I fell into the healing path, literally. I had pushed myself to the limit as a competitive rock climber, both physically and emotionally, reaching what would be called in Chinese medicine as “extreme Yang”—always in motion, flooded with adrenaline, anxious and overheated. Just as Taoism predicts, eventually my extreme Yang turned into Yin, and I found myself experiencing depression and lethargy.

During this time, I discovered Chinese medicine. Tai Chi classes led to acupuncture sessions and my personal healing inspired me to follow my new passion for acupuncture. I was magnetized by the promise that Chinese medicine offered: mind and body are one; we are microcosms of the macrocosm; the body could be treated as a garden and not as a machine.

I entered The Academy of Oriental Medicine in 2000 and simultaneously worked at White Crane Herbal Medicine. After four years, I received a Master’s of Science in Oriental medicine. I left feeling well equipped to address people’s physical complaints but was unsure of how to deal with people’s emotional and spiritual ailments, which I found to be inextricably linked to physical symptoms.

It was during my second year at AOMA that I caught a glimmer of what would eventually be another path for my practice. It arrived in the form of a psychology class. Taught by Lorena Monda, a psychotherapist and acupuncturist, I saw how acupuncture, psychology, and meditation could tie all parts of a person together.

Later, I actualized the glimmer by completing a two-year training in the Hakomi method, a gentle and body-centered approach to therapy that treats the mental and emotional systems by bringing awareness to the physical body. Now, my practice is an exploration into the interconnectedness of body, mind, and spirit through Hakomi, Chinese medicine, and meditative awareness.

My goal is to help bring insight and awareness to my clients so they may heal all aspects of self, from physical pain and trauma to the lack of direction and motivation in their lives. Our work together will include relief from physical distress, gaining insight and awareness, and finding the freedom to do something new in the face of the habitual.

I am forever grateful to past masters and my teachers at AOMA for teaching me about Qi and the earth’s bounty of medicinal plants and minerals. Thank you to Lorena Monda, Gregory Gaiser, and the Hakomi lineage for the maps to navigate the emotional and mental wilderness with loving-kindness. Deep bows go out to to S.N. Goenka, the Shambhala lineage, Jack Kornfield, Larry Higgins, and all of the wisdom seekers who pave the way to happiness.