Asha Chong Interview: Acupuncture 2.0

Amelia Windsor sits down with Five Element acupuncturist Asha Chong.

Asha Chong Interview: Acupuncture 2.0

‘I have been counsel to my inner circle since forever and I’m now incredibly fortunate to make this my life’s work,’ acupuncturist Asha Chong shares as we chat over coffee, shifting from talking about her practice to whatever else comes to mind. All with much ease and abandon.

I feel that same ease in Chong’s sessions. I forget my nerve of needles as Chong asked me how I was feeling mentally and physically to connect with the five senses to discern what I might need. There’s no notetaking and yet remarkably she remembers every detail regardless of the time lapse between appointments.

The beauty of Chong’s sessions is their simplicity. She draws on analogies from nature – the quality of the seasons, what they stand for and how they differ in their mood and behaviours – to acknowledge what I say about the parts of me that I perhaps may cast out or reject. After an hour of candid conversation, needles and a pertinent reading to close the session, I’m gifted with a bespoke reset and a calm and optimistic mind.

After working in film, Chong journeyed into what felt most natural: providing counsel. She chose Five Element acupuncture as her vessel – a lineage of acupuncture she resonated with 15 years prior to her training. ‘I didn’t fully appreciate the benefits at first, but they were quite miraculous because I quickly started to experience the world very differently. I felt brighter and lighter, nicer to be around, I engaged better with others and procrastination ceased.’

Five Element acupuncture expresses that the mind, body and spirit are connected to the natural elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. It looks at the root cause of illness in the body and removes energetic blockages, allowing the body’s homeostasis to be restored on a physical, mental and emotional level. Every symptom imaginable is treated in response to how well these Five Elements are balanced in the body.

Where Chong excels is in her own wisdom and humanness to treat a range of emotions like sadness, grief, anger, fear, worry and shame, which can manifest in states of stress, anxiety, depression and overwhelm. She adds, ‘I’m interested in symptoms, but I’m interested in people more – how they move and shake. From my experience, most people struggle at the spiritual level, meaning that they’re coping, but when you scratch the surface the fragility within them is revealed.’

In an ever-growing wellness industry, Chong refreshingly reminds us to keep it simple: Sleep well, eat well, stay hydrated, integrate movement, have nourishing human connection and time in stillness to breathe. Chong says, ‘If our internal awareness and our connection to nature and to others is not nurtured and expanded intentionally, then we will be changed from the outside in, whether we like it or not – by news, social media, advertising, opinions and expectations. If we let that happen, we lose agency and give away our innate intelligence of what we need’.

Chong acknowledges that her sessions cannot stop what life throws at you, but she can provide you with the right tools to bravely get back on course and to move through these situations with a stronger mindset.

What’s guaranteed in Chong’s sessions is a gentle nudge into self-enquiry where her practise shifts your own thoughts into new territory. How her sensibility, knowledge and skills fluently blend into her acupuncture is unique.

ashachong.com |[email protected] | @asha_c_acu