About Me
My work is rooted in the ancient healing tradition of Sowa-Rigpa, also known as Traditional Tibetan Medicine — a system that views health as the dynamic balance of body, mind, and the natural world. I’ve spent many years immersed in this lineage, studying both its clinical foundations and its deeper understanding of how human beings heal.
I completed two years of study with the Bay Area Sorig Khang, followed by four years in the Practitioner Program at the Sowa Rigpa Institute, where I received comprehensive training in Tibetan medical theory, pulse and urine diagnosis, herbal formulas, and individualized constitutional care. I also completed the two-year Counselor Program at the Sowa Rigpa Institute, which focuses on the emotional and psychological dimensions of Tibetan medicine and how the mind influences physical health.
Alongside this, I am a student of Somatic Experiencing (SE), a body-based approach to healing trauma and chronic stress. I’m deeply passionate about integrating these two traditions. Tibetan medicine offers a profound understanding of the body’s energies, organs, and constitutional patterns, while Somatic Experiencing supports the nervous system in releasing stored stress and restoring a sense of safety and regulation. Together, they create a powerful, gentle, and deeply respectful path to healing.
I currently offer consultations and care in Nevada City, California, where I work with individuals seeking a holistic, compassionate, and personalized approach to health. My goal is to support you not just in reducing symptoms, but in reconnecting with your body’s innate capacity for balance, resilience, and wellbeing.
What Is Tibetan Medicine?
Tibetan Medicine, traditionally known as Sowa Rigpa (“the science of healing”), is a holistic medical system with over 1,200 years of continuous practice. Rooted in Himalayan wisdom and refined through centuries of clinical experience, it views health as a living balance between body, mind, and environment.
Rather than treating symptoms in isolation, Tibetan medicine seeks to understand why imbalance has arisen and how to gently guide the system back into harmony.
A personalized approach to health
At the heart of Tibetan medicine are three governing principles that shape our physical and mental experience:
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Wind (rlung) – movement, nervous system, breath, mental activity
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Bile (tripa) – digestion, metabolism, warmth, clarity
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Phlegm (beken) – structure, lubrication, stability, immunity
Each person has a unique constitutional makeup. Care is therefore highly individualized, taking into account digestion, sleep, emotional patterns, stress, climate, season, and lifestyle.
How diagnosis works
Tibetan practitioners use refined observational methods to understand imbalance, including:
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Subtle pulse diagnosis
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Urine analysis
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Visual observation of the tongue, eyes, and skin
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In-depth inquiry into daily habits and life experience
This allows treatment to address root causes rather than surface symptoms alone.
Treatment methods
Tibetan medicine emphasizes gentle, cumulative healing and may include:
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Customized dietary guidance
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Lifestyle and behavioral adjustments
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Traditional herbal formulas
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External therapies such as massage, moxibustion, cupping, and compresses
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Mind–body practices that support nervous system regulation and emotional balance
Mind–body medicine at its core
A defining feature of Tibetan medicine is the understanding that mental and emotional states directly influence physical health. Stress, overexertion, unresolved emotions, and disconnection from natural rhythms are seen as key contributors to illness.
A living lineage
The classical system was codified by Yuthok Yonten Gonpo, and remains a living tradition practiced worldwide today—both in traditional settings and modern integrative care.
In essence
Tibetan medicine is:
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Preventative and restorative
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Deeply personalized
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Root-cause oriented
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Supportive of long-term balance and resilience
“Health is the balance of body, mind, and environment.”
— Yuthok Yonten Gonpo
