Daiva Zemaitis on Music, Reiki and Finding Your Voice in Community

Were you ever told you can’t sing? Daiva Zemaitis says if you have a heartbeat, you have a drummer inside you. Daiva is a certified music therapist, Reiki practitioner and the founder of Harmonia Healing and Music. She grew up around Bloor West, High Park and The Junction, and now hosts music and Reiki healing circles from her home space in South Etobicoke. She and Margot have been part of the same communities for over 20 years, so this one feels like catching up with an old friend.

In this episode we talk about

• How Daiva went from singing before she could talk to becoming a certified music therapist
• The gut feeling in 2019 that led her to combine Reiki and music
• Why so many of us stop singing, drawing or creating after being told we’re “not good at it”
• What a healing circle looks like, from sharing and intention setting to drumming and song
• Building connection online through her membership, the Harmonia Circle
• Why South Etobicoke is the West End’s hidden gem
• Daiva’s favourite local spots

Timestamps

• 01:03 Intro
• 02:03 Welcome, and 20 years of shared community
• 02:41 Repping South Etobicoke
• 04:02 What Daiva is building with Harmonia Healing and Music
• 05:04 From Humber College to music therapy to Reiki
• 07:36 The Harmonia Circle online membership
• 09:15 Why we stop singing, and finding your voice again
• 13:09 Who Daiva’s community is
• 15:06 Why build community in the West End
• 17:11 Inside a music and Reiki healing circle
• 23:04 Rapid fire: favourite West End spots
• 26:38 What’s next and where to find Daiva

Standout quotes

“If you have a heartbeat, you have a drummer inside of you. So you are music.”

“It’s not about being good at it, it’s just about like doing it and expressing yourself.”

Resources and mentions

• The Harmonia Circle membership: harmoniahm.com/community-healing-membership
• Healing circles: harmoniahm.com/energy-healing-circles-toronto
• Humber College and Acadia University, where Daiva studied music and music therapy
• Black Dog Alchemy: theblackdogalchemy.com
• “What’s Up” by 4 Non Blondes, the campfire classic

Coming up

Daiva’s last in-person healing circle for a while is on October 26. It’s focused on ancestral connection, just in time for the season. Details at harmoniahm.com.

Connect with Daiva

• Website: harmoniahm.com
• Instagram: @harmonia_healing_music
• Email: connect@harmoniahm.com
• Join her email list

Prescription for Community: The West Toronto Podcast is hosted by Dr. Margot Lattanzi, ND. If you enjoyed this one, follow the show, leave a rating, and send it to a West End friend who needs a good singalong. Find me on Instagram @doctormargotnd.

• Eats: DeCourses Café, South Etobicoke (3232 Lake Shore Blvd W). Her go-to brunch spot right around the corner.
• Eats: Thammada Thai Cuisine, South Etobicoke (2888 Lake Shore Blvd W). Her pick for a Thai dinner.
• Treat: Village Juicery, several Toronto locations. When she treats herself, it’s a healthy juice over coffee or sweets. villagejuicery.com
• Shop: Scout, Roncesvalles (405 Roncesvalles Ave). A Roncy go-to that’s been there for years. iheartscout.com
• Shop: The Beau & Bauble, The Junction. One of the first shops in The Junction, and still a favourite.
• Shop: Black Dog Alchemy, South Etobicoke (3249 Lake Shore Blvd W). A newer metaphysical shop with oracle cards, workshops and a welcoming owner. theblackdogalchemy.com
• Shop: blooms&general, Mimico (418 Royal York Rd). A cute shop run by someone Daiva went to high school with. bloomsandgeneral.com
• Park: Colonel Samuel Smith Park, South Etobicoke (Kipling and Lake Shore). Her happy place by the lake, visited several times a week.
• Local event: Daiva’s own healing circles, and workshops at Black Dog Alchemy.
• Business everyone should know: Black Dog Alchemy, one of the only metaphysical shops in the West End.