Meet Chris Cheung - The Mindful Man Behind "atoolkitforlife"

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Mental Health Awareness

It's nearly the end of May and Beijing has been buzzing with so much activity that one might have missed that May is also Mental Health Awareness Month. In honor of that, we are choosing to feature mental health professionals who are making an impact on our expat community here in Beijing to thank them for the good work that they have devoted their lives to.

Founder of "atoolkitforlife"

Chris Cheung was born and raised in London and came to China over 20 years ago, just when China had become a member of the WTO. Since then, he has grown with the city and is now the Founder of a startup called "atoolkitforlife", a Beijing-based company which has now trained hundreds of general public and corporate clients in mindfulness training, in China and abroad. Apart from training people in mindfulness and running atoolkitforlife, Chris is also an active member of fitness, running, mental health communities in Beijing. He’s got two great kids and a beautiful wife.

What's on your mind?

I’ve got loads on my mind at the moment…

Health insurance forms, preparing for the new mindfulness programmes cohorts coming up in the Autumn, preparing for the upcoming Connected: Beijing Wellness Conference which is taking place on June 3, looking after the kids, and thinking a lot about all that fluffy stuff which is flying around in the air in Beijing.

It’s a good time to sit down and do some mindfulness practice. I feel privileged to have taught mindfulness to people from all around the world.

What motivates you to get moving?

There’s a lovely quote from a lady called Pema Chodron (a well-known meditation practitioner).

“Just where you are. That’s the place to start.”

And it gets really to the heart of mindfulness practice. Just paying attention to the present moment, right now.  So simple.

How do you stay sane?

Surprise, surprise. I do a lot of mindfulness practice which includes lots of meditation. I practice every morning for half an hour and then have shorter practices throughout the day. I also guide sessions during the week for the general public (for atoolkitforlife, at Avisha Space and online) and for corporate, so it’s fair to say I do quite a lot of practice.

(Mindfulness Session with atoolkitforlife at Avisha Space in Sanlitun - March 2023)

I also run quite a bit. I’ve done two half marathons in the past month (which is probably why I’m feeling a bit tired right now) and I run with some really friendly, community spirited groups called HeyRunning and Fitfam.

Last but not least, I have my family here in Beijing. There’s nothing like family to keep you anchored. :)

What's your favorite thing about Beijing?

I’ve been here for about 20 years and I’ve seen the city evolve so rapidly over that time. One of the things that I love is that I know the city quite well. I know which busses to take and how to drive around. I’m proud that I know the streets even better than my wife (who is a Beijinger). :) I feel I’ve grown with the city.

But even so, I’m still finding places that surprise me. Like Baiwangshan, the Beijing expo park where I did the half marathon a couple of weeks ago, and just being able to drive north past the great wall and being surrounded by mountains.

(The Beijing Expo park in Yizhuang - April 2023)

I also really enjoy hanging out with the different communities in Beijing. I’ve mentioned some already; HeyRunning, Fitfam, Avisha Space. If you come for a run or want to do some meditation practice. I’ll see you there. :)

Connect with Chris on WeChat via his QR code below or Subscribe to the atoolkitforlife WeChat official account to discover more about the magic of mindfulness.

Images: Courtesy of Chris Cheung

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