Lauren Aiyana has been cultivating a life filled with purpose and passion as a certified holistic coach for over two decades. When talking to Lauren, peace and thoughtful compassion radiate from her. She has an energy that instantly makes you feel connected.
You would never know that her childhood and young adulthood were marked by a series of disturbing events, which she shares that she used as stepping stones for a higher level of consciousness.
Like many in the coaching business, Lauren Aiyana describes herself as someone who faced affliction to discover her light inside.
She spent her younger years growing up on the East End in a family of privilege, a family that was baffled by the youngster who was so sensitive to nature and energetic shifts.
“I grew up in a nice house with nice things, often going to country clubs and on expensive vacations,” Aiyana said. “But ever since I was a young child, I felt very spiritually sensitive — telepathic, empathic — but for most of my childhood, it was suppressed,” she recalled.
Lauren was bounced from boarding school to boarding school, schools that specialized in what was euphemistically called behavior modification. “The schools I went to were extremely abusive,” she said quietly, describing those years as “traumatic.”
“In some of the places, I saw young people in extreme pain and suffering,” she continued. When she was old enough, she was placed into what she calls “the troubled teen industry.”
“This was very difficult, but it also made me reflect deeply on the meaning of my life. It set me on a quest to find healing, and grow and develop my own spirit, and to learn more about conflict resolution.”
This sent her on a deep investigation of self, a journey of transformation that led Aiyana to the heart of the Andean mountains in Colombia and to sacred sites across Europe and the United States, recovering her sense of purpose and inner calling in life.
Lauren’s studies have never included any form of plant medicine or mind-altering substances. She focused more on energy and working directly with the spiritual knowledge within. Her main teachers are Mama Nuiyuan, an Andean master in holistic healing and spiritual development from Colombia, and his teacher Mama Jacinto, “a globally recognized spiritual leader of the Kogi tribe of the Sierra Nevada mountains of Santa Marta, Colombia,” she said. (Both mamas are men; in Kogi, mama means “the sun.”)
“My many years with both Mama Nuiyuan and Mama Jacinto transformed me profoundly and helped me to understand that the real spirit of healing is consciousness,” she said. “And when we develop our inner selves, we also help to raise the vibration of the planet.”
She has also studied Ayurveda and herbalism and is a licensed massage therapist and Reiki practitioner.
Lauren guides her clients to reconnect to themselves and their environments. “The journey to self-discovery is one of the most fulfilling experiences,” she explained. “It requires us to confront deep-seated wounds and emerge with resilience, consciousness, positive perspective, and to actually master the things that we have gone through in a way so that good energy will come from all of it.”
Many people might think that trauma has to live with us forever, but for the past 18 years, Aiyana has helped her clients go beyond their issues and turn them into building stones of purpose and personal development. “We must make our stories mean something and contribute positively to the world.”
With her friend, Noemi Ditzler, Aiyana co-founded The Light Thread, a company that offers one-on-one coaching and transformative retreats tailored for women in the entertainment and fashion industries.
Set in luxury venues against the stunning backdrops of magnificent landscapes worldwide, these retreats focus on self-empowerment and cultivating a sense of deep self-love. “In a world that often emphasizes external validation, we encourage women to turn inward,” she shared. “Our retreats provide a sanctuary for exploring creativity and reclaiming power.” Aiyana and Ditzler also offer private wellness retreats to their high-profile clientele within their homes.
Lauren Aiyana will appear as a guest on the upcoming “Crazy Connected” podcast, hosted by James Lane Post’s editor at large, Bridget LeRoy, talking more about her upbringing, her business, and her philanthropic works with Indigenous people worldwide.
But the Hamptons will always hold a place in her heart. “I was born and raised here,” she said. “It will always hold a tremendous, unique energy for this reason. I like to connect with nature, visiting different places for walks, prayer, and meditation, while reflecting about my life. I love to visit the beaches in Southampton, and the Montauk cliffs are also very special to me.”
Why is her company called The Light Thread? “I love to weave and work with fiber arts,” she said with a smile. “The fact Noemi is also in fashion just felt like an added bonus. I like to think of sewing light into things, of weaving out my thoughts in a positive way. We want to weave light in all we do. The thread is what binds everything together.”
You can find out more and schedule an appointment with Lauren through her website, TheLightThread.com.
