Heartland Healing Arts Center is preparing to nearly double its space with a move to a new west-side location, and one of the practitioners is launching her own business, Growing Metta.
“The word ‘metta’ means ‘loving and kindness’” said Jenn Wikoff, who has been a massage therapist for almost nine years. “I’m finishing up my master’s degree, and I decided to become certified to teach meditation to children,” she said.
Wikoff plans to offer weekly classes on the basics of meditation and yoga for ages 3-17. “I want to help kids manage the stress and anxiety they encounter every day with an artful approach,’ she said, noting that a recent Centers for Disease Control report found that one out of three children have experienced mental health issues since the start of the pandemic.
“This will be a safe space, and I’ll give them tools to be able to better equip themselves,” Wikoff said.
Growing Metta will be located at 4211 Westgate Dr. in the building that will also be the new home of the Heartland Healing Arts Center, currently at 907 Clocktower Dr. Wikoff said that she and the other four practitioners – Dr. Ann Bova, Kristal Perry Guiterrez, Carley Mattamore and Dr. Virginia Voyles – each have individual businesses in addition to operating under the umbrella of the Heartland Healing Arts Center.
The new office space, which most recently housed Reliable Environmental Engineering, is a 4,200-square-foot building,
“We’re finishing up the interior renovations now, with new flooring and cosmetic updates,” said Wikoff. An opening is planned for June 1.
