Alexandria Lillian Merchant is a Certified Spiritual Life Coach, Transpersonal Hypnotherapist, Tai Chi Teacher and Reiki Master Teacher. She teaches a series of actions that bring about an expected end result… Self mastery. Because of the intense and all encompassing Spiritual Life Coaching Certification program I have completed, I know how to help my clients create the Permanent Behavioral Changes they desire.

Sifu Walt is Co-Owner as well as principal teacher for The Merchant Institute for Health and Wellness, Inc.; author of over 50 books; talented seminar presenter; as well as a student of life. Through his education teaching, mentoring, and supporting role he has learned to deliver educationally sound and safe health and wellness based classes to his clients that are focused on improving overall quality of life issues; exercise based programs in an after school format to our younger population; as well as day, evening and weekend classes and workshops teaching meditation, martial arts, yoga and Tai Chi to our community.

He is an Adjunct Professor for Hollins University, Dabney S. Lancaster, and Virginia Western Community College Physical education programs – teaching Martial Arts, Self-Defense, Yoga, Aerobics, Tai Chi, as well as various seminars and workshops. He assists in the Management and Operations of the Virginia Western Community College’s fitness center focusing on the development of exercise and nutritionally sound programs to support the faculty, staff, and students of the college, and teaches Tai Chi and Meditation for the Roanoke city parks and recreation department.

In addition to his International Tai Chi & Qigong Certification, Sifu Walt is a Certified Fitness Trainer and Performance Nutritionalist through ISSA, Yoga teacher and holds a PhD in Management Information Systems with 30 plus years of classroom training experience with Adult and Adolescent Education.

The philosophy of the Merchant Institute is to provide professionally designed classes and workshops leading to a healthier you. We define a healthier you as a combination of the physical, emotional, and spiritual wellness, spiritual is not defined as religious but a level of well being achieved through the realization of self-worth. Far too often we seek assistance in one area of our lives and find that we obtain short-term relief when we want long-term results. Long term results are a product of life changes and they have to take into account physical, emotional, and spiritual wellness. In short our classes and workshops are focused on YOU and YOUR Health adn Wellness and some of the tools we use are:

Spiritual Life Coaching – A long term tool to assist those seeking to change their limiting beliefs, (usually programmed early in life) and to take action to create the changes they desire, assisting them in living fully and caring for their Self.

Qigong, Chinese Meditation – a moving, sitting, standing meditation process used to focus on healing the inner you while still providing a gentle all body work out.

Reiki Classes – Reiki is a wonderful way to relax and release stress and dis-ease.

Tai Chi – a slow moving isometric program that improves cardio vascular, balance, stability, life functions, as well as reducing stress, type II diabetic conditions, hypertension, and a host of other cardiovascular diseases.

Guided Visualizations - is a tool used to create a vision of changes a client desires to manifest in their lives.

Hypnotherapy – A tool to assist clients in programming the changes they want in their lives.

Holistic Nutrition and Fitness counseling – focusing on using everyday foods and exercise to change and enhance one fitness and restore nutritional balance and harmony to the body.