At the age of eight, Alex Feng had been suffering for years with acute asthma. The medical solutions in 1950s Taiwan were primarily western and had proven ineffective at improving his condition. Feng looked into his Chinese community and chose a Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) solution, Qigong, the ancient practice of deep breathing and gentle, focused movement. After a year of his daily dose of Qigong, the constant breathing issues were gone.
Most Americans do not receive much in the way of instruction, let alone formal education, to adequately understand their bodies or how to create a healthy lifestyle. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report found “US students receive less than 8 hours of required nutrition education each school year.” This impacts the health outcomes of students.
So how does an individual choose the health and wellness routine, regiment, or philosophy that allows them to live a healthy lifestyle? This article shares the path of three Oakland small business owners, each choosing a career in a health and wellness practice.
Dr. Alex Feng and his wife Charlene Ossler opened the Taoist Center Zhi Dao Guan – Clinic for Traditional Chinese Medicine and Wu Tao Guan Center for Martial Arts in 2000, Located at 3824 MacArthur Blvd. in Oakland’s Laurel District. The center uses TCM to treat physical ailments and to teach health and wellness routines through classes and individual instruction. This future was unthinkable to Feng as a child.
California legalized acupuncture and destigmatized TMC in 1975 when Governor Jerry Brown signed SB86 into law, as shown in the recent documentary Acupuncture Feaver – The Road to Legalization In California. In Feng’s account, he was one of the first in California to get an acupuncture license in 1976.
Dr. Feng later assisted Dr. Amy Matecki who established an integrated medicine program at Highland Hospital in Oakland, incorporating herbal medicine and practices like Tai Chi and acupuncture into patient treatment plans, work he continues today at the Taoist Center.
“Yoga helped me find a community in my twenties and also feel strong and healthy.”
Rachel Rajput
Rachel Rajput is the founder and owner of Left Coast Power Yoga in Oakland with locations at 3702 Grand Ave. and 4148 MacArthur Blvd. “Yoga helped me find a community in my twenties and also feel strong and healthy,” Rajput said. At an early age, Rajput recognized a community of encouraging, health minded individuals as a key success factor.
“I had never been able to stick with a gym routine before, but something about the heat of the studio, the practice, and the community kept me coming back to my Power Yoga routine,” Rajput said. “After working as a school administrator for 10 years, I decided to leave education to open my own studio in 2013 and share the practice with as many folks as I could.”
“I can help outline a plan for any individual that includes the diet and exercise to get to your goal, if it is an injury rehab, or to be more active, or to simply feel better.”
Terrell Elliott
While finding your community can be a motivator to enjoying and maintaining your health and wellness routine, Terrell Elliott, the co-owner of Body Mechanix at 3831 MacArthur chose the path of a personal trainer after competing nationally in weight lifting.
The passion to focus on one-on-one teaching comes from recognizing the value of “helping people gain confidence and build lifelong healthy habits,” Elliott said.
He also owns an adjacent juice shop, Got Juice, an endeavor he launched in 2019 that connects to his holistic view where nutrition and exercise are fundamentals of a healthy life. “I can help outline a plan for any individual that includes the diet and exercise to get to your goal, if it is an injury rehab, or to be more active, or to simply feel better,” Elliott said.
Each of these business owners recognizes the holistic components of healthy lifestyle choices. They each see their practice as a way to find a balance in life that brings peace of mind. They each underscore that physical health directly correlates to mental health and that exercising the mind through meditation or through positive, supportive interactions with others, are important health habits. Each of these practitioners also strive to buck the correlation of income and health working to ensure all members of the community can access their programs and services by offering trade, work study, or sliding scale accommodations.
They know that if you are excited about a healthy body and the path to get there, your mind is in the place to get that result.
“What you put in is what you get out,” is a phrase Dr. Feng uses when evaluating the needs of a new client, “what you eat, how you think, your effort all have outcomes.” The saying recognizes how your choices will affect your health and that there are experts in the field, passionate people working to teach and train. That genuine care for others is at the heart of what each of these three individuals found in their calling and what they hope to impart to others.
Disclosure: Daniel is part of the 2023 Oakland Voices Journalism Academy and is also advisor and Executive Director of the Laurel Oakland, the Laurel District Association.
Daniel Swafford personifies the soul of an Oakland native with his community organizing, activism, and fundraising. His role as an executive director of a nonprofit allows him a broad hand in storytelling through district management partnerships, where he seeks positive change. His world travels have taken him to volcanic sightings in South and Central America. Daniel, a poet and wordsmith, is charting pathways to publication.
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