Inspiriting Life

Inspiriting Life (生生苑) is a practice community established by Dr. Lucy Xiao (DAOM) to nurture the seeds of awareness, insight and kindness through practicing mindfulness and studying eastern spiritual traditions. We are based in San Francisco as well as online.

​

The name "Inspiriting Life" is derived from a Chinese word, “生生” (sheng-sheng), which means giving life to life, or life continuously regenerating life. It describes the ever-changing and renewing nature of life, a fundamental concept behind the various schools of ancient Chinese thoughts such as the Book of Changes, Daoism, Confucianism and Traditional Chinese Medicine. “Inspirit” in English means to encourage or enliven, and “Inspiriting Life” seems like a close rendering of the Chinese expression “生生” (sheng sheng). 
 

Many of us are brought to practice by our innermost inquires: Who am I? How can I heal?  What does it mean to wake up? Eastern traditions approach these questions from various angles - Zen points directly to the mind to illuminate the nature of existence; Daoist philosophy looks at human life as part of a larger process of Dao; Confucianism teaches benevolence and authenticity;  and Traditional Chinese Medicine promotes the art of healing and nurturing life as a whole.  No matter the perspectives, they all point the direction for us to discover how to awaken to life and live harmoniously within oneself and with others. 

Our offerings are attempts to inspirit lives with nourishments and inspiration from our spiritual ancestors as well as from each other. May we continuously learn and grow together as a community.

​