It’s our pleasure to introduce Danni Mares, a holistic wellness practitioner with a diverse background. In the newest edition of MysticMag interviews, we explore her unique journey into the world of holistic wellness. Danni shares her evolution from a career in sales and marketing to becoming a massage therapist, Reiki practitioner, yoga instructor, and spiritual life coach. She also delves into the benefits of Reiki, the interconnectedness of body, mind, and soul, and her approach to life coaching. Enjoy!
What was your professional journey like and how did you get into holistic wellness?
My professional journey has taken me down many different paths, and I feel blessed to be guided to explore many other diverse avenues. I started off in my main career, during my 20s and 30s, in sales and marketing. However, there was the financial crash in 2008 and I ended up trying to find a different direction to go in, since I was unemployed. High-end luxury sales was no longer speaking to me as a career. With some time on my hands and in meditation one day, I realized that I love working with people, and I had learned a lot about the body from my time in selling ergonomic office furniture. That’s why I gravitated towards being a massage therapist. Once I received my massage therapy license, I had already had intuitive insight to move to Costa Rica, so I ended up moving to Costa Rica once I had my license. However, while traveling the country to see where I wanted to live, I came to a realization that I needed to do something else to complement the massage part of my business. Massage would do well, but I needed something else to complement that. I had been practicing yoga for close to 7 years, so I decided to go to India for a yoga teacher training and became a 200-hour certified Hatha yoga instructor.
As my journey continued, I needed to continue my education for my massage therapy license, which I do keep current in the state of Illinois. Additionally, I took a Reiki I & II course in 2012 and became a certified practitioner of Reiki. A lot of amazing things transpired for me in 2012, from traveling to Costa Rica and going to India, to becoming a yoga instructor and doing the Reiki course. There was a lot of spiritual direction and guidance that came my way in 2012, helping carry me on the path of learning more about myself, health, and wellness.
I don’t think that the holistic part came into play until a later stage in my journey. Once I started working with clients and coming to realizations that certain things happening in the body were connected to their emotional health, mental health, and spiritual health. Also, there were numerous issues regarding what they put into their bodies and how it affected their hormones and moods. I just started to see how it’s all intertwined. That’s when I decided to start calling myself a holistic practitioner instead of just a massage therapist, yoga instructor, or Reiki master. I wanted to encompass knowing all about the body, mind, and soul. Hence, the name of my company. I aim to help those who want to delve deeper into figuring out how to heal themselves with my assistance, versus just coming for a massage to feel well or to alleviate a bodily pain.
What are the benefits of Reiki and does it work for everyone?
Reiki works on all four levels: spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical. Yes, Reiki does work on everyone. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you are in your journey of life, or your location in this world. Reiki is energy, and it works anywhere and everywhere.
I have had a lot of individuals come to me, including those who are brand new to it. I seem to attract a lot of newcomers, which I’m happy about because I love educating individuals about the benefits of certain modalities and practices that can help them on their path. With energy work, I often tell those who are new to it that they may have various observations of the energy flowing through them during a session. This can include seeing colors, having vivid visions, or feeling sensations in the body like tingling, numbness, heat, or cold. Different experiences happen for different individuals, so everyone’s experience is unique.
However, I emphasize to my clients that they should bring awareness of how they feel right then and there in that moment and also how they feel after the Reiki session. Some clients who didn’t experience the visual phenomena or physical sensations still report feeling the most profound sense of peacefulness they’ve ever felt in their whole lives. This sense of peace and relaxation is what Reiki aims to bring, allowing the body and the energy system to naturally heal the individual.
I also make it clear to my clients that I’m not like a pharmaceutical pill. Energy work is not a one-and-done approach. When they come to me, it’s about incorporating energy work into their regular wellness routine. It’s an ongoing process and self-work is necessary too. That’s something I’ve learned through my practice. I’m here to guide and assist, but ultimately, each individual can only heal themselves. I can’t heal others. I can only be the guide and assistant to their healing. I can only heal myself but I can bring Universal Life Force Energy full of unconditional love to others to assist them on their path.
Can you walk me through one of your Reiki Infused Therapeutic Massage sessions?
I am a highly intuitive person, deeply attuned to my guides regarding my own life path, where I need to be, and what I need to do. As an empath, I often absorb other people’s feelings, emotions, and energy, which can be beneficial in my massage and energy work. Recently, I made the shift to exclusively offer Reiki-Infused Therapeutic Massage because energy is always flowing from my hands. It makes sense to harness that energy to enhance the therapeutic massage experience for my clients.
One memorable client from 2020, a Vietnam veteran and lifelong construction worker in his 70s, sought my help for chronic shoulder issues that he experienced when he got into gardening and using his shovel. Despite a year of treatments from other massage therapists and chiropractors, he still experienced discomfort. After a session with me, he returned for a prepaid series of 4 sessions. During his second visit, I sensed that the issue in his shoulder was more energetic and I suggested allocating 30 minutes of his 90-minute session to Reiki. While he initially had reservations about energy work due to already having some done from someone else, which didn’t help him, I suggested that we try it once and, if it doesn’t work, I won’t bring it up again. He eventually agreed. After the session, he felt remarkably better and continued with the remaining prepaid sessions, opting exclusively for energy work instead of the massage therapy he initially wanted.
What ideas is your life coaching based on?
I base my life coaching approach on the metaphysical aspects of life. Through my practice, I’ve come to understand that almost everything within our bodies is connected to our emotional, mental, or spiritual well-being. I believe it’s essential to be entirely open and honest about this facet of life coaching with my clients.
When a client seeks to instill more discipline into their life, we often start with the fundamentals. This includes examining their dietary choices, as what we consume affects our hormones, mental state, and overall life direction. I encourage my clients to be vulnerable and truthful, starting first with themselves. Being honest with ourselves about our desires and the direction we want to take is a crucial starting point.
What other services do you offer and is there anything else you’d like to add?
As I mentioned earlier, my journey started with massage therapy and expanded to encompass yoga and Reiki, and, ultimately, in 2019, I earned my certification as a Spiritual Life Coach. This holistic approach permeates all aspects of my work. Even when clients come for a massage, I often gain insights I can share with them. I always ask if they’d like me to share these insights, respecting their choice.
In alignment with my journey into holistic healing, I’ve also delved into plant-based medicine. In the coming spring, I’m embarking on a course for Psychedelic Medicine Preparation & Integration Certification. This will be a new offering within my practice, starting late summer 2024.
Furthermore, I want to add that it’s our own personal obligation to work on our personal healing ourselves. While people like myself can provide guidance and support, the core work is about self-healing. We are here to create a nurturing space and impart knowledge on how individuals can heal themselves, but it’s through self-healing that we collectively contribute to healing the whole planet. This philosophy drives my practice, and I walk my talk.
To learn more about Danni, you can visit www.bodymindsoulcr.com
