communityspotlight by Beth DavisJOYFUL CONNECTIONS


Healing Body, Mind and Spirit A


my Nesdahl, a Reiki master, in- tuitive healer and owner of Joyful Connections, in New Brighton, began her career far from the world of complementary therapies. After earn- ing a master’s degree in audiology, she spent some time working in that field, but soon felt unsatisfied with her cho- sen career path. She began trying other vocations and eventually landed in real estate sales.


Amy Nesdahl


“I enjoyed real estate and liked helping people, but when I had my first child [in 2000], I knew that working 50 to 60 hours per week was not going to work, so I became


a stay-at-home mom,” says Nesdahl. Though she loved being home with her baby, she still felt the need to get out of the house and do something more. In 2003, she enrolled in a community education class called Metaphysics 101, and it changed her life. “After the class, I went up to the


teacher and immediately started to cry,” Nesdahl says. “I just felt so desperate, sad and alone. I was unfulfilled. She sug- gested I go to [a healer in] Annandale for a Reiki healing session, so I decided to go for it.”


After that first session, Nesdahl says she felt as if she had just gone through years of therapy in an hour. “All of the stress and sadness I was feeling just lifted,” she says. “I was blown away by how powerful and effective it was.” When she went back for another session two weeks later, she asked how she could learn the healing therapy. “I just knew my purpose in life was to share Reiki with others.”


She began taking classes and then


“testing the waters” on friends. The more Reiki she performed, the better and more focused she became. At the time,


however, Reiki—as well as many other complementary therapies—wasn’t as prevalent as it is now and Nesdahl didn’t know anyone else who practiced it. She felt alone and unsure of her path—until she told her family about her new pas- sion. She had been concerned about their reaction, but was pleasantly sur- prised. Her grandmother, Bonnie Sheets, said that she had benefited from energy healing, and added that her niece, Bev- erly Farris, was the longtime owner of The Reiki Center in Sacramento, Califor- nia. It was exactly what Nesdahl needed to hear.


“I was blown away by how powerful and effective it was.”


She contacted Farris, who agreed to mentor her from afar. “I couldn’t have been happier and she has been a wonderful mentor to me ever since,” Nesdahl says.


In 2007, after the birth of her


second child, Nesdahl got her first Reiki job. “I had always worked on friends and family, so this was my first time of- fering services to people I didn’t know,” she says. “It changed everything for me. I could see the energy align and the amazing changes happening in others. It was very profound and helped me to become more comfortable with myself and what I was doing.”


After the studio closed, Nesdahl


began working from her home, offer- ing Reiki sessions as well as teaching classes in an effort to reach more people and help make Reiki better known. She also works part time at a chiropractor’s office, which she says helped add more credibility to her Reiki work. “Back then, people didn’t understand Reiki, and many still don’t,” she explains. “Reiki is not a way of life or form of religion. It is simply aligning oneself with the energy of the Universe and moving through life with more ease and less struggle. It’s great for relieving stress, finding your


Joyful Connections


center and making major shifts in your mental, physical, emotional and spiritual life.”


Earlier this year, Nea DallaValle,


a former client and student, approached Nesdahl about starting a busi- ness together, and Nesdahl agreed. They opened Joyful Connections, a


Nea DallaValle


healing center that provides services and classes to help people through their own transformation, last month. Nesdahl and DallaValle offer Reiki, soul coaching, intuitive healing and bodywork, as well as a variety of classes and workshops on such topics as meditation, spiritual- ity, energy, passion, and the connection between body, mind and spirit. Nesdahl says the new center is one


step toward her dream of providing a place of support, encouragement and mentoring for anyone who is drawn to Reiki or any healing modality. “My dream is to create a ‘hub’ for healers to work together, get training and advice, have a safe place to learn and ask ques- tions and have a place for sharing and fellowship,” she says. “I would love to see dozens of Reiki masters in the area.” For both women, the center is just the beginning. “We call our current space ‘phase one,’” explains Nesdahl. “We have big dreams and are excited to see where the Universe leads us.”


Joyful Connections is located at 1401 Silver Lake Rd., #2B, New Brighton. For more information, call 763-229-9988 or visit Joyful-Connections.com. See ad on page 10.


natural awakenings September 2012 15


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32