Today we’d like to introduce you to Prema Shakti.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Prema. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My upbringing was incredible and for most of my early years, I lived what would seem to be the American Dream. I grew up in an idyllic suburb of Pittsburgh and spent my teenage years living near Walt Disney World with a strong and loving family structure. I graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a BA in Communications, moved to New York City and worked for a boutique advertising firm. To gain a larger paycheck, I eventually sought a Master’s Degree in Accounting and worked for JP Morgan Chase. I moved with JPM to Tampa, FL as the Dream continued with a home, mortgage, loving partner and our dog.
Like so many others in our Social Network world, all was not as wonderful as it appeared. Anxiety stalked me throughout my teenage years and beyond. Without a medical or spiritual understanding of what was wrong, I attempted to “self-medicate” my condition, which predictably led to a physical and mental deterioration in my health with its inevitable addictive behavior and profound unhappiness.
As I awakened from the American Dream/Social Network world destiny seemed to take over. I was already highly trained in various Yoga disciplines and acquainted myself with a group studying in a strong, certified Ayurveda program. Since Ayurveda is the health/medicine of Yoga, it seemed like a perfect fit. And it was. It saved me and allowed me to study the discipline with a high degree of quality. In 2014 I became a NAMA Certified Ayurvedic Practitioner.
Along the way, I was allowed to own and live in a Tiny House On Wheels (THOW) which provided a tremendous opportunity to understand and empathize with another group of unique people. At the same time, I was beckoned by the attitudes and lifestyle of the West and decided to relocate to Boulder, Colorado. Destiny again smiled on me as I learned that Boulder was the home of the Alandi Ashram Ayurveda Gurukula and I have the rare opportunity to study as an Ayurvedic Doctor.
As I continue to achieve a more sophisticated skill level in Yoga (Yoga Alliance E-RYT500 registered Yoga teacher) and Ayurveda, I have been fortunate enough also to become licensed in Massage Therapy and even took time to complete Galvanize’s rigorous boot camp in Computer Coding (yes, the future matters). While my wide variety of experience and training may seem odd, it all fits perfectly with a forward-looking vision of a high quality Ayurvedic balance. If there is one thing that we all want to achieve, it is BALANCE!
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The biggest hurdle is that Ayurveda is still growing. I work diligently as a board member of the Colorado Ayurvedic Medical Association (COLORAMA), the leadership team at Alandi Ashram Ayurveda Gurukula in Boulder, CO and serve on the Seminars in Ayurveda sub-committee through the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA) to help advance the profession.
I am so grateful for all of my incredible gurus along the way; Denise ‘Yashoda’ O’Dunn & Kevin O’Dunn (http://floridaacademyofayurveda.com/), Valerie Spies (https://www.yogalotuspond.com/), Larissa Carlson (https://larissacarlson.com/), Karin Stephan (http://www.yogamacro.com/index.html), Roger McKeever (https://sacredtremor.com/), Nancy MacDonald (https://shantivinyasa.com/), Nikki Myers (https://y12sr.com/), Dr. Vasant Lad (https://www.ayurveda.com/), and Alakananda Ma & Sadananda (https://www.alandiashram.org/). My guru Alakananda Ma has bestowed upon me my spiritual name, “Prema Shakti,” which means “Love Power.” I am truly grateful for the honor, even though my family still knows me by the beautiful name my mother and father gave me, Haley.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
My practice is named HibisKISS Yoga, Ayurveda & Massage. I take great pride in educating myself in a broad range of skills which all have an important place in bringing Ayurveda into the 21st century. It is important to realize that Ayurveda is all about preventative care and balances through exercise (Yoga), diet (food & herbs), stress reduction (abhyanga massage), bodywork therapies (Shirodhara), mental health (meditation) and detoxification (panchakarma). HibisKISS Yoga, Ayurveda & Massage guide clients through their personalized plan to maximize their health. This can be especially useful with such difficult problems such as addiction and stress management. While HibisKISS is grounded by the key concepts of thousands of years of Yoga, Ayurveda and Massage, it is committed to moving these concepts into the 21st century not as a replacement for the great strides made in other medical disciplines, but as a successful complement to it. Most importantly, it can be delivered in a way that has a foundation of love and compassion.
Below is a list of certified specialties, but this is not to alter the fact that HibisKISS Yoga, Ayurveda & Massage is not about canned programs but personalized plans; the heart of Yoga, Ayurveda & Massage: Ayurvedic Medicine, Ayurveda for Addiction, Panchakarma, Ayurveda for Postpartum, Ayurvedic Bodywork Therapies, Energy Healing, Vedic Counseling, Y12SR (Yoga for 12-step recovery), Hatha Yoga, Stand Up Paddle-board (SUP) Yoga, Prenatal Yoga, Restorative Yoga, Yin Yoga, Yoga Nidra, Laughter Yoga and Meditation.
What were you like growing up?
Throughout my life, I have been an advocate for higher education, health and sciences. I was a very curious child. I am passionate about domestic and international travel and experiencing other cultures outside of my own. Yoga and Ayurveda struck a chord with me in this way and by personal experience of implementing the medicine of Ayurveda and the actions of Yoga I know first-hand what a massive impact it can have on health.
Pricing:
- Initial Clinical Consultation + Treatment Plan w/supply of herbs – $108
- Virtual Consultation + Diet & Lifestyle Recommendations – $81
- Body/Energy Work Therapies – $40-$135 (varies)
- Vedic Counseling – $54
Contact Info:
- Address: 825 South Broadway St.
Suite 50 Boulder, CO - Website: https://www.hibiskissayurveda.com/
- Phone: 720-822-6701
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hibiskiss.ayurveda/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hibisKISSayurveda/
- Other: http://www.ayurvedaforaddiction.com/
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