At Home With Saher Hussaini
Today we’re off to Brooklyn to the beautiful apartment that Saher Hussaini shares with her partner and their dog, Knox. I met Saher at a workshop many many moons ago at Take Care Shop in DC. Saher has such a brightness about her and I’ve loved following her holistic wellness journey over the past few years. Get to know her, her wellness and healthcare journey, and her home in this feature.
Who are you, what do you do, and why?
A native East Tennessean residing in Brooklyn, New York, my name is Saher Hussaini. I identify as an integrative healthcare advocate, plant-lady, dog mama, and aspiring medical doctor. At the moment, I am a full-time student pursuing a Masters/Doctorate of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).
My transition into this field of healthcare has been quite a journey— Raised in a household of immigrant doctors, I knew that healthcare was always a part of me. The medical field was never forced on me but I have always felt drawn to helping others. At the time I met you, Amina, at a candle-making workshop in DC, I was working as an Emergency Medical Technician. I thought the obvious next step was to apply directly to a western biomedical school. Instead, I found myself managing a wellness retreat. Although this job was more operational, it felt serendipitous. One of my colleagues introduced me to her TCM doctor and my vision for providing integrative healthcare became clear. My dream is to converge western biomedicine with this holistic, allopathic form of medicine.
Perhaps the most compelling part of TCM is its focus on treating the whole person rather than disease or pathogen. We consider the entirety of one’s individual constitution to diagnose and treat using practices that have been cultivated for hundreds of years. Unless you have tried it or grew up with East Asian medicine, it can be quite confusing to understand just how it all works. So, in an effort to bring more awareness to TCM and its healing modalities, I started a youtube channel. Through sharing my ever-evolving career journey, I hope to inspire others to embark on an integrative path for their own health and wellness.
What does home mean to you? Has your relationship with home changed in the last year?
The last year undoubtedly has been one of major change worldwide and I think many have had to reconsider what home means to them. This past January my partner, pup and I downsized from a two-bedroom house in Sag Harbor to a one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn, so we literally had to redefine home. Of course, home is always going to be wherever my family goes, but I do think it’s equally important to create a space that is nurturing and inspiring.
For me this meant carefully considering each piece I wanted to bring or part with. I also selected a more neutral palette for furniture, allowing for the focus to be on pieces that bring me joy: My collection of books, artwork and other sentimental objects. Although my apartment now features a mixture of elevated and humble design - a Noguchi table rests adjacent to an Ikea Console - it has become more important to have something that I love rather than owning something for the sake of having it. There’s a certain element of joy that comes with slowly gathering pieces that really excite me. By setting specific intentions for my space, it has evolved into my personal slow-living haven nestled within the city.
How did you start incorporating mindfulness into your lifestyle and how has it changed life?
I have always been conscious of my lifestyle but learning TCM has really changed the relationship I have with mindfulness. One major foundation of TCM is qi, which can be thought of as energy on the verge of becoming substance. We learn not to view each area of our health as separate but rather interconnected by qi. Health encompasses all of our being: our mind, physical body, spirit and emotions. As qi circulates within, it also becomes directly impacted by our daily habits, such as diet, amount of exercise, emotions and thought patterns. When we aren’t mindful about our lifestyle, it can cause energetic imbalances, which take physical form as disease and chronic illness.
Mindfulness has been especially important to me as we emerge into the beginning of what will hopefully be a post-pandemic world. Life is starting to finally pick back up and it is vital that we apply the self-awareness gained during quarantine as we navigate our upcoming commitments. With a TCM perspective at play, I am now more in tune with using food as medicine. As temperatures begin to drop below freezing, I am incorporating more warming ingredients, such as roasted squashes or ginger-spiced broths. Although I love a good salad, I try to avoid eating too many cooling or dampening meals during this time of year. And if I do decide to eat a salad, I am sure to add whole grains and pumpkin for their warming effects. Eating in accordance with the season helps to boost our defensive qi and raise our inner yang to dispel the cooler months in the year.
And finally, a major part of staying mindful is maintaining a regimen of self care. I do this with weekly acupuncture appointments. Being a full-time student is difficult and there’s so much wisdom and knowledge to absorb within TCM— It can definitely get stressful! One of my favorite acupuncture points to reduce stress is called Yin Tang. It’s located directly between the eyebrows and I am always pressing it when I need to return to a more grounded state of mind.
Do you have any rituals at home?
Yes! As a full-time student, I prioritize rituals to create moments of calm. I begin each morning with a walk with my dog, Knox. There are these lovely parks all over Brooklyn with beautiful hills and sunlight illuminating the fall foliage. My morning walks are a time for me to mentally prepare for the day ahead and also savor precious time with my pup. As the season has shifted into true autumn weather, I have been following the same daily ritual: Lighting my HH candles, turning on some tunes and whisking up a matcha latte to really wake me up. If I want to romanticize my morning, I will add a few rose petals to top off my latte. From here, I enter a more grounded headspace and can face the day ahead.
How do you celebrate the holidays?
Always with a full house! Each holiday season, I head to my hometown in Tennessee to celebrate with my parents, cousins and each of our fur babies. The tradition has always been to do Thanksgiving at my parents’ home and Christmas somewhere in the mountains. My cousins are of Polish descent and my family holds South Asian lineage so each holiday is a blend of three beautiful cultures: The Southern United States, South Asia and Eastern Europe. Think perogies, samosas, and a turkey of course! The smell of fall bonfires, homemade banana bread, cinnamon and cardamom chai and pine are the scents that fill our home. Here’s to a happy and healthy holiday season for all!
Give us a moment of joy.
Every morning I wake up to my pup, Knox, wiggling his little tushy into me and we just lie there spooning for a few minutes. His love feels so pure and unconditional— There is no greater joy!
Thanks so much for sharing, Saher! Follow her on Instagram at @saherhussaini and her YouTube channel for all things TCM and living well. Take 10% off your purchase through the end of December with the code “SAHER”
