Developing a Sustainable Life

Ayan Rivera (’04) and Liza Pascal (’04) met when they began to study acupuncture at the Swedish Institute. It was not love at first sight, however, quite the opposite. “Instant animosity,” laughed Liza, an outgoing young woman with long, curly red hair. Their yin-yang qualities are plainly visible, as Ayan is a wiry, self-contained guy with an artfully shaved head. The potential for harmony developing out of opposition eventually became apparent to the two, who fell in love and started looking for a place to settle down.

When they realized a baby was on the way, the criteria for a new locale was a beautiful, healthy environment in which they could raise their child. After considering three options—Kauai, Berkeley or Boulder—they ruled out the latter two and moved to Colorado sight unseen in April ‘05. “We stayed with a friend in Sugarloaf,” said Ayan, “and within two weeks we had a house.” The next step was to get Colorado acupuncture licenses, which they did.

Liza is focusing on acupuncture for women’s health and Ayan is doing an apprenticeship in acupuncture for sports medicine. It’s important to them that they are able to spend a lot of time with their daughter Luna, now two years old. They have contemplated the work versus family issue, with the result that both of them are seeking to create a life in their own image. 

“I don’t want to burn out and get to hate acupuncture because I’m forced to practice more hours than I can handle because we need to pay the bills,” said Liza. “I plan to continue to love acupuncture. I provide acupuncture for people two days a week and work at another business three days a week. Ayan and I are figuring out ways to partner with others to generate income based on residuals, not just an exchange for direct services.”

Ayan, who had been a partner in some New York City restaurants, continues to buy wine for them as a sideline. Liza is involved with Dr. Christiane Northrup, a hero of hers, selling high-quality supplements. They just returned from a trip to New York to attend the Urban Zen Initiative, where they made so many contacts that they decided to stay an extra four weeks.

Based on the thoughtful decisions they have made in the past, they will find their way in the future. Ayan said that when he was looking into acupuncture schools his decision to apply to the Swedish Institute was made during his admissions interview. “Jeffrey Yuen (Dean of the Acupuncture Program) told me he knew my martial arts teacher, because his grandfather had been friends with him. That helped me decide that it was the place for me, because of that connection of the teachers. 

“I wasn’t sure when I started out what the difference was between Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Classical Chinese Medicine (CCM), but the more I learned, the happier I was that I wound up studying CCM. It’s definitely in line with the practices that resonate with me.”

At this point in their practice, how would they best describe health? Ayan replied, “The path to health is about engaging—engaging with yourself, your surroundings, what you eat. When you’re engaged in what you feel and sense and do, you participate in your own health instead of leaving it up to someone else, or a substance. That would be my definition of health in a nutshell."

Contact Ayan Rivera at ayan.rivera@gmail.com or Liza Pascal at lizapascal@gmail.com. 

Locate a Practitioner >