• 2 min read

Self-Care Tips with Daisy Kahn

You were born with wings, why prefer to crawl through life?” - Rumi

This quote is based on Persian poet, Rumi’s, poem “You Have Wings.” The same poem on the opening page of Daisy Khan’s – founder and director of Women's Islamic Initiative for Spirituality and Equality (WISE) – autobiographical book, “Born with Wings.”


In this episode, Daisy doesn’t simply share her book but her life and her journey of discovering her wings and using them to fly. A Muslim native of Kashmir, India, Daisy spent her childhood enjoying the unique gravitas exuded by the Himalayan Mountains. Her progressive parents enrolled her in a Catholic girls’ school and, upon recognizing her artistic talents, sent her to the US where she spent high school in a Jewish community.


These changes, along with witnessing the negative image painted against her religion, resulted in not just culture shock but spiritual crisis to Daisy. Her new world may have disconnected her from spirituality, yet the longing persisted until she had accepted that she needed God. Going back to the teachings of her grandfather, she looked into herself to find God. And only after uncovering her authentic self did she find her purpose as a reformer and advocate of equality.


Of course, in her belief that God is inside every creature and His divine spark resides in every human being, she also makes sure to self-care. From cooking, gardening, listening to relaxing music, writing, to cherishing her loved ones, she reflects on the beauty and greatness of God’s beings while pampering herself. You, too, can do it. You are powerful. You are born with wings.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Snippets of the life of Daisy Khan and her journey to realizing she was “Born with Wings”

  • How the current perception of Islam and conditions of Muslims in America is similar to those of 1979

  • The blessings and battles that come with being an immigrant

  • The role of God and your spiritual well-being in self-care

  • Daisy Khan’s personal self-care tips and habits

Big Takeaways:

  • Spiritual crisis is an opening to self-discovery.

  • You are capable of enormous things but you have to know who you are in order to accomplish them. Immerse in your true nature and you will find your purpose.

  • God is in everything. He is in you. Human dignity lies in your being a container of His divine spark. Looking at the divine spark in every person begets respect and equality that make the world a perfect place.

  • It is okay to dispense people and things that clip your wings.

  • Self-care reverberates through your physiology.

  • Writing is a good way to reconnect with your emotions.

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