Wellness, Asian Influence, and Who You Should Know
Hey friend,
This month's newsletter is going to be a little different. While I'm sure you have heard plenty about what happened last month in Atlanta, as an Asian-owned massage clinic ourselves, this one just hits different.
There is a lot of Asian influence within the wellness community. Acupuncture, Reiki, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, Tui Na, Thai Massage, Yoga, tea ceremony, Hot Stone, Cupping, Qigong, Shiatsu, Gua Sha… the list goes on. If you've ever been to TeaScape, you've likely received (and benefitted from) an Asian bodywork modality. It's easy to forget the origins of modalities when they are practiced so often by non-native people. It's even easier to forget the scrutiny, racism, fetishization, microaggressions, and harassment Asian people go through on a daily basis even though our lives are likely riddled with Asian influence. While it's not necessarily wrong to resonate or fall in love with aspects of a different culture and incorporate it into your life, it is important to have some awareness around it, and it's even more important to have gratitude.
In this newsletter, I want to highlight some amazing Asian people and organizations you should know about. They are some of the most inspiring and embodied people I have seen in wellness, period. I encourage you to hear their stories. I encourage you to look within yourself and burn any hidden biases you may find. We all have them, and that's okay, but it is our duty to transmute them. When we are born into an unjust society we are bound to internalize at least some of our environment. The work is to find those stories of injustice, bias, judgment, and burn them to the ground.
Who You Should Know:
1. Mimi Young, the owner of Ceremonie, is a Chinese & Taiwanese Canadian offering a Mystery School of immense depth and social awareness. I highly recommend following her on Instagram to stay up to date.
2. Red Canary Song - The only grassroots Chinese massage parlor coalition in the U.S. They are anti-trafficking, pro-decriminalization, and advocating for social work over police raids. Organized after the death of Yang Song, a massage worker, who was killed during a police raid in Flushing, Queens, NY.
3. Madhu Vaishnav takes on what it means to be a woman in India and now works with rural community development. She creates employment opportunities, financial and social independence for women in Bhikamkor. Read her story.
4. Jenny Wang, PhD created Asians for Mental Health, a directory of Asian-American therapists and resources shedding light on issues impacting mental health in Asian-American & Canadian communities. Her entire Instagram holds tons of resources as well.
Thank you for meditating on the month with us! See you in May.