My life is my practice

I meditate daily. I play the harmonium and chant mantras devotionally. I keep my mornings sacred for myself, and I write a fortnightly newsletter to reflect on my unfolding.

These practices have taught me that stillness holds an extraordinary amount of wisdom and clarity.

It wasn’t easy arriving at a regular morning meditation practice. A high-functioning mind like mine likes to be revving the engine in the driver’s seat. I get a dopamine kick out of filling my calendar, being the all-star city girl on top of her exercise, diet, friends and business.

Being able to sit still can feel impossible. I understand why so many people stop before they get there. But once you make your way through, the other side is a whole new world.

Slowly, over time, stillness can become a familiar home. A place you want to return to. A place that makes you excited to wake up early so you don’t miss your hour of meditation. And sometimes that hour goes by so fast it isn’t enough.

You begin to experience yourself, others and the world differently. You become less of a prisoner to your own mind. You realise that many of the things you worry about are not as solid or important as they once seemed. You develop more compassion for yourself and for others. You begin to understand that everyone is moving through their own path, carrying their own patterns, and things are not always personal even when they feel that way.

I’ve found that this changes how I meet life. Even now, when life doesn’t look how I expected it to, I can find moments of genuine happiness sitting at home, chanting, singing and practising. I’m learning that freedom isn’t always about changing our circumstances. Sometimes it’s about changing our relationship to what is here.

I’m learning to let go of needing things to happen quickly or according to my timing. I’m learning to loosen the habitual patterns that still run through me. I’m learning that the things I value most are community, integrity and having a good time. I’ve also learned that forgiveness and compassion are practices that can bring so much to our lives, and that there isn’t one right way to live.

I don’t believe we need to arrive somewhere before we are allowed to feel at home in ourselves. My life is my practice. I am still learning, still questioning, still discovering what happens when I slow down enough to listen.

I was born in Malaysia with Chinese heritage, grew up in Western Australia and have lived in London since 2014. My relationship with spirituality has been shaped by all of these places, as well as by years of exploring meditation, embodiment, energy, relationships and the many ways we come to know ourselves.

When you are with me, you don’t have to perform. You don’t have to have the right answers or know exactly what is wrong. I am deeply present with you. I listen, I perceive, and I create space for you to experience yourself in a different way.

I want you to feel seen without feeling scrutinised. Exposed without feeling unsafe. Relaxed, curious and completely yourself. You don’t have to be finished. You can come exactly as you are.

As an undergraduate, I studied languages and business. I wanted to know about the world through commerce and spoken language. I studied abroad in Dijon, France for a semester and in Shanghai, China for a year. I went to business school in London and then worked in data and AI for over a decade.

I began as a consultant for Accenture, then worked in Y Combinator startups and later as a learning designer and adjunct professor. Along the way, I became curious about inner work and completed my yoga teacher training. This made me interested in the power of touch and conversation to heal. My explorations brought me to non-violent communication, counselling and coaching training.

Eventually I came back to the body and trained in massage and then reiki. My own life has taught me that none of these things matter very much if I am not willing to actually live what I know.

So this practice is not the culmination of everything I have figured out. It is the place where everything I continue to explore meets.