the Mandala Collective Presents

Shiva Sundari

Shiva Sundari

Licensed Massage Therapist, Reiki Master-Teacher, Kirtan Wallah, Wedding Officiant, Yogi & Martial Artist

Shiva graduated from East-West School of Massage & Integrative Medicine’s 1000hr – Advanced Massage Therapy program with a focus in Holistic Therapeutic Massage & Pain Relief in 2016.

In January of 2017, Shiva became a certified Reiki Master Practitioner and Teacher through Mary Thompson, a highly respected Senior Reiki Master-Teacher based out of Illuminations in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Shiva also had an opportunity to seek further study in December of 2017 with Rupa Majmudar, a highly respected Senior Reiki Grandmaster based out of Sivananda Yoga Ashram in Ahmedabad, India. This fulfilled a desire to develop a deeper understanding of the body’s energetic system and how it can be used to interpret imbalances within the body. In 2022 Shiva began a two year Shamanic Healing initiation taught by a highly respected Shamanic Healer Jerri Doran, she is an initiated 4th Level Kuraq Akeulleq Priest and Wisdomkeeper in the Peruvian Q’uero tradition. This tradition comes from the high Andes mountains of Peru. Her primary teachers are Ginger Lee and Clarke St. Dennis, also initiated as Kuraq Akeulleq’s.  The lineage that has been passed down to her by these wonderful teachers includes, among others,  Vilma, Don Antonio, John English, Rolling Thunder and Alberto Villoldo.

 

Shiva began teaching Personal Wellness & Eastern Studies at Dancing Prairie Massage Therapy College in 2018, and in 2020 Shiva became the Head Instructor for Eastern Massage Therapy Practices & Studies, in addition to Massage Therapy, during this program Shiva taught students Yoga, Meditation, and Eastern philosophical approaches to health, wellness and lifestyle.

Shiva has shared his love of education through various teaching opportunities, leading workshops, online trainings and classes at Dancing Prairie Massage Therapy College and various communities throughout his travels. Shiva was involved in the foundation and first few years of a course called “Massage and Medicine” through the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, developed by Dede Dancing, a Senior Massage Therapy practitioner, and the Owner & Director of Dancing Prairie Massage Therapy College. This course was geared towards assisting University of Iowa Medical students with their understanding of surface anatomy, palpation techniques, and body mechanics, while also creating an awareness of the power & integration of touch and the importance of sincere interpersonal connection in Healthcare, exposing medical students to Massage Therapy techniques and holistic health concepts. This class has proven to be a very effective means towards improving medical understanding, and has aided in bridging the gap between Massage Therapy and the Western medical profession.

Martial Arts

In 2011 Master Justin Matthews – Shiva Sundari began his martial arts journey in Taekwondo with Grand Master Lonnie Matthews and became Co-Owner of his family’s martial arts school Mireu Martial Arts in Coralville, Iowa. Between 2015-2017 Shiva studied Hapkido with Grandmaster Jaewoo Seol and Tai Chi Chuan with Master Franco Pesce. Shiva has been a Head Instructor at the Mireu Martial Arts Main School in Taekwondo since 2013 and is currently studying Taiji & Hapkido with renowned Taiji Sifu Haiming Chen, creator of Four Hands Taiji and world renowned Hapkido Grandmaster Yong Gul Son, who is the President of the United States Black Eagle Hapkido Association.

Shiva has also had opportunities to study with world renowned Taekwondo pioneer and Grandmaster Woojin Jung, who is the President of Taekwondo Times magazine and a personal friend of the late General Choi Hong Hi, the founder of TaeKwon-Do. Grand Master Lonnie Matthews began studying TaeKwon-Do with Grandmaster Woojin Jung in 1980.

On July 24, 2021 Shiva traveled to Colorado City, Arizona for his Master Instructor test, testing for his 4th Dan Taekwondo Black Belt along with Mireu Martial Arts Colorado City Branch School Owner & Master Instructor Randal Tippets.

Yoga

Yoga has been a large part of Shiva’s life and study outside of Martial Arts, he first came to Yoga through the spiritual and philosophical traditions of India, which began to synthesize with the physical practice of Yoga in 2012 when he met his dear friend and teacher, Dushyant Sarvaiya who first introduced him to Hatha & Bhakti Yoga. This began a journey of discovery and immersive learning for Shiva that led him to connecting with devotees and spiritual teachers from the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, the Ramakrishna Vedanta Society and the Transcendental Meditation method as taught by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. In 2016 Shiva spent 10 days studying with world renowned Tantric Sri Vidya Guru Avadhoot Baba Shivanandji, who founded the Tantric healing organization Shiv Yog. It is through the guidance and friendship of Dushyant that Shiva would be led in 2017 to embark on a 6-month journey to study Yoga, Reiki and Vedic philosophy in India. During this time Shiva lived in various ashrams throughout India, having an opportunity to study under multiple highly respected Indian Gurus, including Radhanath Swami, who has been a dear friend and guide on the path. Shiva spent two months studying with world renowned Yoga Guru Swami Adyatmanandji, Founder of Sivananda Yoga Ashram in Ahmedabad, India. During this time Shiva received a 225 Hour Yoga Teacher Certification through Sivananda Yoga Ashram & Gujarat University. This time-period of living in a spiritual community allowed for Shiva to deepen his own spiritual practices and understanding, revealing the beginning of a path towards integrating these ancient teachings into every aspect of his life as a teacher, person & holistic healthcare practitioner.

In 2021 Shiva began a 500hr Yoga Teacher certification course with internationally renowned Yogi, Kirtan Wallah and Teacher Saul David Raye, who has been a dear friend and teacher to Shiva since 2018. Through the influence of the heart-centric wisdom teachings of Saul, Shiva has been able to bring together aspects of martial arts, somatic movement, ecstatic dance and play, with the traditional teachings of Hatha, Tantra & Bhakti Yoga, weaving together an approach to Yoga that acknowledges the Self as a whole, Body, Mind & Spirit.

“One aspect of Yoga is honoring ourselves from wherever we are at in this moment as being a sacred and integral piece in our personal evolutionary journey. That is the beauty of Yoga, no matter our state there is always a Yogic practice that can help us to find our way back to center, even when the mind is distracted or resistant to change of any kind, the practice wears away at all that no longer serves us, until eventually it has no choice but to fall away. Dissonance always gives way to harmony, Dis-ease to ease & health, so all we must do is simply show up and let the practice begin the transformation of our heart, mind, body & spirit.” -Shiva

“My sincerest hope is to nurture a greater sense of well-being within the community, raising awareness of each person’s own roles in manifesting wellness for themselves. Martial Arts, Yoga, Meditation, are all holistic practices meant to empower and inform our life. Being a Martial Artist isn’t just learning how to kick or punch, or how to defend yourself, it is learning a new way to interact with your life with greater confidence, patience, and understanding. Martial Arts teaches us to fully engage with every aspect of life intentionally and skillfully, just as Yoga and Meditation teach us to enter into deep states of listening and self-awareness. When we allow ourselves to simply arrive fully as we are in the here and now, without trying to impose anything artificial onto the present, then the veil of maya, illusion falls away and reveals the Ananda, the bliss of just simply being as you already are and knowing fully in your heart that even with all your contradictions, clumsiness, and occasional indulgent tantrums, that it is enough to just be beautiful, quirky, You. In the eyes of the Divine, there are no “imperfections”.”-Shiva

Hours

Monday: 9:00am – 9:00pm

Tuesday: 9:00aM – 9:00PM

Wednesday: 9:00am – 9:00pm

Thursday: 9:00am – 9:00pm

Friday: 9:00am – 9:00pm

Saturday: Request only

Sunday: request only

(319) 536-1180

ShivaSundari@Mandala-Collective.com

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