Yujiao had been of delicate health since the day she was born in Taiwan.

At nine, she was diagnosed with kidney problems; at 13, asthma. Later, it became obvious that she’d inherited a family heart condition as well. When she was older, her doctors advised that she move to Utah, America—the weather (warm and dry) would be more suited to her condition, they’d said. Desperately unwell, she followed their advice.

For the first three years, she lived worry free… her marriage was good and she was financially secure. However by the advent of her sixth year, circumstances had changed dramatically—her savings were more than half gone and there was very little money coming in. In order to survive, Yujiao and her husband decided to start anew, moving to Michigan and opening a restaurant.

Running a restaurant is no small undertaking—Yujiao was not fully up to the challenge. After a while, she was mentally and physically exhausted. Her health suffered.

Furthermore, Michigan’s weather was humid compared to Utah’s, and her work was exhausting—Yujiao’s heart condition worsened. Doctors again suggested that she move to a warmer, less humid climate. This time she moved to Los Angeles and enjoyed a gradual improvement in her health.

Shortly after their arrival in California, Yujiao’s husband invested all the restaurant profits into the stock market, hoping to make a lot of money quickly, based on a tip he’d received—it was a bad move that left them with nothing.

The family quickly decided to open another restaurant… and Yujiao’s health once again began to decline. Overall, Yujiao was finding unmanageably difficult; what’s more, she and her husband did not agree on important issues, such as investments and education for their children. Her domestic conflicts and incessant health difficulties finally triggered a profound depression.

“At the age of 40, all I wanted was to be healthy for once… not to have to worry about it every moment of the day.” Yujiao explained, “I began to run around looking for help, but there was little to be had.” Finally, she signed up for the Puti Meditation Retreat.

On October 14, 2005, after she’d finished her retreat, we interviewed Yujiao again.

Happier Days, Better Health

During the 12 day retreat, she felt wonderful and her mood began to improve. She even experienced a phenomenon known as Pi Gu, or spontaneous fasting. For five days, she didn’t want to consume any solid food. Drinking only a little milk, soy milk or water each day, she felt strong and energetic; her health improved all-round. Also, she slept extremely well during the retreat.