Mindful Movement is Great for Everyone!

Mindful Movement is one of the Eight Limbs of Chinese Medicine and an essential component of health and wellbeing for everyone. At The Wellspring School for Healing Arts we enjoy being able to offer quality classes for the community that fall under the Mindful Movement umbrella, including both T’ai Chi Chuan and Qigong. Mindful movement helps synchronize your mind and body, keep you focused, in balance and healthier overall. The best part of Mindful Movement is that absolutely anyone can do it!

We also view these practices as indispensible components of our Amma Bodywork Therapy program and have incorporated 90 hours of T’ai Chi and Qigong classes into the overall curriculum. Giving students the opportunity to learn and practice mindful movement throughout the course of the program is a differentiator for their success as students as well as future practitioners. Our next Amma Bodywork Therapy program begins in February 2013! Click here to learn more about the program and to download your copy of the student handbook.

Check out a brief T’ai Chi demo in the below video given by lead Amma instructor, Michael Guida, BPS, LMT #19016. For more information and to register for any of our movement or meditation classes, click here.

Amma Bodywork Therapy – Portland Program Starts in October!

We are thrilled to launch our professional Amma Bodywork Therapy program in Portland on October 10, 2012. We would love for you to join us! If you have been considering a new career in wholistic health, Chinese medicine or bodywork, or if you are a practitioner looking to expand skills and offer more comprehensive care, read on for more information about Amma Bodywork Therapy and details about the program!

What is Amma Bodywork Therapy?

A classical Asian bodywork style that predates acupuncture, “Amma” is the oldest Chinese word to describe massage. Amma Bodywork Therapy is a specialized form of bodywork that combines deep, circular pressure and acu-point stimulation and utilizes Chinese Medicine principles for assessing and treating imbalances in the body’s energy system.

Why is Amma Bodywork Therapy so unique?

Amma Bodywork Therapy is more than massage.  Brought to the United States by Tina Sohn as Amma Therapy, it also includes Chinese Medicine theory and diagnostics as well as the in-depth study of channels and points used to maintain health and to relieve many chronic conditions. Amma Bodywork Therapy is an extensive, dynamic, and comprehensive form of wholistic healthcare that includes: training in a traditional Asian bodywork form, wholistic nutrition, herbs, supplements, meditation, tai chi, and qigong.

Why study Amma Bodywork Therapy at the Wellspring School?

We are the only school in the United States offering comprehensive training and professional certification in Amma Bodywork Therapy. The Wellspring School’s Amma program is led by senior practitioner Rylen Feeney.  Rylen studied with Tina and Dr. Sohn as well as Faye and Steve Schenkman and has been teaching Amma for 19 years. Honoring the principles of a lineage art, we strive to maintain Amma Bodywork Therapy in it’s purest form.

Our 1000+ hour program is taught over six 15-week segments and takes roughly 24 months to complete. Classes include: Asian Principles and Foundations, Asian Anatomy & Physiology, Food and the Treatment of Disharmony, Asian Clinical Assessment, Complimentary Techniques, and much more. You can find a full list here.

What do students say about the Amma program at the Wellspring School?

“Amma Therapy is a profound healing art.  The Wellspring is founded and run by committed individuals that live what they teach and will teach you to do the same.” Nathan M.

“I can honestly say becoming a student of The  Wellspring School was the best thing I have ever done for my health, happiness and personal growth.” Amy B.

What is the next step?

Contact us to  find out more about our Amma program.  We will also be hosting three upcoming open houses (see below). These are great opportunities to find out more about our programs and classes, meet instructors, past graduates and the school directors.

Tuesday, August 21st (214 SE 18th Ave.) 5:30pm-8:00pm

Tuesday, September 11th (call for location*) 5:30pm-8:00pm

Wednesday, September 12th (call for location*) 11:30am-1:00pm

Please also share this information with people in your personal and professional community who you think might benefit from our Amma program. You can email them the link to this blog post or give them our email address: info@thewellspring.org. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay current on upcoming classes and events.

*We will be moving in September from SE Portland to NE Portland (2440 MLK Jr. Blvd.) Stay tuned for more details.

Education & Community Service – A Recipe for Success!

Wholistic Nutrition Program Student - Jessica W.

One of my favorite aspects of  The Wellspring School program students is the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of community service activities.  Through Amma students  providing bodywork to a hardworking group of teachers, or nutrition students educating various groups on the benefits of healthy, whole foods based eating, it is exciting to see people become interested in something they might not have had access to previously. Whether it’s through touch, mindful movement, diet or an exciting new recipe, we love seeing our students actively bridging the gap between the community in educating folks on leading healthier lifestyles in a way that is enjoyable.

As part of both Amma Therapy and Wholistic Nutrition students must participate in a minimum of 18 hours of community service. Recently in Boise, a group of Wholistic Nutrition Program students and I participated in a meeting of the new organization, Idaho Cancer Wellness Community, whose charter is to create a place where “people living with cancer can get the comprehensive social, emotional and educational support they need.” The Wellspring School was invited to prepare food for the event, being cognizant of a wide variety of food sensitivities and ensuring fresh, healthy and tasty snacks for the group.

Our menu included roasted root veggies, teff/quinoa & corn polenta topped with roasted red pepper and poblano chili pestos, fresh figs with walnut cream sauce and (DF,SF, GF) brownies and hazelnut cookie drops. While at the event we were  pleased to be able to provide recipes and information about the snacks and nutrition in general. It’s always amazing and satisfying when people discover that food can be healthy and tasty at the same time!

Below some pictures from the evening as well as a recipe for nut cream. The cream sauce is a great recipe to have on hand for the holidays. Substitute for whipped cream on pies, as a thickener for soups and topping for hot cereals or stewed fruits. It’s dairy free and super yummy!

Nut Cream

3 cups walnuts soaked overnight or cashews soaked for 1-2 hours (Whatever nut you like…softer nuts take less soaking time. Make sure to rinse when done and toss out the soaking water.)

½ Tsp. vanilla extract (for sweet cream use)

1 TBS maple syrup (for sweet cream use)

1/4 tsp sea salt (Optional)

3Tbs. coconut oil  (Optional, lends to a thicker texture, like a hard cream.)

Water – quantity depends on desired thickness

Preparation:

1. Put everything in a blender on low speed.

2. Gradually add water until the mixture is smooth and the desired consistency. It may take a few minutes so be patient!

3. Remove to a bowl and allow to chill thoroughly (about 30 minutes)

This slideshow requires JavaScript.