Suurata Reiki & Yoga
 

My name is Gretchen "Suurata" Swank. Since I was a young child I had intuitive abilities which eventually led me to formal study of Hatha Yoga and meditation as an adult.  I became a certified Yoga Instructor because the practices of yoga and meditation helped me understand that everything is energy, and we, as human beings, already contain inside of us all that we seek outside of ourselves; including the ability to heal ourselves, and others, and I wanted to share this with others.  

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Once during an intense migraine that rendered me very ill; I was offered a Reiki treatment by a friend.  After a ten minute session, the pain had miraculously disappeared.  I was instantly intrigued by this ancient system of healing.  After several more treatments I became aware that my life was transforming.  I am now an Usui Tibetan Reiki Master Teacher, as well as a Holy Fire Karuna Reiki Master.  I received my Master training in the Usui lineage from William Lee Rand, President of the International Center for Reiki Training, in Glens Falls, New York in August 2013; I received my Karuna Master training in Glasontonbury, England and Stonehenge in June 2014, under William Lee Rand, the lineage holder of Karuna Reiki.

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Upon returning home from my Karuna Reiki Master Training the summer of 2014, I was out for a relaxing morning run when I received a symbol in my mind's eye.  I began working with its energy and receiving information during meditation which I was Guided to write down in a journal.  I soon knew my path with Reiki was taking a different direction than I had originally anticipated.  I took six years off of teaching to explore what being a Reiki Master means to me, and the ethics and values I wish to bring to students through my teaching.  During my hiatus, I did a lot of self-reflection and self-healing, and over the years I spontaneously received new symbols and information which eventually took the form of Collective Heart Reiki.

 

I am also an avid lover of the wilderness and being with nature.  I completed courses through True North Wilderness Survival School in Basic Wilderness Survival and Advanced Wilderness Survival.  There is nothing more empowering, or complementary to Reiki, than to spend a few days in the humbling woods because of its immense power, mystery, and inherent danger; yet equally peaceful and healing to learn skills and discover you have  everything you need inside of you, that you are capable of taking care of yourself, and you can commandeer your own life and take charge of situations.  My wild heart currently has me backpacking the Appalachian Trail (Section Hiking), an adventure that has motivated Collective Heart Reiki out of the pages of my sketch book and out into the world.   

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My formal study of yoga, meditation, and Reiki opened my mind and senses in ways which helped me understand the intuitive abilities with which I was born in a way that I could relate to my abilities without fear.  During those years of relentless study and practice, I learned that my great-grandmother was a healer in the Pennsylvania Dutch Powwow tradition of folk healing.   I felt drawn to learn all I could about the healing tradition that surged through my bloodline.  I spent years reading academic articles and Powwow books, surfing the internet, and asking questions of my mother about what she witnessed growing up.  I figured the practice was dead and I would have to visualize my great-grandmother doing healing work I knew nothing about.   And then one day in late 2021 as I surfed for any new information about Powwow, I saw a post on a Pennsylvania Dutch page for an online Powwow course given by the only guy I knew of who still practiced Powwow, Robert Phoenix.  I immediately paid the course fee and received an email from Rob.  I joined his online group and learned to Powwow. Rob was a fantastic teacher and the practice came easy, natural.  I knew I was being guided by a higher power.  I was already living the lifestyle of a Powwower, and now I had reference and framework.  I felt complete.  My work had come full circle.   I am now a proud member of the Phoenix Line of Powwowers of Cumberland County and we work with integrity to our tradition to help those who need healing, spiritual protection, or hex removal; as well, we share a mission to spread truth and accuracy about the Pennsylvania Dutch Powwow tradition.  If there is one thing for certain I learned in al my years of study is we must return to our roots, carrying everything we have collected along the way, to become our most courageous, full expression of ourselves.  

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Blessings and Love to You All...    Gretchen