Ojai Healers

This month I talked with Lisa West. Here's what I learned!

Ojai Healers: What brought you to Ojai?

Lisa West: My partner was offered a job here. We were surprised at how ideal the valley was for my interests and focus as well, so we stayed.

Ojai Healers: What brought you to your present career/modality?

I have always wanted to work in medicine, from the time I was 3 or 4. A fortunate injury in high school led me to a physical therapist and I clicked immediately with the profession. As time went on, I began learning more about the body, mind and spirit and became fascinated with the interconnectedness of these parts of us. These interests led (and continue to lead) me into exploring more holistic modalities, especially areas that focus on the connective tissue of the body (things like craniosacral, myofascial release and visceral mobilization).

I am finding a lot of joy lately in teaching others about some of the things I have learned, primarily through yoga classes and courses.

Ojai Healers: Tell us what you do in your free time.

Lisa West: My free time is spent reading, sometimes fiction, but embarrassingly more often I am reading books about the body/mind/spirit. I really love my work and am usually trying to explore it in one way or another most of the time. I am an eternal yoga student and spend time trying to "be Yoga", be in the moment, as much as I can remember to. I love the ocean and being outdoors, though I don't bring myself to nature often enough.

Ojai Healers: If you weren't doing what you do, what would you be doing? One practical answer, one dream....

Lisa West: I love what I do, and think I will always do my work in one capacity or another. Perhaps I will be led to write more in the future. I mostly just want to create the time and space in my life to meditate, center and increase my capacity for listening so that I can give as much as possible during my sessions and in my teachings.