Challenges in life are inevitable, but some come so unexpectedly that it can be hard to know how to respond.
From the moment I discovered I had a rare, malignant abdominal tumor in 2024, I knew I was being led to a greater transformation. The only question was whether I had the capacity to see it through.
Through recovery, I’ve come to truly feel what I’ve always believed: that you already have what it takes to face any challenge life brings to you — even if you can’t see it right away.
After more than a year immersed in deep quietude, I’m ready to share what I now call the three pillars of healing — each a pathway not only to physical recovery, but also to a more awakened state of consciousness.
The Three Pillars That Helped Me Transition from Illness to Wellness
1. Befriend the Present
Every possibility for healing arises from presence. It’s in this still point that the unexpected appears — the strength you didn’t know you had, the ability to respond rather than react, and the clarity to make wise choices.
From the moment I got the results of my first scans, I committed to using the experience as an opportunity to practice surrendering to the present moment.
The surgery left me with what one of the surgeons called “a sacrifice.” To remove the liposarcoma in my abdomen one piece, they had to resect (literally remove a part of) a sensory nerve, leaving me with excruciating nerve pain and numbness on the right side of my abdomen and my right thigh.
There were nights when the pain was so intense that I nearly went to the emergency room. But instead, I chose to surrender — to stop resisting (which only worsened the pain) and allow the experience to move through me.
Though I was fortunate enough to have Salvador beside me with his Japanese Acupuncture needles (more on that later), I had to learn to let go to receive his care in that vulnerable state.
In Yin Yoga, I often teach the concept of playing your edge. You enter a posture until it’s slightly uncomfortable but still allows you to breathe freely. The moment you find yourself holding your breath, you’ve gone too far — that’s your cue to soften.
In recovery, I learned to apply this same principle to pain. I would breathe into the intensity and fully feel instead of resist it.
What seemed unbearable at first often shifted when met with calm awareness.
We often underestimate our own capacity for resilience.
We give up not because we can’t, but because we won’t.
This isn’t about pushing yourself recklessly into discomfort — in life or in healing. It’s about recognizing that we often underestimate our own capacity for resilience.
Because healing isn’t always about eliminating pain. More often, it’s about becoming so present that you find grace within it.
2. Healing is Never a Solo Act
Illness makes us vulnerable. It strips away the illusion of independence and reminds us of our interconnectedness.
My recovery was carried not only by my own effort but by the surgeons, doctors and nurses who performed miracles, and by the love and presence of others — from Salvador, who empowered me with treatment, tender loving care and wisdom, to my family who gave me strength and nourishment, and the friends, colleagues, patients and students who held space for me when I couldn’t hold it for myself.
I learned later on that people from around the world lit candles and prayed for me at the time of my surgery. I have no doubt that this contributed to the successful outcome — my surgery was completed in record time with minimal complications despite its severity.
Today, the healing power of community lives in the simplest moments of connection — sharing a meal with family or friends nearby, calling my sister or a friend who lives further away, reconnecting with patients and students, and offering my story within a circle of kindred women.
3. Embrace the Power of Natural Medicine
Though the care I received at the hospital was extraordinary, the doctors had little to offer once I came home. There was no treatment and no cure; just monitoring.
I was left to put the tools I’d gathered over nearly two decades of practicing and teaching Chinese Medicine into practice on myself.
Hope through Acupuncture
Over the years, I’ve supported thousands of patients to recover from illness, pain, and emotional struggle through acupuncture. But never had I been so challenged to test it on myself.
Salvador’s acupuncture treatments — at first using only the Japanese touch needle technique (which you can learn about here) — didn’t just reduce my pain when nothing else could; they reawakened my body’s innate intelligence.
As acupuncture supported me to regain function and walk freely again, I continued that same movement of Qi through my own efforts, one step at a time.
Like acupuncture, walking became its own therapy. It soothed my nerve pain, restored circulation, and revived my spirit.
To this day, I walk at least five miles daily and continue to receive weekly acupuncture treatments.
Self-Healing with Food
Because the tumor and surgery impacted both my bladder and digestive system, I had to be mindful of how I nourished myself from the moment I left the hospital.
Smooth digestion, regular elimination, and clear urination weren’t just markers of wellness — they were vital to managing my post surgical pain.
With three people cooking for me daily (Salvador, my mom and my friend Rasha) during the first few weeks of my recovery, I leaned more deeply into the principles of Classical Chinese Dietetics.
For lunch and dinner, I’d eat soups for deep hydration and hearty stews cooked with meat and bone broth to help nourish Yin and blood — both of which become depleted during surgery and are essential for recovery.
Most mornings, Salvador prepared fresh berries and a bowl of cooked buckwheat with seeds and soft-boiled eggs.
In Chinese Medicine, grains in general strengthen the Spleen and the digestive system as a whole.
Buckwheat in particular invigorates the blood to promote circulation — essential after surgery to reduce the risk of clots and inflammation.
This principle mirrors modern medicine’s advice to walk soon after surgery: movement stimulates blood flow, encourages peristalsis, and reduces pain.
By understanding nutrition and being intentional with both how and what we eat, we become empowered to heal ourselves using the simplest medicine — food.
Coming Home to Wholeness
Every part of this journey taught me that healing isn’t about fixing what’s broken. It’s about remembering that you were never broken in the first place.
If my story can serve as a mirror for you to navigate your own healing, may it remind you that even amidst illness and suffering, wellness is the deepest and truest part of who you are.
What’s Next
After over a year in recovery, I finally feel ready to offer you support. And helping you heal yourself with food feels like the most nourishing way to begin.
The truth is simple but profound: gut health is the foundation of all health. From immunity and sleep to recovery from illness or injury, every aspect of vitality begins in the gut.
That’s why, on the weekend of January 31 and February 1, 2026, I’ll be teaching The Yin and Yang of Nutrition — live in-person and online, so you can join me from anywhere in the world.
And if you can’t attend live, you’ll have one week of access to the recordings and materials so you can learn at your own pace.
This course is unlike any other — a living tapestry of Daoist wisdom from Dr. Jeffrey Yuen, the embodied practices of Yoga and Qigong, and my lifelong devotion to food as medicine, inspired by my Persian roots and years of clinical practice.
You’ll learn how to eat in harmony with your body and nature — knowing when and what to eat so you feel good after every meal, and choosing foods that can transform your physical, emotional and mental health.
We’ll also practice Yoga and Qi Gong sequences designed to help you harmonize digestion and embody the teachings.
Registration opens Wednesday, November 18, 2025.
Click here to join the waitlist and be the first to know when enrollment begins.
✨ Healing begins when you remember that your body already knows the way — all you have to do is listen. ✨
