Inspiring Conversations with Emily Blanche of Gold Lion Healing Arts

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Blanche.

Hi Emily, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

I am a Phoenix native that has been teaching yoga and leading sound healing events in the valley since the early 2000s. Recently I expanded my offerings to include Chinese medicine. I took my first yoga class in my mom’s chiropractor’s front office off Thomas and 5th st in 1991. I wrangled a school friend to attend with me and was exposed to meditation, yoga kriyas and pranayama. Drawn to energy work from a young age this expanded my interest in the subtle body and made me feel amazing. After getting my bachelors from ASU I traveled a bit and landed in Hollywood. I had exciting gigs as a freelance seamstress, managed a boutique with celebrity clients and received my first yoga teacher certification. With that in hand I moved to San Francisco and started teaching Bikram yoga.

While living in SF in 2004, I studied vibrational massage therapy. Part of the program requirements included volunteer hours. I was drawn to volunteer at a non-profit acupuncture clinic in the mission called Quan Yin. Their offerings and mission inspired me, providing support for the community.

They had morning groups with auricular acupuncture for smoking cessation and narcotic detoxification. Plus, support groups and herbal programs for people living with HIV. I gave patients little mini massages post-treatment, and it felt really good to be involved. I continued volunteering after my required hours were completed. That is where I received my first acupuncture treatment. I was treated for knee pain and had immediate relief.

I appreciated the in-depth questions and attention that I received from the Chinese medicine practitioner. It was a very empowering healthcare experience. Years after moving back to the valley I was drawn again to work in another acupuncture clinic, for Mayo Wardle at Phoenix Community Acupuncture.

During that time I continued teaching yoga. As the years went on, the yoga styles I studied became less physical and more restorative, hoping to expand the demographic of people I could positively affect. Learning and teaching gentle yoga, yin yoga with sound, restorative yoga Nidra, plus being attuned to all levels of Reiki and being able to attune others. Teaching kids yoga, chair yoga, and working with people with disabilities, advanced dementia, and traumatic brain injuries.

While teaching yoga I was also sewing women’s clothing, organizing fashion shows and had the opportunity to create a few boutiques. Platforms for other local designers, vintage pickers and artists. Opening cooperative boutiques with friends plus a few other boutiques with the help of my best friend, Leilani Hudson. When the recession hit in 2008, those stores sadly closed and I dug deeper into yoga, meditation and sound healing.

All of it was rewarding, I love being of service but still felt an itch to expand the tools I could use to help people feel better, enhance their quality of life and overall health.

Thankfully, in 2018, a friend acknowledged how lit up I got every time I talked about Chinese medicine and encouraged me to go for it. I can’t really put into words just how excited and a little scared I felt, opening my mind to that being a reality for me. Five long, hard years plus a pandemic later, I have a Doctorate in acupuncture, am licensed, and share a beautiful clinic with my mentor, Janelle Clare.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

A smooth road, hmmm. I’m human, so naturally, it has had its ups and downs. Teaching yoga has been super rewarding but sometimes not enough to pay the bills. I wish I studied acupuncture sooner, lol. I’ve worked many different jobs trying to supplement my income to help make ends meet and explore other passions.

So many side jobs which have had their comedic moments, from nannying to dry walling to cat sitting, even though I’m allergic to cats. I’ve also had health issues since 2012 that I’ve needed to work around. I stopped counting skin cancer surgeries when I had over 30. Being a woman and a single mother is an obstacle in its own way, but gratefully, I have a supportive co-parent that helps to relieve stress around giving our daughter the best life possible.

Graduate school was intense on a whole other level. Towards the end, I was mentally exhausted, had more health issues, moved, and a few other things that almost broke me. Gratefully, with grit and prayer, the right friends, mentors, therapists, and such have shown up and listened. I also lean on a strong daily spiritual practice to keep me steady and centered.

Reminding me of why I’m here, the bigger picture, and how everything is temporary. Those are just my personal challenges that seem insignificant compared to watching what’s happening in the world. I do my best to stay grounded so I can help within my local community and be present for my daughter which is everything.

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about Gold Lion Healing Arts?
It is a one-woman show: acupuncture, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), sound healing, and yoga. I work one-on-one with patients, creating custom treatments incorporating acupuncture, cupping, gua sha, moxibustion, breath work, meditation, and tuning forks. Being highly sensitive has its benefits as a practitioner in the healing arts. Playing sound healing instruments requires technique and awareness of minute subtleties in vibration.

I feel my heightened sensitivity helps me feel a room and do energy work while I play. This also flows into my acupuncture practice as well. Working with patients using technique, teachings, and intention to hold space so they can peel back the layers of what’s happening underneath their symptoms. Helping them feel immediate benefit and create safety so we can get to the roots of developing long-lasting life changes.

I still have public and can be hired for private sound healing events. I play a beautiful sun gong, alchemy bowls made from minerals found in our state like Sedona red rock, travertine, and malachite, plus an ocean dream, 528 Hz tuning pipes, and elemental chimes. I’ve played at the Phoenix Art Museum, ASU American Holistic Nurses Association’s de-stress events, Dr. Siri Chand’s Ayurvedic foundations for Medical Professionals, Creighton University’s health sciences campus, women’s leadership conferences, retreats, and more.

I tend to attract a lot of clients and patients that work within the medical field regularly which makes me happy to provide loving care for those that take care of so many. As well I teach people how to play sound healing instruments and incorporate them into their classes or sessions. I also teach chair yoga for an online national platform and kids yoga in schools.

What do you think about happiness?
My daughter, Eissa, makes me so happy. She is precious and such a wonderful kid. Watching her interact with her friends and move about makes me feel very fortunate that she is healthy and an amazing person. Laughing with friends, having deep talks, and cooking food together are the best.

Seeing people being generous and kind to one another definitely makes my heart swell. As well, I feel happiness from helping others. Seeing people’s lives change, and when they feel better, they make better choices that positively benefit them and affect us all. I love being in nature, fresh air, wind in the trees, feet on the ground, birds chirping, and the sound of water.

In the simplest terms, connecting. Connecting with people, natural beauty, eye contact, shared moments of presence and acceptance feels divine. It probably sounds cheesy but when I can fully drop into the present moment, into a space of feeling so blessed to be alive, to know the people I get to know and have the experiences that are in front of me. Those moments of being present, here and now, feel safe and joyful.

Pricing:

• First visit acupuncture $90
• Follow up acupuncture $70
• Just cupping $40
• In private sound healing events, the rate varies.

Contact Info:

• Website: goldlionhealingarts.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/goldlionaz
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/goldlionaz/
• Youtube: youtube.com/azgoldlion

Image Credits
Airi Katsuta
Tara Logsdon
Anaiz Ochoa