About the Practitioner
Introduction
I grew up on the Central Coast of California. After high school, I moved to Northern California and spent five years living on the Redwood Coast. I moved to Western Massachusetts in 2007 to study Traditional Tibetan Medicine at the Shang Shung Institute School of Tibetan Medicine. In 2012, I had the great honor to travel to the Amdo region of Tibet and intern at the Tso Ngon Tibetan Medicine Hospital. Here, I studied under traditional Tibetan Doctors and attended classes on Tibetan Medicine at Qinghai University. Soon after returning from this internship, I moved to the San Francisco Bay Area and started my studies at the Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College (AIMC) in Berkeley. I completed my Masters of Science in Oriental Medicine (MSOM) degree at AIMC in 2016 and soon after became a Licensed Acupuncturist. In February of 2017, I was certified to teach Tibetan Medicine, by my Teacher, Chogyal Namkhai Norbu, who conferred my certificate at a ceremony in Dzamling Gar, Tenerife, Spain. In 2019 I completed my Doctorate of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (DAOM) at Five Branches University in San Jose, CA.
Now I live and work in the San Francisco Bay Area, offering clinical health care, educational programs, and online resources. I also co-own a company, Sowa Wellness, offering holistic health and wellness services to companies, events, and communities across the Bay Area and beyond. I love the spectacular beauty and rich culture of Northern California. My work is greatly rewarding and inspiring. In my self-care time, I love hiking in the redwoods, working out, archery, foraging, and just being outdoors. I love practicing meditation, studying spiritual traditions, and the ancient history and cultures of the world.
My Path to Practicing Tibetan Medicine
One of the most important aspects of my work is the practice of Traditional Tibetan Medicine. This ancient and powerful healing science was my first connection to Eastern Medicine. This was at a time when I first began to articulate the aspiration to work with medical care as a career. he first time I saw the striking image of the Medicine Buddha, I experienced a profound and illuminating transformation within my mind. Gazing at his sapphire-blue radiance, and serene, wise countenance, I knew beyond any doubt that I had to learn more about this medicine tradition.
Soon after this memorable introduction, I met my spiritual Teacher, the famous Tibetan scholar and Dzogchen Master, Chogyal Namkhai Norbu. He had recently launched the Shang Shung School of Tibetan Medicine. This was the most comprehensive and advanced training in Tibetan Medicine ever to be offered in the English language. The course was modeled directly on the curricula of traditional medical universities in Tibet and India. Deeply inspired, I enrolled in the program.
I graduated from the Shang Shung School of Tibetan Medicine Four-Year Program in 2012. I completed a three-month clinical internship at the Tso Ngon Tibetan Medicine Hospital and College of Tibetan Medicine through Qinghai University. I was authorized as an Instructor of Tibetan Medicine, by Chogyal Namhai Norbu, in 2017. That was the last time I was fortunate enough to see my teacher in physical form in this life.
I work with Traditional Tibetan Medicine extensively in my clinical practice. I offer consultations, using traditional methods of diagnosis, theory, herbal medicines, and therapeutic treatments. I also present educational resources about Tibetan Medicine in my classes, workshops, and other teaching venues.