Alex Vu: The Quiet That Heals

Ross Tayler (00:00)

Hello, I'm Ross Tayler, your host and guide for Sacred Sundays, a space to slow down, tune in, and return to what's sacred within and around you. I'm also a life coach for empaths and sensitive souls, walking alongside those who are ready to come home to who they actually are. These conversations are part of fulfilling that purpose, a collective exploration of what it means to live in connection with the sacred. Some weeks you'll hear a sound-based offering to open the space. Other times we'll simply begin in conversation. However it unfolds, this is an invitation into presence, connection, and the beauty of the unseen. If these conversations find you, please subscribe, rate, and share so others can find their way here. Pour a cup of tea, settle in, and let's begin.

Ross Tayler (00:48)

Today on Sacred Sundays, our guest is Alex Vu. Alex is a holistic healing practitioner based in Nanaimo, BC. She traded the busy streets of Hanoi and Vancouver for mountain views, ocean air, and the occasional deer sighting, though she'll tell you the mermaids were the real selling point. Her practice weaves together Reiki, mindfulness, yoga, sound healing, and Buddhist philosophy, tools she's drawn to because they don't just explain life, they help you actually live it. Freedom has been a theme for Alex since she was young, and her understanding of it has deepened over time. Today her work centers on community wellness, empowerment, and helping people find genuine purpose. She's a night owl, a passionate hiker, and someone who doesn't take bird sounds or mountain air for granted. And she's genuinely excited about where we are headed, as more of us start asking bigger questions and taking our wellbeing seriously. Welcome, Alex.

Alex Vu (01:52)

Hi, Ross. Thank you for inviting me. I'm excited to have our chat today.

Ross Tayler (01:59)

You're welcome. I'm happy to have this conversation with you as well. Alex is actually going to start by guiding us through a Reiki meditation, so I'm just going to pass it over to you, Alex.

Alex Vu (02:12)

Yes. I don't usually plan things like this ahead. We'll see what energy we're bringing in for our meditation. This meditation will have Reiki, which is a cosmic healing energy. Maybe a lot of us already know what Reiki is. It is a timeless meditation. We can always return to it and sit with it whenever we need a recharge.

So here I have an oracle deck, one of my decks about animals. We'll pull a few cards to see what theme, or what spirit animals, are coming in with us this time.

So we got sea turtle. And we got frog. In our deck here, the sea turtle is grazing on the ocean floor, with colorful corals and other tiny turtles and turtle eggs all around. So there is a cycle that we can see. When we think of turtle, I think we all have different keywords. When we talk about turtle medicine, this deck says that it's about finding our element, figuring out alignment when we ground, when we center, when we move with steadiness. And the frog here is jumping up from a lake. The lake surface is frozen, and when it hops up, it latches onto a branch, and behind it is the sun. The keyword here is, evolve into your next becoming. I think there's an idea for us here, in however we would like to connect with sea turtle medicine and frog medicine.

So I invite us to be comfortable wherever we are, in whichever posture we choose for the meditation. If we choose to lie down, then make the space cozy. If we choose to sit, maybe have our back resting on a wall or on a chair.

And then we'll return to our breath. Observe your breath, either through your nose or your mouth. And as we follow the breath in and out, see where our body is moving along with the breath.

Now we bring our awareness all the way to our back body, where it connects with the surface underneath, and let the body relax a little bit more here.

Breathe into the soles of our feet, all the way to our ankles. And then we send our breath to nourish the calves, the shins. We can imagine the inner layers, like our muscles, our soft tissues, all the fluids, the nerves, the tiny energy channels. They all return to their most balanced state.

Soften the knees, and all the sides of your thighs, allowing the legs to become heavier and heavier.

And then we send our breath into the hips. Imagine that with every exhale, you're letting go of any tension here. With every inhale, we're bringing nourishing energy into our system.

And now we breathe into the whole back body. Let our back body expand and soften a little bit more here, from your tailbone all the way to your shoulders. Go in one more layer, to the spine, our internal organs, all the way to the top layer, and let your chest and your belly move naturally with the breath.

Let your breath flow down your arms, from the tops of the arms, the shoulders, down and down to the fingertips. Along the way, you can go as slow as you need. Let your arms become heavier and heavier. Just keep releasing.

Breathe into your neck, all the inner layers. Let your breath expand through the back of your head, the sides of your head and the ears, the crown of your head. And now we relax all the muscles of our face. See if you can invite the body to just be.

And now we follow the breath inward, into our heart center. Right in between our ribs, there is our inner home. See what we feel as we are hanging out here. What do we see? Sometimes it's just an idea of colors, of texture. Sometimes we see clearly what we have invited here to make a cozy home. Take a few moments to just hang out, without any comments, any analysis.

And then we ask ourselves, what is it that I need the most to continue my path? You can repeat this to yourself a few times to reinforce the energy, the frequency. Notice where you feel it right now. Send your breath there. Let the energy flow.

Whenever you are ready to return, we can return to the breath first. Maybe it is still the natural breath, or we can take a deeper, more expansive breath, perhaps breathing out through the mouth. Maybe bring some movement back into the body, as gently as you need.

Thank you.

Ross Tayler (15:22)

Thank you, Alex, I really enjoyed that. I'd love to start by asking you, what is most alive for you right now in your work? What are you noticing in your offerings and the clients you're working with? What themes are you noticing? What would you like to share about that?

Alex Vu (15:45)

Oh, totally. I think we do move with certain themes, like the collective energy. Sometimes there will be people who come in working with the throat, and it can be very subconscious. Sometimes it doesn't come up in their healing intentions, but as we work together, we can feel the throat energy starting to release and relax. And as we move through those spaces and times, I'm working with those energies myself too. Sometimes it will be about rooting, sometimes it's about working with our little inner kids.

Recently, interestingly, I wrote about it in a newsletter two days ago. When I'm not lazy, I'm pretty on top of the game with the newsletter. I try to put one out twice a month, but sometimes it takes commitment and a bit less procrastination. I have a strong procrastination that I always work with personally. The idea has been about Ho'oponopono. I need to say that I am not a qualified facilitator of Ho'oponopono, so I can only share from my intuition and what I've read about it so far.

Last month, in one of the sound baths, the theme was about forgiveness, about bringing in grace. I still didn't know what we would talk about or share in that sound bath. I don't usually plan ahead. I just let the energy guide us collectively, and then it shows up on the day of. Then I got the information about Ho'oponopono, and I'm like, how would I go about that? But I decided to give it a try. In the gathering, we were invited to sit with that energy and the four short prayers I think a lot of us are familiar with: I'm sorry. Forgive me. Thank you. I'm grateful. And we were contemplating on that.

After the gathering, in different conversations, at least three of my friends who are also energy healing practitioners talked about how they had recently been practicing Ho'oponopono, and one of them even facilitated a workshop about it. I was like, wow, something must really be going on here.

So I did more reading about the practice itself. Traditionally, a lot of us might know of Ho'oponopono as being about bringing in harmony and reconciliation, maybe with conflicts between family members or in the community, or asking for grace and blessings when there are disasters that affect people's lives, because that would be reconciliation with the gods as well. Beyond that, I learned that it's also very powerful for working with generational karmic imprints, or I would say patterns, let's put it that way, and the patterns can show up at all levels and in all forms.

When we think of what's passed down to us generationally, it could be from the direct family members we grow up with, or it could be something genetic in our ancestral line. It could be from our own self, from previous lives, if we're someone who believes in reincarnation. These patterns can show up as certain body discomforts, ailments, tendencies, habits, all that jazz. So when we work with those, we ask for forgiveness by bringing in the prayers, to reconcile with all the past things we might have done that created harm. And the vibration of grace and forgiveness, and that opening of the heart, bring in healing that way.

And it was quite profound when my friend shared the long prayers with me, not just the short prayer, the four sentences that a lot of us are familiar with. The person who brought the modern Ho'oponopono practice to the world was a kahuna, a female kahuna, called Morrnah Simeona. She had long prayers as well, and when I listened to the long prayers in her original voice, it landed differently. It's very profound, and grounded, and humble at the same time.

So that's a long answer to your question, I guess. It has been working with internal imprints, without blaming, without pushing them away. It's just sitting with them and asking for understanding, asking for reconciliation.

Ross Tayler (21:24)

I'm familiar with the practice of those four statements, and I think it's been about 12 years or more since I first worked with it. It is a powerful way of moving energy within us. At one point, I came across a teacher by the name of Ihaleakala Hew Len. He's a Hawaiian fellow, and he has some really interesting stories about how he worked with it. I believe he's passed. One of the stories is that he worked in a psychiatric hospital, and he really saw this practice as a way of taking responsibility. It's like shadow work, right? The reflection we're seeing outside of us is created by us, and we take responsibility for that. He used to refer to it as a process of cleaning his internal system and his internal landscape, so that what was outside of him would change. In this psychiatric hospital there were all sorts of challenges and problems when he started working there, and he cleaned himself to clear and change the movie he was witnessing in that hospital. His goal was that people healed and left the hospital. And apparently that's exactly what happened.

Alex Vu (22:41)

Yes, I read about him too, and I agree with what you just said. It's about taking responsibility, rather than the other way around, right? And he was the one who brought the practice from Morrnah, the kahuna, into the world and made it more well known through his work.

Ross Tayler (23:04)

And it's a radical process to really take responsibility in that way, and yet it's also so empowering to realize we can do that just on our end. It makes me think about something I saw on your website that caught my attention. You said, until it hurts somewhere. In terms of what brings people to healing, we're going along doing our everyday, and then it's when it hurts somewhere that we reach out for help. What would you like to say about that?

Alex Vu (23:41)

I think it's in our nature that the things that stand out more are the things we put our focus on, right? When things are all up and running and functional, we don't really look at them. For example, breathing. I usually mention this in yoga practice: our breathing is so important, it's the indication that we are still alive. But when we breathe normally, when our lungs work and the air quality is fine, all of that is up and running, and we don't really notice our breath. Not until we have sinus or lung issues, or we go somewhere with air pollution. Then we complain, or then we're like, I wish.

Then the polarities come in, the contrast. When we feel pain, when we feel, I need healing, I need recovery from this, it's a great motivation for that conscious decision. Do I want to do something about it? Maybe, maybe I don't. It doesn't really matter what we choose, but we own that decision now that we have awareness. So I think if every day is peaceful, if every day we are healthy, we might not value health and peace as much, compared to when we experience the other side.

Ross Tayler (25:16)

The body is trying to get our attention too when there's pain. It's trying to tell us something, to communicate something. And you're right, we don't appreciate things until we see the contrast. Love and fear, there's a lot of polarity in our experiences, and pain is one of those. One of the things you also mention is the importance of purpose in our lives. What would you like to say about purpose? It's something that I've explored over the years as well. My experience is that it seems like such a big word, and yet it might be a lot simpler than any of us realize. So I'm curious about your take on purpose.

Alex Vu (26:04)

Yeah, I agree. It does sound big. It sounds a little bit cliche too, right? Search for your life purpose. I do think it comes with the phases of life too. When we live our life normally, when we have nothing to complain about, when we show up to our school, our work, show up for our family, and every day is the same, and we are content with that, then that can be our purpose in life too: to bring that steadiness, that stability, into life. And it is shared naturally, just by us being ourselves, doing the things we do.

Purpose? Everyone has a different spectrum and definition for it. Some people's purpose is just, I want to be peaceful, I want to be a happy person. Some people will be like, I want to change my family and make my family peaceful and happy. Some people are like, I want to share wisdom and compassion with the whole world. So the scale is very much unique and personal, and so is the vision of life, right? Because I think even two people who are so close to each other still live in two different worlds, because we have different views, different definitions of every single thing. Coffee, Hawaii, cars. And because of that, our worlds are different, and the definition of life purpose is different.

But when I think about it, there must be a reason we are human. Around us there are trees, there are fish, there are dogs and cats. Why aren't we a dog? Why aren't we a tree? Why are we human, with the capacity that we have? And how do we really appreciate this human rebirth, with the capacities and potentials we can tap into to bring positive impact, not just to ourselves, but by sharing it too? Because when we can share, that means we have more than just enough. We aren't lacking. We have the surplus to share.

And that also leads into community, right? We are always influencing each other. When we look at certain people around us or on the internet, our minds start to analyze. Oh, I like that. Oh, I don't like that. Oh, I resonate with that person. No, that doesn't sit right with me. What is the problem here? Maybe it's not a problem, but it is our own internal projection. Because if you and I sit together, Ross, and you say, Alex, the tea is really good here, and I'm like, the tea is terrible. The tea is just being tea. It is me who has an issue with that, right? So that is something to look inward at. If we find that life is boring, that life is lacking, if we complain about the rain, the snow, the sun, or the people crossing our path today, then internally we aren't yet happy. And the outer world cannot make us happy if we don't do it ourselves. So a life purpose doesn't have to be something far out. Sometimes it is just about how to be at peace with life, how to be in relationship with life as it is, without the what ifs, or needing it to be a certain way.

Ross Tayler (30:22)

I think you touched on so many aspects of how we view purpose and how we experience purpose. What's coming up for me is the example of the Walmart greeter who loves their job, loves what they do, shows up with passion every day and makes a difference to everybody who comes through the door. That can be purpose. We might not view it that way, but it absolutely can be purposeful. And it's a choice as much as it is anything else. I think it's a way of being more than a way of doing, which is an important distinction to consider.

Alex Vu (31:02)

Yes. Sometimes we have certain social concepts about what success means, right? What does it equate to? You need three villas, plus one vacation home and two cars, for example. But sometimes it's very intrinsic, very internal. It's a state of being, like you say.

Ross Tayler (31:22)

Absolutely. So Alex, I'm also curious about your journey to the work that you share in the world. What has informed you, and your way of working with people, that is important for listeners to know? Because I think we can always relate to each other's stories. What would you like to share about your story?

Alex Vu (31:47)

Yeah, my story, let's see. I have been doing this full time for about five years, and that's when I moved to Nanaimo from Vancouver. I grew up in Vietnam, and I moved to Vancouver for university. After university, I worked in corporate there for a few years. And through that whole time, when I was younger in Vietnam, when I went to university here, when I worked, I was still searching for what would be purposeful in my life. What is it that I'm here for? And I couldn't find it.

My life was quite peaceful and normal. I had good friends, I had good family. I traveled occasionally. I read what I liked to read, and I worked with really lovely folks too. But something inside was still lacking, because I couldn't find that fulfillment. Until it just clicked. I don't know how, but one day I woke up and I had figured out my life purpose. I don't think I was too spiritual at that time. I would say I have always been fascinated with stories about spirits, UFOs, something mythical, or even past life regression hypnotherapy. I couldn't pinpoint it and match it all together, but I really liked metaphysics.

So when it crossed my mind, when I woke up, I realized, wow, I know what I would like to do in my long-term vision. I would like to have a meditation retreat for people who are super stressed out in corporate work, for example, or who just need time to return and reconnect with life, reconnect with themselves, with nature. That can be a place for them. And it also sounds like a great retirement idea for myself. Then I dialed back from there. What would be the first step? What would be the second step? Slowly I mapped my way out of the life I had at that time. I started out with yoga training, and from there it led me to Reiki.

And I realized Vancouver was probably a bit too busy for me now. I really love Vancouver, but I feel most at peace with nature. I enjoy hiking, I enjoy camping and just being with nature a lot. Growing up, and living in Vancouver too, it's always been big cities. And like we talked about before, the contrast makes a difference, right? When we grow up with certain things, we take them for granted, and we want something new. So it was for me. I wanted somewhere with way more nature and way fewer people. And luckily I got to land here on Vancouver Island.

I hopped in with both feet once I gained confidence in my practice, because I was already practicing yoga and Reiki in Vancouver. I didn't think things through too far. I was like, okay, let's go. Let's go figure it out. It's usually still like that. I still don't plan my life ahead, you can tell. If you play chess with me, you can always win. I don't have a strategy. I don't have any game. So when I moved here, maybe I wouldn't recommend my style, because my learning curve was really sharp. I really enjoy the journey, but it's not always rainbows and roses. It is about the attitude. I met a lot of new challenges and obstacles, moving here without ever having been to Nanaimo before, learning everything from scratch. How to fix a house, how to caulk a crack, how to fix the car. Learning everything. But I didn't complain at all. For me it was just like, this is something new. Okay, that's terrible, how do I find help? And I enjoyed it, because I knew I had chosen it on purpose. And I hopped into self-employment with both feet, transitioning directly from corporate. That's a sharp learning curve too.

What's been fulfilling is my connection with people. I show up as myself, and I need nothing from them. And they come to me, and they also need nothing from me. So the connection I feel is really equal, and very respectful and grounded that way, I would say. When people show up at my studio for meditation, for Reiki, for sound healing, one of my intentions is to empower people and give them the tools so they can take care of themselves, and they don't need to hang out with me for too long. Empowerment is great, right? Because when we can share that, we know that healing starts with ourselves. We have that ability, we have that capacity. And then we are independent in that way. At the same time, we are still interconnected.

Ross Tayler (37:51)

It's really clear to me that you live the practices that you share. You live this way of being in the moment, and your spirit and your energy really come across as you practicing what you're sharing with others, which is really beautiful. I really love the energy of that. And I want to take a little bit of a surprising left turn, because one of the things you said in your bio was that you're a night owl. This is something I find interesting, because I've met a lot of people over the years who are also night owls. I wonder what you would say about that, because I have my own thoughts about it. I used to be a night owl years ago, but not so much now. What would you like to say about being a night owl?

Alex Vu (38:38)

Yeah. First, I kind of think maybe you are a morning riser, because I saw the time slots you gave me, and I said, how about we start first thing in the morning? And here I am, 8 a.m., we sit together. I woke up at 6:30 today. It felt great. I had the idea that, wow, today will be a long and productive day, and I was very pumped about that.

For me, though, I'm someone who is not good with scheduling and planning. Actually, a side note, I hadn't even worked with a calendar or planner until this year, literally from January. Before that, my life had been quite sporadic, and I just left it to the ancestors to guide me. I'm more productive at night. I can stay up until 1 or 2 a.m. with no problem. And I find that at nighttime, I'm not distracted. Everything's quiet and dark, and only my space is lit up. What I mean is there's no distraction, even outside the window, right? And so I have all that time to do the things I like to do. Lately, as of this past year, that has been committing to sit down and do my daily Buddhist practice. Because as someone who has chronic procrastination, I don't have a good relationship with habits in general. It wasn't a struggle, it wasn't running away or denial at all. I just don't do things, and that's it. It's very natural for me. But at night, I do feel more inspired and focused. In the morning, all the people around me are awake too, and I have certain commitments, or I'm hanging out with people, right? So I don't have time for myself. Time for myself is at nighttime.

For so long I had been studying and working nine to five, and now that I'm self-employed, a lot of the time I refer to this as my retirement era. I choose my own work time. Instead of working nine to five, now I work 24/7. But there are no commitments, no meetings, no sessions in the morning. I can sleep until kingdom come and then do my work. How about you?

Ross Tayler (41:19)

You reflected exactly what I thought you would, which is the quiet. I appreciate quiet as well. For example, during spring break, I noticed moving through Nanaimo that there weren't as many cars at certain times of the day. In the morning especially, when the university is filling up, it's quite busy around where I live, and I really appreciated the lack of traffic around the university. I remember during COVID, people were inside and everything was quieter, and I appreciated that.

So what I see and observe in those who call themselves night owls is exactly that. The world is quieter. People are sleeping. So there's an energetic quiet as much as an overall quiet. And there's an opportunity to connect with yourself in a different way because of that quiet. I think this is really true for those of us who are sensitive and empathic in how we experience the world, because honestly, the world is very noisy. You mentioned going from Vancouver to Nanaimo and being near nature. I can relate to that as well. I lived in Vancouver for the majority of my life growing up. Last year I went to a wedding in Vancouver, and I was driving, and I was like, wow, what happened? I used to be able to navigate driving through Vancouver with my eyes closed, and now it's a chore, because there are bike lanes and busyness and so much happening. It's so much stimulation. Nighttime is the opposite of all of that, and it's nurturing and nourishing. I'm glad you reflected that, because I think you might have helped normalize it for someone who might be judging themselves for not being able to handle the everyday nine to five you were describing. It's fascinating to me.

Alex Vu (43:23)

Totally. We have a lot of social pressures and norms, right? And then we question ourselves: oh my God, is it even healthy? People might think I don't have a good routine, for example. But I think we operate differently. We are built a little bit differently, our inner elements. So certain times of day might work differently for us, in how we navigate the collective energy.

Ross Tayler (43:53)

My previous partner had a practice of being very creative at night. And what I saw was that even though there was a physical tiredness in the body, there was so much gained from being able to move that creative life force, and a connection to something greater during those times. Because the quieter it is, the more connection to spirit there is as well. So there was something to be gained from that creative energy being able to express itself, even though there was a tiredness in the body in some cases. That's my observation.

Alex Vu (44:26)

Could be. According to studies, our brains might not enjoy staying up that late. But I'm not sure. I think we know the most internally. And social norms too, if we talk about those, right? Think about the work we choose to do. I'm not just talking about our work here, Ross and me, but all of us who are committed to our passion, or transitioning from a job that's just a job to a career, and the career equating to our purpose in life, and not feeling guilty about that. Looking at social norms and standards, or even relaxing. In the community gatherings I get to facilitate, sometimes I ask the question, does anyone feel guilty for relaxing for an hour just now? And sometimes hands go up, right? We think relaxing or resting is not productive, and sometimes we don't dare to do it. So then we are always on the go. Go, go, go, go, go. And at the end of the day, what's left in our cup, right?

Ross Tayler (45:45)

Yeah. A theme I notice comes up the most with podcast guests, and in conversation, is this idea of slowing down. It's something I have to work with constantly, because I have the energy to go, go, go. And yet when we move too quickly, we miss so much. There are so many things we're not tuning into. And part of that is slowing down enough to rest, to relax. I remember the first time I went to a meditation, and the teacher was like, here, have some pillows, have a blanket. And I was like, no, it's okay, I'm fine. I learned over the years that those comforts and props are really helpful and supportive. And yet to receive that nurturing and that support can be challenging. At least it was for me.

Alex Vu (46:39)

It depends on the meditation, I would say, because a lot of us have our own definition of meditation too, right? Some of us expect a really good nap. Some of us who are overachievers think, no, I'm going to accomplish something by the end of the practice. And so we come into it with different props, different energy, different intentions. Because of that, even though we go through the same practice together, the outcome will be different for each of us, won't it? As long as we set an intention and don't just do it for the sake of doing it.

Ross Tayler (47:17)

Exactly. And that brings me to what's probably the last question. When I think of the enlightened teachers we're trying to emulate, or perhaps perceive that we should be emulating, what's your view on the reality of being human in this world we're living in, compared to the Buddha sitting under the tree? It seems to me that it's a completely different lifestyle, and a completely different experience that we're trying to work with. So what would you say about that? The everyday Buddhist compared to the Buddha?

Alex Vu (48:01)

I do think that it is the teachings we are relating to, not the people. And that applies across all kinds of practices. Sometimes we rely too much on the practitioners, the teachers, and feel we need to follow the most famous, the most influential people. However, if we look deeply, it is the teachings they share that create an impact on us. As long as they are genuine with their offering, authentic in what they share, without attachments, and the goal is to empower us to find our inner teacher, then that is the teaching that can bring positive impact to us, and the people are in supportive roles.

For me personally, I'm more inspired by Buddhism because of the philosophy, even though I am also committed to the rituals and the chants and the prayers. Those are just methods to transform my monkey brain, and to tap into the energies of the divine. All gods, all deities, are not just their forms, not just their mantras. Ultimately, in their nature, they are an energy we are tapping into. We connect with the Buddha because there's something about him we relate to. We hang out with each other because there's something about you that I relate to. Same with all kinds of deities, and dogs and cats and trees.

So in our daily lives, it's about being inspired to do things, right? Take meditation, back to our earlier chat. A lot of us say, I would like to meditate, but it's too hard. Then don't do it. Do it only when you really crave it, when it's like, oh my God, I have to meditate, otherwise I will go bonkers. Then you do it. Otherwise it's a nice-to-have, not a necessity. The Buddha's philosophy of enlightenment is very intrinsic too. You work with a teacher, a qualified teacher who can offer teachings and gain nothing from it other than seeing their students and their communities grow strong and empowered. And ultimately, as practitioners, we find our inner teacher. It is ourselves too.

We are simultaneously in our human form and in our soul, in our divinity. And we move across that. We are shape-shifting every day. Sometimes we feel really small. Sometimes we feel lost: I don't know how to navigate this. And if we are aware of that, we catch ourselves. We can say, now I choose to be a big, grounded cedar tree. And right away, our mind changes, our attitude changes. Sometimes we feel, I'm just a human, and that's totally okay too. If it doesn't serve us in a certain situation, we can say, I am my divine being, I return to my sacred embodiment. Something like that. We can come up with our own affirmations. As long as we switch our mind, rather than diminishing ourselves or doubting ourselves, we empower ourselves, because it costs nothing. Trust ourselves a little bit more, right?

Ross Tayler (51:51)

Thank you for that. I appreciate all that you said in that answer, and I think there's a lot in there that someone might be able to sit with and contemplate. I appreciate that perspective. So I always like to close with the same question, and I'll ask you the same: what is one simple way someone could connect with the sacred today?

Alex Vu (52:14)

One simple way: I am. I think the words I am apply to anything. When you notice that you are fearful, when you are anxious, when you are in doubt, don't push that away. I think the moment we acknowledge those emotions, they cannot control us as much as they did the moment before. So, I am doubt, I am anxiety, I am fear. At the same time, we are also everything else on that spectrum. So, I am trust, I am empowerment, I am peace, too. We are everything, our light and our shadow, and I am is strong in that acceptance, in embracing ourselves. Because every day we show up with our best energy already. We're doing our best every day. So why be our harshest critic, if it's not serving us or anyone around us?

Ross Tayler (53:20)

Thank you for that.

Alex Vu (53:22)

My pleasure.

Ross Tayler (53:23)

And thank you for taking the time to have this conversation and share yourself with our listeners. I'll share your website information in the show notes. I really enjoyed this conversation and the depth you brought to it, and I look forward to our listeners being able to experience what you shared.

Alex Vu (53:41)

Yeah, me too. I hope to connect with your community, and thank you for motivating me to wake up early today too. I chose the time slot myself, but it's because you offered it. So I'm like, yes, let's go for it.

Ross Tayler (53:58)

Thanks, Alex.

Alex Vu (53:59)

Thank you, Ross.

Ross Tayler (54:01)

Thank you for joining us on Sacred Sundays. I hope something in today's offering spoke to your spirit, stirred something true, or simply gave you a moment to breathe. If this conversation resonated, please subscribe, rate, or share. It truly helps this work reach the people who are meant to find it. If you'd like to step inside my world a little further, I host a free live practice three mornings a week called Start With You. Just 20 minutes on Zoom to return to your own energy. Everything you need can be found at the link in the show notes. Until next time, may your day be slow and sacred.