About Us

 

I would like to sincerely thank Louise Rothwell for building the San Marcos Holistic Centre. I know for me personally, and for many others the centre has been a life changing environment in which to grow, learn and share. I will be forever grateful for her friendship, inspiration, teachings and the many great lessons I have learned from her over the years.

As I am currently renting the San Marcos Holistic Centre from Louise, I would also like the opportunity to introduce you to my incredible staff. All of our gifted therapists are residents of San Marcos and offer their own uniqueness to the centre and the town.

I could go on all day about how great my therapists are however I strongly believe that actions speak louder than words. So instead, I strongly encourage you to have a treatment with one of them so you can see for yourself!

~Katherine Bird

 

Katherine

Katherine Bird began her introduction to alternative therapies in the year 2000 in India. While living in a little Tibetan community, she began by studying Reiki with a Buddhist monk. This training changed her perception of illness and opened her eyes to the world of healing within. In 2001 she moved to the small village of San Marcos La Laguna and studied Massage, Kinesiology, Reiki, Aura-soma and many other esoteric subjects.

She thoroughly enjoys doing bodywork and teaching others to be confident therapists themselves. What she loves most is the interaction with her students and clients and empowering them to look at themselves honestly by searching for the answers within. She feels honoured to witness this journey of discovery into who, you really are.

 

Jason

Jason Oppenheim started learning massage shortly after arriving in San Marcos about 5 years ago. In his own words he says, “This is my best job ever! I love this work because it is giving in a very direct and hands-on way and massage is something very positive! Unlike my work before as a building contractor, my clients now are happy and relaxed after the work is done — and they never complain that it costs too much money!”

 

 

Stephanie

Stephanie Alison first started learning about energy work and healing therapies when she moved to San Marcos in 2003. After a long career in social work, Stephanie left the United States in order to slow down, learn about different ways to help others and herself, and most importantly, deliver and raise her daughter in Guatemala in a conscience manner.

Stephanie began her formal training in 2004, learning Janzu water massage, and has since taken up Swedish and Back/Neck Massage. As a massage therapist, mother, social worker and cancer survivor, Stephanie is keenly aware of the connections between emotions and emotional wellbeing and physical health and illness. She is honoured to be a help, in promoting your self care.

 

Nicola

Reiki found Nicola Cann in England in 1999 whilst she was working as a Financial Planning Manager. From the first session that she received she knew this was something she wished to learn to empower herself, and also to be able to pass his information on so that other people could be empowered to help heal themselves and others.

She became a Reiki Master by attunement in 2004 and then left England to travel Asia. For her, this was a major change in lifestyle and priorities and a realisation of how much channelling Reiki energy was helping her heal and transform her life.

To me Reiki is the unconditional love and energy that connects us all. It is no better or worse than any other energy work, just different. I believe we each have our own path to follow and no two are the same. Reiki helps me find my own personal truth and therefore my path and for that will always be grateful. I look forward in aiding you towards your own truth and balance.

 

Ito

Ito Morrales grew up in Costa Rica. When he was 25 years old he moved to the United States where he was exposed to the healing arts. He went to the Florida School of Massage ten years ago where he began his formal training. He is trained in different modalities such as Swedish Massage and Deep Tissue Massage and specialises in Sports Massage, which is very injury oriented. With his experience, he believes he what he has to offer through his massages are the gifts of good intensions and the ability to bring your awareness to the present moment, which he considers to be very important. Ito does not charge by time because what is important to him is that the client feels satisfied by his work and the massage feels complete.

Ito moved to San Marcos five years ago to have a relationship with a family. A few months ago Ito became a father for the first time to a beautiful baby girl whom he considers the most important thing in his life.

 

Hazel

Hazel Lea Snelling has been working on living her Truth in everyday life. In 2005, after many years of allowing the Reiki universal energy to guide her on her path of self discovery, she started working at the San Marcos Holistic Centre. As an EFT and Reflexology teacher, she hopes to share her joys and discoveries with others, enabling them to empower themselves and fulfill their highest potential.

She also practices Attachment Parenting combined with Steiner-influenced educational methods with her young son.

 

Louise Rothwell, Founder

In 1998, inspired by the magical energy of Lake Atitlán, Louise Rothwell created San Marcos Holistic Centre and since then she has been teaching and giving treatments in a broad range of massage and holistic therapies. She is an internationally accredited instructor in Creative Kinesiology and Touch for Health and also feels a deep resonance with the native wisdom of her adoptive land, Guatemala, the land of the Maya. Over the last few years she has been studying with local ajq’ijab, Mayan spiritual guides, sharing sacred fire ceremony with them and investigating concepts of Mayan energetic equilibrium, sacred time and space, cosmology and calendars.

Louise’s offers various courses including a full professional training in kinesiology. She has also created simple courses which help you get acquainted with your own body’s energies by blending contemporary, practical self-care techniques from kinesiology with the ancestral wisdom of the Maya. She aims to empower people to take responsibility for their own health and well being and share ways to prepare, personally and collectively, for a harmonic transition on the approach to 2012, which according to Mayan tradition is the end of a 5,200 year cycle known as the “Change of Time”.

Louise teaches in both English and Spanish and is available to teach throughout the Americas.