At Portland Pedal Power, we’ve always got an eye open for alternatives to the ordinary and mundane. Portland’s Wellspring School for Healing Arts, a fascinating school dedicated to eastern medicinal principles is one such alternative worth checking out.
At the Wellspring School for Healing Arts, the current Amma Therapy student group just completed their midterms after ten weeks of intense studies. In case you haven’t heard about Amma Therapy yet, it is a holistic health care systems based on Chinese Medicine principles and includes a form of bodywork that uses acupressure. This is the stimulation of the same points used in acupuncture, but without the needles. Amma Therapy also draws upon nutrition, qigong, herbs and more.
Nicole Adamson, one of the students, remembers she first encountered Amma when she came to the clinics at the school to receive treatment. “I absolutely loved it,” she says. “I enjoyed getting the benefits of a relaxing massage along with the effects of acupressure. I think this combination is more powerful than each one by itself.”
Going back to school meant a big change to Nicole’s everyday routines, but by now she has found a groove. She appreciates that the program schedule allows her to keep working four days per week – which can be quite important when you already have the responsibilities that come with being an adult.
It’s a challenging program, but Nicole feels the support from her peers and the vision of being able to share Amma Therapy with patients of her own (possibly even some four-legged ones) after graduation keeps her going strong.
Are you considering a new career direction? It’s not too late to become part of this empowering learning experience! Starting in January, The Wellspring School is offering an accelerated track, allowing new students to catch up with the group by taking segment one and two concurrently, which translates to about three full days of studies per week. After the break in May, everyone continues together on the regular schedule. Corrina Snow, a Portland-local Amma practitioner who graduated from the accelerated program a few years ago, recommends: “Jump in with both feet! I had an amazing experience in the accelerated program.”
Whether you are considering Amma Therapy as a new career path, are curious to experience it for yourself, or want to try out The Wellspring School’s tai chi and qigong community classes, stop by at the next open house on December 10th for more information. The Wellspring School is located at the corner of NE MLK and Brazee, in the same building as CyclePath and Sparky’s Pizza.
Check out their website at thewellspring.org for more insights into Amma Therapy. You can also find them on Facebook, and if you see a PPP Rider on the road give them a shout-out! They have flyers they’re itching to hand out, and they would be happy to give you some information!
Have you been to the Wellspring School for Healing Arts? Are you planning on attending the Open House next month? We would love to hear about your experience either on Twitter or on Facebook. Let us know what you think!
