Ancient wisdom teaches that life began with sound, carrying a truth that resonates through all existence. Through our stories, our voices, and our practices, we remember, return, heal, and awaken to this truth, walking the path toward our destiny - toward our Self. This is my story - a journey rooted in traditions, nourished by life, and unfolding through presence. 

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It all begins atop the "Montagne Noire", a mountain in southwestern France, where wind, stone, forest, and ancient history intertwine. I was born in Occitanie, a land where the Cathars' spirit lives on and folk medicine has been practiced for generations. My family is of a lineage of traditional healers known as "fire cutters", or in French, "coupeurs de feu", or "faisuers de secrets". This ancient spiritual method can help relieve burns and other ailments, such as shingles. These practices were common, discreet, passed down, and deeply woven into the fabric of local life.

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As a teenager, I developed an illness that gradually affected my vision. While our spiritual methods could not directly reverse the physical effects, they revealed something essential: healing is a mystery extending beyond the body and what the mind can grasp. It follows natural universal laws that cannot be controlled. Healing is a journey we walk hand in hand with ourselves, an ongoing process of integration toward Self-realization, unfolding in its own time and in its own way. Healing is not the absence of illness. Illness itself is a natural part of life's journey. It can become a companion, teaching us to meet challenges with honesty, listen more deeply, and discover the truth of what we are. From that awareness, we can grow, live fully, and flourish through whatever life brings. This understanding became the foundation for my life and exploration of meditation, which eventually led me to Reiki.

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In my early twenties, after several recurrences of vision loss, I noticed a pattern: each recurrence coincided with significant periods of emotional crisis in my life. It was then that I committed to remaining attentive to stress, tending to my own needs and rhythms. I experienced for the first time the connection between mind and body, discovering the importance of mindfulness, compassion, and navigating life from a place of deep listening and reflective care.  With this realization, I had found my healing path. The illness stopped progressing, leaving scars that became part of my journey, scars I had to learn to live with. 

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A few years later, I met my husband in Asia, where we lived and worked for several years, immersed in cultures that offered new perspectives, rich experiences, and opportunities. Engaged in this new world, my attention turned outward, widening my understanding of how people live, adapt, make meaning, and express themselves. I grew increasingly drawn to Asian arts and philosophy, especially their emphasis on balance and harmony with the natural flow of life, which echoed what I had begun discovering within myself.

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After moving to Chicago, raising our children, and navigating their special needs, I found myself once again overwhelmed by stress—feeling alone, powerless, lost, and hopeless. It was at that moment that I remembered and returned to meditation, a path that led me in 2008 to my first Reiki teacher, Ramaa Krishnan, and a lively circle of her students. For seven years, our weekly gatherings, rooted in shared stories and mutual support, nurtured my spirit and well-being, evolving into deep friendships and soul companionship. It was here that I realized another profound truth: community itself can be medicine, a source of healing, resilience, and connection that lasts well beyond the class. 

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As I dived deeper into self-care and self-exploration, my practice naturally expanded. Parenting neurodiverse children shaped my journey in profound and often demanding ways, as navigating stress, anxiety, and sensory overwhelm requires constant presence, patience, and compassion. Witnessing my children's unique ways of experiencing life, and the challenges these bring in society, led me to integrate Reiki more fully, not just as a personal practice, but as a way of life. When my nine-year-old struggled with severe anxiety and sleep difficulties, I began offering Reiki and discovered that this practice not only nurtures and empowers each person in becoming more fully themselves, but over time also strengthens the delicate balance and well-being of the family as a whole.

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In 2012, after completing all my Reiki trainings, my teacher invited a few of her students to offer Reiki professionally at her studio. Initially, I declined: to me, Reiki had been a personal practice naturally woven into family life, rather than a professional pursuit. But her simple guidance, “If a client contacts us and you are available and open, you can decide,” made it feel manageable. This became my first step into community work and the beginning of my journey as a Reiki Professional Practitioner, eventually leading to the launch of Moonstone Sanctuary. Teaching unfolded just as organically. Some time later, a young, terminally ill client asked to learn Reiki with her family. Though hesitant, I could not refuse. Saying yes opened another chapter, allowing me to step into the role of a Reiki Teacher and support individuals, families, and communities. 

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This path led me, over the years, to offer Reiki in a wide range of settings: volunteering with cancer patients at Elmhurst Memorial Hospital in Western Chicago and the Cancer Wellness Center in Northbrook; participating in the Reiki Brigade throughout various Chicago communities—including the police department and organizations supporting non-violence; and offering sessions at The Mather, a senior living community.  I  have also practiced and taught Reiki in several yoga studios, creating opportunities to support clients and students both in groups and privately. These experiences have deepened my understanding of Reiki in its capacity to support individuals, families, and communities in navigating various life challenges. This inspired me to develop programs tailored to the needs of those I meet along the way, while continuing to grow as a practitioner, a person, and a mom.

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In 2016, I began studying with Frans Stiene to explore more fully the Japanese way of Reiki. Visits to Japan in 2018 and 2019, along with my involvement with the Japanese Culture Center in Chicago, deepened my appreciation for the cultural, spiritual, and aesthetic roots of this practice. This exploration naturally led me to engage in related disciplines such as Shodo (Japanese calligraphy), mindfulness, and Zen, each reminding me of our profound interconnectedness with all life.

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Today, Reiki has become less something "I do”, but something "I become". When we embody the Reiki principles, practice, and daily life flow together, informing and shaping one another as a single, continuous movement. What began as a self-care practice has evolved into a way of being in the world. I offer Reiki so we may remember and realize our natural wholeness, our belonging, our humanity, and awaken to the boundless potential that exists in the quiet space at the heart of all things. Presence is the real medicine —everything arises from it. ​May we each walk our chosen path with sincerity, compassion, and freedom for the benefit of all.