Tanya Cannaday’s journey from corporate America to founding Wingspan Healing Arts is a testament to the transformative power of alternative healing, as she discusses in her interview with MysticMag.
Drawn to Reiki before the pandemic, Tanya found resonance and flow in this practice, sparking a deeper exploration into crystals, chakras, and meditation. This curiosity blossomed into a full-time pursuit when unexpected layoffs provided her with the perfect opportunity to transition.
Now a certified practitioner in various healing arts, Tanya integrates her personal experiences with Reiki, crystal healing, and massage therapy to offer holistic treatments aimed at physical, emotional, and spiritual wellness.
What inspired you to transition from a career in corporate America to founding Wingspan Healing Arts?
A few months before the pandemic, I started Reiki classes, and it felt like a homecoming for my soul. I was amazed at all the sensations pulsing through my hands. Reiki is about flow, and I had not felt that type of resonance in years. Learning Reiki then sparked my curiosity about crystals, chakras, meditation, and even massage therapy.
Within two years, I had earned several certifications. At that time, my employer initiated layoffs, which included me, so that was the most natural opportunity to transition into the healing arts.
How do your personal experiences influence the therapeutic approaches you use in your practice?
When I had a Reiki session in 2019, I could physically feel energetic dams break within. Afterward, I had one of the deepest sleep of my life. That’s when I decided to learn Reiki because I wanted to help others heal through this method.
As for crystals, their beauty has always captivated me. But it was after I took a 6-month self-healing crystal course that I realized their power. During this time, I had been working with a crystal for a week and was falling asleep one evening. During Theta state, a technicolor vision flashed before me. It was of a short, plump, brown-skinned woman, wearing a scarf over her hair and a long dress.
She was surrounded by six or eight children, and she was feverishly sweeping a dirt floor. My impression was that she was a slave. I awakened from the vision and knew she was me in a past life. That scene shed light on why I am now in my 50s with no children (my soul wanted to be untethered).
And it explained why sweeping soothes me when I’m stressed. Working consciously with that crystal provided a window into my soul’s experiences and why it made certain choices before incarnating into this life. So, again, I want to help others have breakthroughs, with crystals, as well.
Can you explain the benefits of combining Reiki, crystal healing, and massage therapy in your treatments?
If I’m doing a massage, and I know from our intake conversation, that a client has a sore or tight muscle in a certain area, I may lay a crystal on that area to help relieve the muscle tension. Or if I am doing Reiki, and a client shares that he is recovering from a broken heart, I may lay a heart healing crystal over the heart chakra.
The different modalities complement each other, create synergy, and make the sessions more effective or meaningful.
What should clients expect from their first session with you, especially if they are new to holistic therapies?
Wingspan Healing Arts is located inside my husband’s Internal Medicine practice. I have a dedicated consultation room and therapy room. My husband and I love Hawaii, so we hung photos from Hawaii on the walls.
Healing crystals are placed throughout the office. After the client fills out intake forms, we will discuss medical history, the client’s experience with alternative therapies, and goals. Whether it is Reiki, crystal therapy, or massage, I will explain the process beforehand, so they have an idea of what to expect and understand my intentions during therapy.
How do you tailor your healing practices to address the specific needs of each client?
I may incorporate one of the other modalities, so they know their session was for their specific needs. If one of their chakras is stubborn and won’t rotate during a Crystal Chakra Alignment, I may use Reiki over that area to get it moving. I may spend extra time in an area where they are having challenges.
Before Reiki, I verbally call in their Spirit Guides and Ancestor Guides to assist with healing. Clients have told me they felt the comfort of loved ones who had passed and were deeply moved during the sessions.
What do you find most rewarding about your work in Reiki and crystal healing?
Just knowing someone leaves Wingspan Healing Arts feeling better, whether it is physically, emotionally, or spiritually, expands my heart. I feel profound gratitude for the opportunity to help my clients and am humbled they trust me.
Find out more at: www.wingspanhealingarts.com
