I’ve been on a long journey from patient to practitioner, during which I’ve learned two important lessons. That Chinese medicine often really does have the answer. And that good health starts with yang sheng, or self-care. After a car accident ended my dreams of becoming an opera singer, I was eventually healed by Chinese medicine. Indeed, I was so inspired that I decided to train as a practitioner myself. I realised that, just as I had, people tend to assume Chinese medicine is all herbs and acupuncture. Whereas actually, the missing link that we all need is self-care. And it’s a huge area of expertise in Chinese medicine that most people aren’t aware of. Self-care is the first step – and it’s the bit that we can all do. My mission in life became to help others using this remarkable healing system. Whilst Western medicine has transformed health care as we know it, there’s a gap that it doesn’t address and that’s the ‘almost-well’, the ‘not feeling so good’, the tired out and over-stressed. This is a gap I have seen Chinese medicine – specifically yang sheng – fill beautifully. So, I founded the Hayo’u Method and published my book: both of which distil ancient Chinese medicine techniques into simple daily rituals. What I hope is that the information, techniques and tools that changed my life and those of many others can help you feel energised, well and healthy, too. I’ve been working in Chinese medicine since 2002. Alongside practising massage and reflexology, I studied TCM and qualified as a Five Elements Chinese medical practitioner, graduating from the UK’s Integrated College of Chinese Medicine. I’m now committed to increasing awareness of this ancient wisdom and encouraging people to master their own health. My aim is to make Chinese medicine achievable and accessible. In practice, this means working online as much as I’m able, with live feeds and webinars to enable as many people as possible to access this priceless wisdom.