her yin and kundalini classes. In her classes she creates a welcoming environment for everyone. She has the ability to connect with her students and provides a learning and healing experience no matter their level. As a Reiki practitioner she is able to integrate Reiki into her classes. Susan has taught me how to apply yoga and Reiki to my practice which has allowed me to manage my stress.
Susan has been my Angel here on this earth. My first Reiki session with Susan was to address my anxiety & insomnia. That first Reiki session was magical. After the session was done I felt so relaxed and clear headed. I felt this joy centered in my heart for days. That night I had the best sleep of my life. It was not until my 2nd or 3rd session that I started to address deeper issues that I had been working on for 5 years with my western medical Psychologist. To make a long story short by the 4th & 5th session my life was transformed. I can honestly say that I was healed from certain past traumas. My Psychologist helped me at a surface level but Susan’s Reiki helped me at the soul level. I owe her everything. My 24 year old daughter and my husband are now regular clients of Susan’s due to my transformation. This is why I call her my Angel on this earth. I have so much Love and respect for her and the work she does as a healer. Reiki continues to help me and my family. Thank you Susan.
Transformational is the first of many words that can be used to describe the effects of working to strengthen your personal power with Susan Nishizawa-Hampton. Susan began working with me two years ago at a low point in my life. I did not imagine then that a simple invitation to her yoga class would begin to re-set my mind and put into motion physical and spiritual changes that would profoundly impact my day-to-day life. I have since observed Susan doing the same with others. Her finely honed intuitive sense informs her approach and she gently pushes her students to the edge of comfort and pain to go as far as they are ready to go and open up to deeper consciousness, connection, and creativity. For Susan, one size does not fit all. An integrative approach is key to her success. Her knowledge not only of yoga but also energy work including Reiki, Ayurvedic principles, and crystals allow her to customize the approach to what is needed by students so that they have the support they need to thrive. As a Reiki teacher, Susan brings much to the table. Her connection to the lineages, her experience for over 17 years as a practitioner and the clarity of her communication allow students to experience and absorb the teachings in a way that is quite accessible. I highly recommend healing sessions and teachings from Susan.