Paperwork and administration aren’t Alvina Quatrano’s favorite things to do, although they are what she accepts as part of the discipline required to prepare for offering certification for the continuing education classes that she teaches through Soul Lightening International, a nonprofit operating exclusively for educational purposes.

This global community connected by a shared commitment to health, harmony and wholeness through the practice of Soul Lightening acupressure is one with which the licensed massage therapist, Naples resident and owner of Art of Holistic Massage has been connected with since 1998. “All the classes that we offer are what we consider as simple methods of self-care in a virtual medicine chest that individuals and therapists can use to take care of all the aspects of the physical body, as well as our energy, mind, soul and spirit,” says Quatrano, whose journey in the field of holistic healing work formally began more than 30 years ago with a class in reiki.

Quatrano’s first exploration of the mind-body connection in the 1990s occurred with Carole Kammon, of Temenos, at Dr. W. Brugh Joy’s ranch in Sedona, Arizona. “Brugh was a medical doctor and mystical pioneer in how to engage transpersonal states of consciousness. I was initiated into hands-on healing work in that workshop. Prior to that, I’d practiced yoga and meditated, so that I was somewhat primed to become a channel for energy to flow through. The first three days of silence and fasting set the stage. As I began sensing energy flowing through my arms and into my hands, I wanted to know more and understand it. Someone suggested that I should study reiki.” 

Throughout the years, Quatrano’s deep appreciation and understanding of the healing value of massage and energy work grew out of her experiences with the experts with which she studied, the many classes and workshops she participated in and her hands-on experiences and interactions with clients. “I studied reiki with Stevan Thayer, the developer of Integrative Energy Therapy, massage with health educator Kristina Shaw, who owned Health Choices, in Princeton, New Jersey, Zero Balancing with Fritz Smith, a doctor of osteopathy, and process acupressure with Dr. Aminah Raheem, founder of the Soul Lightening International. I’ve been with this community of skilled instructors since 1998. It’s where I offer continuing education classes. I’ve also studied reflexology,” advises Quatrano.

A deep interest and commitment to personal growth work which began with Kammon and Helen Palmer, who pioneered Enneagram work continued. None of Quatrano’s interests and stops along her fascinating life journey are totally surprising after learning that at age 16, the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s Transcendental Meditation teachings caught her attention. “I was in the first TM group that started after he came to the U.S. in the 1960s. Later, after college, I got hooked on yoga and eventually became curious about Montessori education. I became a Montessori teacher for three years. I wanted to help kids,” she says.  

“While I do have an eclectic background in personal growth and energy work that also includes certification in modalities such as CranioSacral Therapy and the Trager Approach, I believe that my foundational studies in Japanese and Chinese medicine are what set me up for all the things I’ve done in my life. I’m glad that my journey began with reiki, because it’s so elemental. Energy is in everyone. We are energy beings. All we have to do to use is to activate it, notes Quatrano, who after 30 years has come full circle. “I’ve will be teaching an online reiki class this fall,” she says.

For more information or to make an appointment, call 732-266-5276 or visit AOHMassage.com