Articles Women of Inspiration™ Podcast EP17 – Rukhsana Khan
Podcast EP17 – Rukhsana Khan – Owner, Rukhsana Heavenly Wellness Retreat and Primordial Sound Meditation Instructor, Chopra Perfect Health Program, Ayurvedic Body Therapist.
I had the honour to interview a woman who I refer to as my Soul Sister. She is one of the most authentic, humble and inspiring humans you will ever meet and I’m honoured to share this interview with you all. Ruhkasana shares, about our current global pandemic, “When you cannot go outside, it is time to go inside, and self-discovery.”
At the age of 11, she survived an honour killing. A bargain was made to save her life in exchange for a punishment to be locked up for three years. Little did she know, it was the gift of self-taught meditation within the four walls of her isolation saved her from mental anguish, gave her purpose and wisdom and the spiritual foundation for her work today. Ruhksana joined us for a timely interview from her isolated paradise in Cabo, San Jose to share her story, and wisdom as we navigate through this global pandemic!
Rukhsana was born in Peshawar, Pakistan to her mother, a housewife, and her father, a drawing master at the University of Peshawar. Born a Pattan, her native tongue is Pashtto, but by the age of 3, she became fluent in Hinko (a language only spoken by 2% of the world population) and by the age of 5 she started to read and write Urdu. Rukhsana’s title as a masterchef came to her at a very young age. When she was 3 years old, she was paid a small sum to cook a meal for her mother and father, with the help of her 5-year-old aunt. When her parents separated, she was taken away from her mother and forced to live with her grandmother; this is when her cooking training began. From age 5-10 years she learned everything she needed to know on how to create a meal from anything. Her grandmother would prepare a dish on a 36 wicket stove and she would replicate the meal on her own 6 wicket stove. Sadly, her childhood took a daunting turn in 1971. Rukhsana survived an honour killing after she had been accused of dishonoring her family. After her near-death escape, her grandfather and uncle locked her away in her room, bolting the door and only allowing her out when she needed to help her grandmother with work. While locked in her room, she would hold herself and rock back and forth in hopes of passing the time and distracting herself from having to use the washroom. Though she did not know it at the time, Rukhsana began to meditate.
Having years of study with Deepak Chopra and David Simon under her belt, Rukhsana is a certified Primordial Sound Meditation Instructor and is qualified in Chopra’s Perfect Health Program from the Chopra Center for Well-Being; in addition to her principle practice, she is an Ayurvedic Body Therapist and Counselor, with formal accreditation from the California College of Ayurveda. Rukhsana’s expertise expands to Sivananda and Laughter Yoga as well as Yoga Nidra, which she personally practices and frequently teaches in her successful Baja Wellness Retreat for physical and spiritual wellbeing.
