A huge congratulations to Adrienne, Allison, Chelsea, Dana, and Lani on your completion of 5 years of intense study in the Doctor of TCM program. We will miss you around the school and wish you all success and happiness in your life away from ACOS.

We look forward to a formal celebration of these ladies accomplishments at the spring convocation ceremony to be held Saturday, April 21st, 2012 at the Hume Hotel. Mark this day on your calendars and join us for fun and ceremony at this annual event honouring our graduates. This year we will be honouring celebrating the graduates of the 5 year program as well graduates from the 3 year acupuncture program, Shane, Sophie and Sally .

Hope to see you there!

If you are interested, you can hear her 15 minute presentation from the conference at this link:

http://youtu.be/_iEYBXNvljU

Read more here about the work Julie is doing combing acupuncture treatments with the CHECK training or visit Our Amazing Grads blog.

To learn more about the CHEK training system visit their site here or talk to one of Nelson’s locally trained CHEK experts.

Happy Fall everyone and a special welcome back to our students.

Although the more relaxed pace of summer is pleasant, it is inspiring to have eager students back in the halls of the Academy.  We have all enjoyed the late summer sunshine and longed for heat but acknowledge it is time to get back into our routines and focus on the goals we have all set for ourselves.

We wish our students all the best for this school year and hope the Nelson community at large has a happy and healthy autumn season.  Let us help you stay healthy with a treatment at one of our clinics, a visit to our herbal dispensary or some high quality organic tea from the bookstore. The herbal dispensary and bookstore are open Mon-Fri from noon until 6:00pm.

Student clinic has now re-opened for the semester offering low cost acupuncture treatments and herbal formula prescriptions. The clinic is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays 12-6pm. To book an appointment call 250-354-1984 or stop by the clinic at 303 Vernon Street.

There are several opportunities throughout the year for free treatments for the public during practical exams or in massage classes. If you would like your name to be on the calling list for these free treatments call us at 250-352-5887 and leave your name and phone number or email us at acos@acos.org

If you are on our mailing list, watch for seasonal newsletters from the Academy. If you would like to be on the list to receive newsletters from ACOS please be in touch and we will add your contact info.

Thank you and enjoy the bounty of fall!

China Town Week was celebrated last week in the city of Nelson .

May 9th to 15th was declared China Town week by the City of Nelson as a way of celebrating Nelson’s heritage and the contributions by Chinese immigrants to the railway and mining industries and the local economy in the Kootenays. As part of the celebrations, 600 red lanterns were hung around town and a plaque was installed at the entrance to the historical China Town in Nelson.

Here at the Academy of Classical Oriental Sciences we celebrated by decorating with red lanterns and hosting open door days where the public could come check out the building and clinics and see what goes on here at ACOS. Thank you to Harreson Sinclair of Mountains Matcha for his tea demos and thanks to all our clients who enjoyed discounted treatments in the student clinic as part of the celebrations.

This week long celebration is part of the larger celebration of Asian heritage month in Canada and it is hoped China Town week will become an annual event.

Joanne Sinclair, R.TCM.P , one of our principle instructors,  is offering summer courses on Herbal medicine here at the Academy .

Joanne will integrate the best of Chinese medicinal knowledge with the finest European herbal traditions to offer an interesting summer herb course. Joanne will take students through a comprehensive study of 100 Chinese Medicinals examining each herbs properties, therapeutic uses and use in formulas. Students will study herbal masters like Jiao Shu de and Juliette de Barclay Levy, examining both Eastern and European herbal medicines and compare how each herb can be used in the Chinese healing system.

The course will include the basics of self diagnosis as well as some hands on practice preparing remedies such as tinctures, elixirs, tonics, liniments and ointments and will include sections on identifying and harvesting local herbs.

The course will be offered in 10 modules, all on a different topic. Each of the ten modules will be four hours in length and two modules per week will be offered.

The first module is May 16th, 12:00 to 4:00pm.

The cost per module is $100 (if you register by May 1st you will receive a 10% early bird discount)

There is a 25% discount if you sign up for all 10 modules. The classes will be held Monday and Tuesday afternoons through May and June.

For more information or to register call 250-551-7130 or email summerherbcourses@acos.org

ACOS is pleased to announce a spring workshop for the general public on Yoga Therapeutics with Carina Raisman, BSc CYT, of Montreal’s Yoga Pour Toi.  The workshops will be held over two consecutive weekends and will focus on  Yoga Therapeutics for Immune Boost and Yoga Therapeutics for Core Strength.

May 21 & 22 – Yoga Therapeutics for Immune Boost – 10am-4pm

The immune system defends our sense of self, maintaining integrity of all body systems. This workshop will focus on yoga techniques to boost your immune system and set up the right conditions for health. You will leave with an understanding of what is, and what to do in case of: inflammation, headaches, common cold, and other topics of your choice.

May 28 & 29 – Yoga Therapeutics at its Core – 10am-4pm

The core of our body hosts the core of our being, helping to hold up the most vital aspects of our lives. The center lies within the abdominal region, where muscles form a wall to protect vital organs. The muscles and organs are directly in link with the two diaphragms, so directly in sync with the breath. Learn the importance and the method of engaging the core in everyday movements as well as yoga postures.

Carina Raisman has been practicing Yoga for over 15 years and teaching for eight. She is certified with the Yoga Alliance in Ashtanga Yoga, and complements her practice and teaching through various forms. He main sources of inspiration are Satyananda and Anusara.

Carina’s academic history shows clearly her interest in health sciences. Graduating with honors from First Choice Health program at Dawson, she continues to deepen and broaden her quest for health at McGill University, obtaining a BSc in Microbiology and Immunology. Her studies have provided her the oppourtunity to study abroad, at the Faculte de Pharmacie in Montpellier, France, allowing her to enrich her knowledge in many fields, namely pharmacology, homeopathy and plant therapy.

At present, Carina is devoting time to bridging the gap between modern medicine and Yogatherapy. Through research and collaboration, Carina aims to integrate Yoga into the public health system, making Yoga accessible to all.

The workshops are modular and can be taken individually or together as a package.

Prices: – Early Bird (before May 6th) – $135 per workshop weekend or $250 for both weekends

After May 6th – Prices are $160 per workshop weekend or $280  for both weekends.

Carina will also be available for private sessions during the week between events.

For more details call the Academy at 250-352-5887 or email acos@acos.org