Eastern Scholars

Healing Arts

Christopher Chen L.Ac, and Eastern Scholars Acupuncture.

Dedicated to helping people live the highest quality life.

On Self Cultivation Practice

I have my mind and my voice right now. There is a constant field of information interfering and distracting me from getting present with what is real for me right now. In this fourth week of social distancing, entering into a new realm of uncertainty and waiting, I am finally beginning to land and do a better job of taking space from information and choosing to discern from within. I am beginning the process of quieting my own racing mind and tuning into the quiet inner voice of self practice, listening deeper into the nourishing realms of practice and plumbing those depths for insight.

What I get when I dive beneath the surface of powerlessness and paranoia is this truth…

This is a serious time, take this long moment to notice how easy it is to get swept up in a dialogue of fear and action. It is now time to choose a position of being valuable to self and to others. Growth requires acknowledging the fear and uncertainty that leads to withdrawal. Embrace those reactions and accept and move forward in the present moment. Create significance by sharing that which is visionary. Radiate trust and connection with the world. Embody and lead with the humility, wisdom, and love, of a gentle and just leader taking a stand in the realm of possibility.

In this moment I have my practice; it is an old practice that has been with me for many years. It has been my practice because when I was younger, less steady and less secure in myself, I thought that diligent practice would allow me to be good enough to exist in this culture. The practice itself has allowed me to grow up, to realize that I am, just like you are, enough. Enough to be worthy of love and joy and significance in this life. It is a practice that grows within the confines of my consciousness and allows me to experience and share the spaciousness of my soul. More than ever it is this practice that has been the vehicle for insight, awareness and community around me.

I have my family and my community. Without having a family and a community to serve, the level of grounded and meaningful purpose I have in my life would be hard to match. There is a constant acknowledgement of my own insecurity as I find myself finding my way back into alignment with a greater vision for a world of freedom, of love and of choice. Each time I find my way back I remember that which is potent and brought me here in the first place. Having this connection to familiarity and the patience to keep returning to my practice ground me in the possibility of landing in the simple greatness of community.