Hi, it’s Victor! You’re receiving this because you were a subscriber of my old newsletter Align Centre, joined one of my workshops, received a session, or shared interest in this work. If you’re not interested, click here to unsubscribe.

Lately, I’ve been more intentional about how I go about my days, aiming for clarity and equanimity. A ten-day silent meditation retreat, without reading or writing, became the pause I’d been yearning for. This followed three weeks traveling through China for the first time in 17 years, where November felt like September and gingko and parasol trees were only beginning to turn, and now an unseasonable warm start to 2026.

I’ve been thinking about what Tara Brach calls the “sacred pause”, that moment of stopping long enough to feel what’s actually here before moving on. That pause has been present in my travels, in meditation, and in how I’m approaching winter health and daily habits.

In this letter, I’ll share a healing practice to soothe a cough or cold, a stimulus that’s been shaping my habits, and reflections from recent travels that continue to inform my daily life.

For winter coughs and colds, Lung 7 (LU7) is a foundational point.

Known as Lie Que (列缺 “Broken Sequence”), LU7 supports breathing and immunity, helps clear the head and neck, and restores openness in the chest. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) language, it’s said to “expel wind”, supporting the body in releasing external pathogens and internal wind patterns like tremors or dizziness, regulating sweating, and improving lung circulation and defensive energy.

Other common points for a cough are Lung 5 (lateral elbow crease), Lung 10 (thumb side of palm), Large Intestine 4 (webbing between thumb & index finger) and Gallbladder 20 (base of skull between trapezius and sternocleidomastoids). By the way, gallbladder is one word! The more you know… 🌠

Try it yourself: Lung 7 is two fingers (1.5 cun) above the wrist crease on the thumb side of the forearm, in a small hollow between the tendons. At the first sign of a cough or cold, gently press or massage this point for about one minute per side. Notice whether your breath feels easier or more open.

With a partner: Support their forearm with one hand and use your thumb to press into Lung 7, holding steady or making small circles. Adjust pressure slowly and invite them to breathe into the chest and upper back, sensing space and ease through the breath.

In the spirit of January 17th, Ditch New Year's Resolutions Day (yes there’s a day for everything, and nothing), and with some clarity from my recent Vipassana sit, I’ve been working on changing habits rather than setting resolutions. Some shifts are recent, like a healthier relationship with screens and social media, and some lifelong, like waking up earlier. I woke at 6am this morning, and it’s been this way for most of my days since returning from Vipassana.

I’ve been reading James Clear for over a decade, before Atomic Habits was published in 2018 and before the first 3-2-1 Newsletter which has over three million subscribers. Each Thursday, it offers 3 short ideas from James, 2 quotes from others, and 1 question for the reader.

Atomic Habits has been on the New York Times bestseller list for over 300 weeks! A few gems from his interview on the Mel Robbins podcast stood out:

This has become a quiet mantra in my newfound meditation practice. I couldn’t “fit” a 30min morning meditation (that’s another issue), but even just one minute is always possible and I can grow from there. Just do your best not to miss a session.

He uses Olympic runners as an example. They all share the same goal, winning gold. What separates them is not the goal, but the systems behind their training. As he often says, you do not rise to the level of your goals, you fall to the level of your systems.

Even if you’ve tried changing habits, or even read his book, the full conversation is worth listening to if you’re serious about improving this one wild and precious life.

🎧 Listen to the full podcast: The Science of Making & Breaking Habits: How to Change Your Life in 1 Month with Mel Robbins or watch on YouTube.

What stayed with me most in my China trip wasn’t the landmarks, but the way people moved about their days. Through my Zenthai Shiatsu studies I’ve only had a glimpse into Traditional Chinese Medicine, yet while traveling it kept showing up quietly as lived culture rather than theory.

In Chengdu especially, I noticed a pervasive sense of equanimity that felt embodied. Early mornings in parks were filled with tea, mahjong, tai chi and laughter. Buddhism and Taoism seemed less as belief systems and more like a lived rhythm in daily life.

We traveled east to west over three weeks, from Chengdu to Xi’an, Qingdao, and Hangzhou. I fulfilled a dream to visit a tea farm, three in fact, and the nicest museum of the trip, the National Tea Museum in West Lake, home of Dragonwell (Longjing) Tea.

Outside of major sites, there were surprisingly few foreign travelers. Cashless payments were the norm, EVs were common, and passports were required for nearly all travel.

I came with the intention of spending quality time with my mom and her partner for her 75th birthday, and catching a glimpse of daily life beyond Western media’s biases, as much as an outsider can in a short time. Her Mandarin made navigation easier, while also revealing how complex the intertwining of language and history is across land and time.

A small note of context: my mom is ethnically Chinese but was born and raised in Hong Kong, which returned to China in 1997 after 155 years of British rule. It’s a complex topic, and one I’ll leave for now.

I now have a proper booking calendar! Book 60, 75 or 90 minute Zenthai massages with me in Courtenay using this link: https://book.victorlai.ca/massage

If those times don’t work, reply or send me a message and we can find something that fits. Here’s a new shoulder gesture I’ve been integrating lately (links to IG).

I’m still offering a special rate for a limited time as I integrate new material from my 9-month Therapist program.

Nerdy tech note for the curious: I’ve used Calendly and TidyCal, but landed on NeetoCal, which surpasses them all for my needs.

May these practices ripple into your life. If something here resonated, I’d love to hear from you.

What are you practicing lately, or what habit are you tending, even in a small way?

A few ways to connect:

Until next touch, 
Victor

Na a na wa roka paya ti vinas santi.

May all illness and suffering be cleared. May the body, heart, and mind be free from harm. May health, happiness and peace be restored.
- Traditional Thai Healing Prayer