Journey with world-renowned elders, mystics, and sacred lineage-holders to discover the transformational power of Earth-based traditions to reclaim your sacred place in this world. Shamanic and mystical practices help you remember your integral place in the world can now become part of your everyday experience. A shaman can be defined as an earth-centered community guide …Read More
Author: Dr. Joel Ying, MD
Physician-Educator-Storyteller. Integrating the power of story into medicine, healing sessions, workshops, speaking and performance.
Finding Ourselves in America: Asian American Voices
“Go back to where you came from!” Imagine how it feels for someone to tell you that you do not belong to the place that you call home. When I was in school, the social studies teacher taught that America was a melting pot of cultures. What did we have in common? Perhaps, the ideals …Read More
The Lady and the Crocodile
If you want the gloryOf a memorable story,With a message to lastThrough the agesWithout being blastOn any pages,Let the rhymes looselike Mother Goose. The Lady and the Crocodile She sailed awayOn a sunny summer’s day,On the back of a crocodile. “You see,” said she,“He’s as tame as tame can be,I’ll ride him down the Nile.” …Read More
Belonging – Asian American Voices
A friend once asked my dad, “Where do you consider home?” I was having a birthday party at my house. There were people gathered in small groups scattered around the house–eating, laughing and chatting. I was just in earshot to hear my dad. I leaned in, anxious to hear what he would say. We are …Read More
Asian American Storytopia
A Message from Asian American Storytellers in Unity (AASIU): Last year, when the world shut down and anti-Asian violence increased, a group of Asian American storytellers began meeting weekly to provide support and friendship to its members. From this beginning, Asian American Storytellers in Unity grew into a collective whose mission is to promote and …Read More
Want to Get Great at Something? Get a Coach
“I learned everything I need to know in medical school.” In one model of education, we learn from experts. They teach us what we need to know. They equip us with the knowledge and the skills to enter the real world. As we are pushed or jump out of the nest, we begin to fly …Read More
The Lost Words Blessing
Enter the wild with care, my loveAnd speak the things you seeLet new names take and root and thrive and growAnd even as you travel far from heather, crag and riverMay you like the little fisher, set the stream alight with glitterMay you enter now as otter without falter into water Look to the sky …Read More
The Owl and the Pussy-cat
“Sometimes life just needs a little nonsense!” ~ Dr. Joel Ying “The Owl and the Pussy-cat” is a whimsical and humorous nonsense poem by Edward Lear, written in 1867 and first published in 1871 as part of his book Nonsense Songs, Stories, Botany, and Alphabets. The poem was written for the three-year-old daughter of a …Read More
The Power in Sharing our Stories ~ Kao Kalia Yang
“If Hmong tears could reincarnate, we would rain the world with our sorrow.” Kao Kalia Yang spent her early years listening to the stories of her Hmong family in a Thai refugee camp. At six years old, her family immigrated to the United States. Her family had little to give, but they gave her stories. …Read More
Storytelling Benefits Healthcare Workers
“So how is our friend, Anne, today?” Immediately, my mind struggles with anxiety. I run thought the litany of options, “She’s ok.” “I don’t know.” “I can’t answer that question.” “I’m not sure.” …. I return the friendly smile as I ponder the question, and I say jokingly, “I’m not sure. We’ll have to ask …Read More