Today we had a little chat with Ada Lui who is not only an early APA Diploma Course graduate, but also founder and owner of “SisaHandmade”, a very popular online store for beautifully handcrafted soaps and aromatherapy products.
Ada told us about how and why she decided to study aromatherapy, her first experience with “Vetiver” and her philosophy behind her business:
1) Ada, what were your reasons to study aromatherapy?
I graduated from Aromatherapy Diploma Course in 2004 at APA. Before that I had been working over 8 years as a merchandiser in the garment industry. In addition to well over pay income, the very long working hours and grueling life style were exactly reducing the quality of my life. I got headache, stomachache, bad temper, alienation of relationships ….then I realized there were inner calls asking me “What are the rest of the days?”, “Are you really satisfied with the results only using money to solve the problems?”
Finally I promised myself to make a change and started to search through the internet whatever I could make it different. To be honest, at that time I knew almost nothing other than business. Then APA’s website came across my sight. The first and only impression was about “natural”. I spent a very short time to consider and I decided to enroll in this course. When I look back today, this was a soul calling. A kind of energy interacting between APA and my longing soul, my inner child knowing where she is going.
2) You were one of the early graduates of APA’s Diploma Course and studied with APA’s founder Christine Saunders. Can you tell our readers a bit about what it was like to have her as a teacher and how she influenced your career in aromatherapy?
Christine Saunders is wonderful. She never told you what was the bottle in your hand in class. She only created a safe, free and comfortable atmosphere to let you experience, to play and to make mistakes. The technical knowledge is finally in the pages of the textbook, but the most important she made is how you understand the oils.
For example, when I firstly came in touch with “Vetiver”, I was suddenly drawn down from 15th floor (the classroom in Causeway Bay) to the underground. I felt that I was buried and surrounded with leaves and earth – such a tranquilizer giving inner peace. Then she told me it’s “Vetiver” and its grounding properties.
Another example: everyone had relaxing and euphoric feelings about “rose”, but then only me had the feeling to work and create something new immediately. I was feeling a bit odd in class and was worried to share. Christine explained that relaxing and euphoric are exactly the general properties of rose but it does work differently from people to people. People with tired mind don’t create, points and actions come up after relaxing – that’s my case.
Christine made me not only understand the oils, but understand myself as well as the relationships between oils, between people and between the whole living system. I drew a picture and wrote a letter to each of my classmates to express my gratitude when we graduated. Below is the one to Christine, hopefully it can make you understand how thankful I am feeling.
Ada Lui SisaHandmade
3) Besides being a professional aromatherapist, you are also an ISBT-Bowen Therapist, Certified Infant Massage Instructor and Reiki Master. How do you combine these holistic therapies to treat your clients?
Every single therapy has its strengths and weaknesses. And the fundamental principles of all kind of holistic therapies end up with the same. Clients may have different needs and lifestyles. So according to their needs and preferences to provide services, the benefits of combined therapies can provide clients with the most convenience and the best interests and results.
4) You are the owner and founder of “SisaHandmade”, a very popular online store for handcrafted soaps and aromatherapy products. What is the philosophy for your business?
The essence of my work and service is to encourage each individual to experience not only the strength and beauty of the inner self, but also to discover the magic and power of nature through the uses of natural materials and herbal energy.
5) Can you give our Diploma Course Students and Graduates some tips for a successful career in the field of holistic therapies?
There are some twists in my career life around aromatherapy. I provided aromatherapy treatments in the first year at different health centers after graduating from APA, along with studying other holistic therapies. Then I opened my own clinic at the end of 2005 and provided difference holistic therapies till 2008. When I was faced to make a choice between my clinic and my kids, I decided to be a full time mum but insisted to do whatever I could do at home around aromatherapy, so “SisaHandmade” online store was founded.
I don’t believe that people can always one kick to the end, but how you keep the passion is the key point. Not only stay on top of the knowledge, but use it, be the first client of yourself, be honest to the essential oils and your feelings, be honest to the results, go through and understand it, be and act as the therapy’s energy… and finally you will find the way out, because your energy is enrolling it!
Thanks so much, Ada! If you are now inspired to dive deeper into the field of aromatherapy, check out our next Diploma Course dates here. You can also join our free Information Talk on 3 June – email us to register.