Gitana Walker

Born and raised in Monrovia, California, Gitana, or “Tani”, grew up in her mom’s dance studio called “Rikki Lugo Dancenter” that was located on the corner of Myrtle & Lemon in downtown Monrovia. For 20+ years she studied Ballet, Jazz and Tap and performed in many professional Musical Theater productions throughout Southern California. Growing up not only taking dance classes, but also turning around and watching different bodies dance and execute movements from her mother’s “teacher” perspective, Tani really learned the body and what correct alignment looks like for everyone. Alas, growing up watching herself in front of a mirror and comparing other “dancer bodies” to herself as puberty hit took its toll and manifested into emotional eating, gaining weight at a young age and getting bullied for it from 6 th -12 th grade. Like many others, this turned into very low self-esteem and depression starting at quite a young age. Coping mechanisms included finding unhealthy habits like cigarette smoking, binge eating and purging (for a short while), extremely low caloric intake (which was all the rage in the 90’s), fat free everything and over the counter diet pills which sent her body into not just yo-yoing on the scale, but also digestive issues (including a bout with IBS), major hormone imbalance, adult acne, and never getting a handle on the cycle that was her not losing weight so she was depressed, she was depressed because she was not losing weight and plummeted into unhealthy relationships that mirrored how she felt about herself. She was at her wits end with food and dieting and “what the heck do I eat!?” and “I can’t work out anymore than I already am!” self-talk … she first delved into food. The basics, the industry, the processing of, the history of, nature and her variety, our bodies and how they mimic and need nature… watching the documentary Food Matters changed her life! Incorporating her new knowledge into her everyday choices slowly but surely started making a difference. Not only in how she started looking but how she started feeling. This led to her eventually finding IIN- Institute for Integrative Nutrition, and becoming a Certified Holistic Health Coach. IIN had a very holistic approach to health, acknowledged that we are all a bio-individual, and covered many aspects of health including mental, emotional and physical health, hormone health and food lifestyles.

She was still teaching and choreographing dance when she realized she wanted to set herself up better for her own future, and knowing she really wanted to help others, Pilates was a natural progression for her as her physical movement and exercise focus that she knew was something she could do and teach for the rest of her life. After consistent self- practice and the incredible changes to her own body, Contrology has convinced her is for everyone and everyone should be practicing it. Gitana has been a certified Pilates instructor for now 9 years, Pilates Teacher Trainer for Equinox gyms, and also Pilates Manager.

While still dancing, teaching and choreographing and spending many years travelling onboard several Cruise Lines as a teacher of the production shows, there was a lot of time to be introspective and contemplate life. Many of those years not being in a relationship, these travels allowed Tani to explore her dark nights of the soul (although she didn’t know that’s what she was doing at the time) and all shadow aspects of herself. This is also where many different people from all over the world introduced her to spirituality. From being handed a stack of Brian L. Weiss books and binge reading them, to meeting someone who introduced her to “A Course In Miracles”, to an Indonesian massage where she had a spiritual experience… this time in her life changed her, again. The best thing that came from her time on ships was meeting her amazing husband and co-founder, Christopher Walker. Feeling secure in her relationship and getting her career in order, Tani started feeling better than ever before and was finally feeling full of life and vigor physically, which allowed her to focus and really dive into her own beliefs and faith freely. This thirst for more and more information about life and our experience here opened up the door to energy, frequencies and sound healing. Growing up dancing and having a musician father, music has always been a big part of Tani’s life. Certified in crystal sound bowls and tuning forks from the Sound Healing Academy was the perfect addition to Tani’s repertoire.

Her own life experience was the inspiration behind opening Light Up Healing Arts. Knowing that each person’s journey to better health and happiness is unique, she dreamed of a space where all of the things that helped her came together so she could share her experience and knowledge to help others find their own way. Tani believes our bodies are perfectly functioning and are constantly trying to heal itself. With Light Up Healing Arts, they’ve created the right environment so it can.