Inspiring Conversations with Ru-Ping Chen of Aural Meridians

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ru-Ping Chen.

Hi Ru-Ping, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
My story begins as the eldest daughter of a low-income, immigrant family–my mother is 3rd-generation, Chinese-Korean and my father is Taiwanese. Given intergenerational trauma à la a complicated mix of the chaos that characterized East Asia in the 20th century, my parents raised me to devalue my needs and boundaries as the eldest daughter.

In 2008, my parents were laid off at the same time and the pressure resulting from the ensuing financial insecurity led my father to (for lack of a better phrase) lose his mind. He had grown up in poverty in a Taiwan when martial law was still in effect and as much as I try to remember the good, much of my memory of him in childhood involves a severely debilitating paranoia and emotional instability I didn’t understand until I learned about the White Terror in a Chinese-language, literature class I took in undergrad.

As a result, I developed rather debilitating perfectionist tendencies and paired with an inability to set healthy boundaries, I walked into young adulthood wildly unprepared to develop healthy relationships and friendships. Paired with a back injury incurred in 2016 when I was bedridden for an entire month, I turned my cynicism into a personality trait and often punished well-meaning individuals when I perceived that they were trying to get close to me. At the same time, I was terrified of being alone, resulting in a lot of rather chaotic occurrences I find hilarious now—I imagine I’ll fictionalize some of these stories in a novel I may or may not write in the near future. In the midst of this chaos, I somehow had capacity to translate Chinese science-fiction and fantasy short stories into English which were published in “The Way Spring Arrives and Other Stories” in 2022.

I then began a vicious cycle of having a relationship/friendship go south, proceeding to act like the end of said relationship/friendship didn’t bother me, and my ending up bedridden again for the next 2 to 3 weeks. This cycle continued all throughout my time as content designer at Zoom during the 2020 lockdowns and my subsequent layoff in 2023, coinciding with a severe case of COVID/long COVID during which I lost my desire to live.

One morning, I chanced upon a Twitter thread authored by an individual who said John Sarno’s “Healing Back Pain: The Mind-Body Connection” had changed their life. I figured I had nothing to lose given that my back was killing me, the coughing from long COVID was so severe I found it difficult to sleep for extended periods of time, and my attempts to seek care from mainstream medical wisdom/the all-American healthcare system had exhausted my already depleted energy reserves.

Reading the book was a journey of its own—I couldn’t get through more than a couple pages when I first started but I understood the premise and applied Sarno’s methods to my pain and long COVID symptoms. About a week later, I was able to stand on my own two feet and a month later, my long COVID symptoms had completely gone away.

I then dove into the world of nervous system regulation/neuroplastic conditions as I worked with various coachers/healers to expedite my healing process. Additionaly, I learned how to facilitate effective sound baths/breathwork sessions and how to tailor my work to individuals struggling with neuroplastic conditions.

At the time of this interview, I find a great deal of joy and satisfaction from writing and making content about my identity as a Chinese-Korean-Taiwanese-American in the context of East Asian history in the 20th century. I imagine that by the time this piece is published, I’ll have uploaded my first (of many more) YouTube videos and Substack pieces relating to the above. I’ve come to understand that the circumstances of my childhood/the temperament of my parents were the result of colonialism/imperialism experienced on the part of my ancestors and a part of me wonders if my life might have been different had I learned about the history in a way that made me feel seen.

East Asian Americans rarely have the opportunity to reckon with these events in American public schools and I suppose my North Star is to provide a space for EAsAms to yap about these topics away from the cesspool that is social media, complete with sound baths and other interventions I’ve learned during my healing journey. Please make sure to send an email to auralmeridians@gmail.com if this is something that interests you.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Aural Meridians?
I started Aural Meridians in 2025, in part because I attempted to return to the tech industry in late 2024 as a content designer only to be met with rejection at every corner. As a sound practitioner, I work in a 1-1 capacity with clients where pricing is determined based on clients’ needs. Additionally, I am available to book for group events and can facilitate group sound baths/breathwork sessions in English and Mandarin.

A sound bath is a listening experience that allows individuals to enter a meditative state faster than they would be able to on their own. Of all of the services I provide, this is the one with the lowest barrier to entry. All my clients have to do is lie down in a comfortable, quiet space as I guide them through a grounding meditation and then play my sound bowls/other instruments for the next 60 minutes.

The barrier to entry for an offering like breathwork is slightly higher. It’s a 60-minute, rhythmic breathing session that employs the breath and voice to support nervous system regulation. I have a special place in my heart for breathwork—this practice helped me release rage I couldn’t access in my early 20s.

I do also have an audio setup, meaning all of these offerings can be experienced in a virtual capacity as well.

Brand-wise as it relates to my business, I suppose I’m most proud of the pictures I’ve taken of myself and my sound bowls/other instruments. I’ve always been bold but I don’t know that I’ve ever been bold in the manner of my physical appearance until these past 2 years—in high school, I often wore old, baggy, and saggy clothing because I wanted to hide my body from the world. Seems counterintuitive to run a business where I help people relax/get back into their bodies while being insecure about my own body hahahahaha.

I want readers to know that as much as I could reasonably be construed as a “healer,” I work best with individuals who are ready to take responsibility for their stations in lives and are comfortable with accessing their darkness. I’m not a therapist/medical doctor/someone who can wave a magic wand and make all of your problems go away.

On the other hand, if you want to work with someone who has experience using various healing modalities/interventions to heal from neuroplastic conditions, I’m your gal.

Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I imagine there is more than one but at present I believe my capacity to stay true to myself has been the greatest boon to my success. The shoulds of life no longer have a hold on me though losing your desire to live and then reading a book like Sarno’s would arguably change anyone in this manner. Given the nature of my miraculous recovery, a part of me is surprised I haven’t converted to Christianity but then again, I’ve never been religious in a mainstream way. I am spiritual, which has arguably strengthened my ability to stay true to myself.

Pricing:

• pricing is dependent on client needs

Contact Info:

• Website: https://auralmeridians.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auralmeridians_/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ru-ping-c/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@rupingchen/featured
• Other: https://www.instagram.com/rupingchen_/

Image Credits
all photographs were taken by me.