I was born in the foothills of the Himalayas, in Darjeeling, India.  I believe I inherited an intrinsic peace because of the way I grew up and was raised. Surrounded by the intense beauty of nature, I grew up with Buddhist monks, Hindu priests, and was educated at a Catholic school, yes… with Catholic nuns too! The diversity in philosophies taught me the importance of tolerance and the path of least resistance.

My home was one tier below one of the most popular and powerful Shiva temples, Dhirdham.

Every sunrise and sunset we were suffused by the sacred sounds of the temple bells and the beautiful chants and mantras of the priests.

A little above the temple was a church and   at noon we heard the church bells.

At the top of the hill was a Japanese temple and every morning at 5 AM we would hear the monk walking around town with his drum chanting a familiar mantra “ Namyo horemgey kyo” asking for alms and raising the vibration of our small town.

Prayer flags fluttered around Tibetan Buddhist monasteries “ Om mane padme hom” was sung, 108 butter lamps was a common sight and sound for us in this eclectic place that I lived.

We were also very privileged to be graced every few hours by the beautiful Adhan call – the Islam call for prayer as there was a mosque right in the middle of town.  We were told that if we made a wish when we heard the 4 AM call to prayer, it would be fulfilled- I may have made several wishes. Some have been. I do live a blessed life.

My upbringing was fundamentally about the ebb and flow of life, of deep reflections, positive thoughts, and awareness of speech, living life with enhanced flexibility and most of all, giving without any expectation, which is now referred to as “the law of attraction.” 

We were steeped in ancient spiritual culture and history. My heart immersed in chants and hymns.

It was an idyllic place until war broke out in my little town, Darjeeling and I took a mighty leap to Hong Kong.

I embarked on a journey around the world looking for answers and resolutions. The glitz and glamour of Hong Kong was my next stop as I traveled and devoured the dynamism, the philosophies, the traditions and the way of life of different cultures around the world.

While working in Hong Kong as a flight attendant, owning a restaurant and a trading company I became increasingly disillusioned as my heart sought fulfillment and peace of mind that I had experienced as a child.

As I started seeking, my whole life in Hong Kong started to lose its luster and depth.  Around this time I met my Zen master Dr. Yong Tim Lim in a flight to Malaysia. He looked into my eyes and he told me a few things about the state of my mind and how my heart was thirsty for spiritual and emotional fulfillment. 

I did not pay attention to what he said then, but within a few months things started crashing for me.  The stock market crashed, I lost a tonne of money there, the restaurant became a enormous burden and I had a huge rift with the partner of my trading company.

I left my job; I sold my restaurant and the trading company and went to Malaysia to find my Zen master.  I spent six months learning the art of spiritual healing, mindfulness, meditation , yoga and deep spirituality only a few would understand.

Spearheaded by teachings of Dr. Yong, I was able to help people have breakthroughs with their lives as my emerging gift as an empowerer evolved. 

 One morning as we were doing Qi-gong at dawn on the shores with Dr. Yong,  he said “ off you go to the USA now, the country awaits you”. Adventure and courage ran in my blood.  I had to go even though  I knew no one, I had nowhere to land.  I took the first flight from Kuala Lampur to Los Angeles…