By: Crystal Toussant
HOUSTON-Danielle Raibon (Dani) Rai is the owner of Nirvana Panacea and an oncology nurse by trade. Dani’s passion is to bring the healing power of Yoga, meditation, and healthy vegan eating to Black communities. A native of Houston, Texas Dani graduated from Lamar University with a bachelor’s in nursing. Shortly afterward, she started her oncology nursing career at the #1 cancer hospital in the world, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. There she worked with stem cell transplant patients and discovered her passion for survivorship.
As a yoga instructor and nutrition enthusiast, Dani realized the power of education and its impact on cancer prevention. It was during this time that she decided to work towards an entrepreneurship goal that will afford people an opportunity to learn healthy practices and invest in self-care. While obtaining a master’s in nursing (family nurse practitioner) from Walden University in 2014, she also completed practical hours and met the requirements to be a licensed massage therapist in the state of Texas.
As an advocate for optimal health through mindful practices, she continued her education at the American College of Oriental Medicine and Acupuncture, earning a master’s in Integrative Healthcare Leadership. Today, Dani is the CEO of Nirvana Panacea Wellness Center, PLLC, and Nirvana Panacea Refresh Bar, LLC; Companies that she believes to be the first of their kind. NP Wellness Center provides private yoga sessions, massage therapy, and lifestyle coaching. While NP Refresh Bar serves delicious and nutritious refreshments including her popular (all-natural) raw fruit/veggie juices, Nirvana Panacea is the wellness world’s best-kept secret.
She insists that the power of survival is internal and needs to be unlocked through intentional daily practices. As a holistic provider, Dani has set out to educate and change negative perceptions about healthcare. Dani Rai is excited and ready to address the needs of Houstonians in and around Houston, Texas.
Q: What simple lifestyle changes would you suggest promoting good health?
Commit to cardiovascular exercises such as walking, running/jogging, and/or swimming (low impact) 3-4x a week. Studies show that consistent cardiovascular activity reduces the likelihood of chronic conditions such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis, and even certain cancers.
Eat 4-6 small meals a day opposed to 3 large meals. Eating more frequent healthy meals help to support your metabolism, stabilize blood sugars, increase energy levels, and weight loss efforts.
Drink at least 64oz of water daily. Dehydration causes constipation and confusion. It is estimated that there are over 30 trillion cells in the body and all of them, including your organs depend on water to function properly. Invest in the restoration and longevity of your body and give it what it needs.
Get at least 8hrs of sleep every night; Not just any 8hrs but quality hours. Turn the television off or any other external stimuli. Your natural biological clock works best if these hours of sleep occur at night. If you’re having trouble sleeping at night, then a clinician maybe able to help you identify why. Chances are there a glitch in your daily routine that keeps you awake at night. Getting adequate sleep helps to reduce anxiety, control weight gain, improve cognitive function and support the immune system.
Remove negative influences from your life, no matter who or what it is. Emotional exhaustion is worst the than physical fatigue because it can’t be remedied by a nap. Often time, emotional exhaustion goes undetected until there are physical manifestations including chronic pain or inflammation which could lead to cancer.
Q: What do you think is the leading cause of obesity?
People who are uneducated on how to live a healthy lifestyle and/or those of low socioeconomic status. Those who live in food deserts struggle with eating properly and unfortunately, it is often people of color. African Americans have been conditioned to consume foods that are high in cholesterol and full of impurities for decades. In the last couple of years, I’ve seen more people of color learn to change their eating habits and many adopt the vegan lifestyle… So there’s hope!
Q: How can African Americans avoid Diabetes?
In the Black community, we must reduce the consumption of greasy, fried, and sugary foods. With daily exercise and weight management through dietary considerations, Diabetes (DM) Type 2 is largely preventable. Smoking cessation is also important not just in preventing DM but in overall life preservation.
Q: How can you best control your Diabetes?
The very best way to control or eliminate certain levels of Diabetes is by having a healthy diet and nutrition. The very best way to control DM is to work with a dietician and take anti-diabetic medications as prescribed. You must change your mindset and relationship with food. Food is fuel and medicine. While sugar in excess can be poison, especially to a diabetic. Unmanaged DM has horrible outcomes including visual disturbances including blindness, kidney failure and peripheral artery disease.
Q: How juicing changed your life?
Juicing helps with metabolism, and immune support, reduces inflammation, removal of toxins, and increases energy. Those benefits of juicing can drastically change your life. Juicing supports your metabolic function, provides an immunity boost, reduces inflammation, removes toxins, increases energy levels, and improves brain function. Juicing increases the body’s ability to absorb vitamins and minerals. Nirvana Panacea Refresh Bar host Zen and Juice pop-up yoga classes all over the city of Houston.
After a one-hour class of yoga, we rehydrate with NP raw juice. Many of our participants describe the experience as synergistic. They report a euphoric feeling from the start of drinking our juice that lasts for the remainder of the day. We’ve had similar claims with customers that have completed our 3-Day Juice Cleanse. I would like to invite all who are curious to give juicing and/or NP raw juice a try. One thing is for sure, you will quickly discover the difference between juice and the fruit drinks that are sold in an abundance at the grocery store.
For more information:
@nirvanapanacea
