Meet Nakia Smith: Holistic Practitioner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nakia Smith and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nakia, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
“I have everything I need and want. My deepest desires are fulfilled” I wrote this affirmation over 20 years ago and its simplicity is what makes me love it. It covers all aspect of a concern and it is firmly rooted in the now.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
What makes my business unique is that it is a result of a diverse background and challenges early in life which prompted me to seek personal healing and restoration. I was raised by my grandparents because my parents were not available to care for me. My grandparents taught me patience, responsibility and respect. I became a parent in high school which taught me commitment to a cause greater than myself. In my early 20’s I just had to figure it out and while I had some success in life, my thinking and attitude about life was horrible. Because of this I saw some hard times and I had to turn within and rely on spiritual practices such as deep breathing , meditation, visualization and prayer. I became a massage therapist in 2002 for the purposes of understanding the body’s ability to heal. I found that after people had experienced a good massage they often wanted to discuss deeper issues in their lives which prompted me to join my coaching and motivational techniques with body work to provide a full mind, body spirit experience. It was not easy to overcome my personal challenges but I was able to do it by surrendering to the fact that I was not created to suffer and by following simple methods of study and self care, I could heal myself and eventually help others do the same for themselves. What I have learned over the years is that we really have the power to heal ourselves . I would like world to know that I specialize in building wellness architecture and assisting people in fine tuning their lifestyle design ,for the purposes of living a life they LOVE to live!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I think we would spend some time in Long Beach. We would visit the Pike and shoreline village, maybe catch a show at the laugh factory there. For dinner we might visit King’s Fish on Pine st. The next day we might take a drive to visit nearby Los Angeles, to get vegan food on Crenshaw at one of many new restaurants. Then we may visit Leimert Park for some cultural shopping and vibes. From there we may continue further north west to visit the Getty museum and take in the views. Another day we might visit the fashion district and cruise Hollywood blvd. To calm down we may stop by Self Realization Fellowship for peaceful walk around the lake. And for dinner we may enjoy the ocean view at Mastro’s in Malibu.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My family, my husband and two adult sons.

Instagram: ilovethebodytemple
Yelp: The Body Temple Premium Massage and Wellness
Other: We are currently updating our sites, I would like complete that prior to publishing the interview . Please advise.

Image Credits
I own all my pics. I will offer more shortly.