The Pulse of Balance

Fall Newsletter

From the Tan Academy of Balance team!

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IN THE FALL NEWSLETTER:

• BSAP Must Read Mentorship Graduate profile
• Mentorship Program News!
  • BSAP Mentorship Cohort 7 begins September 11 – 13, 2026
  • CAC Mentorship Cohort 2 begins October 03 – 04, 2026
  • 8EVCC Mentorship Cohort 3 begins October 23 – 25, 2026
• October Balance System Acupuncture Learning Lab – October 19, 2026
• BSA Foundations in-person in Vancouver coming up! – Feb 26 – 28, 2027
  

We hope to see you soon! 

Martina, Sheralyn, Tan Shīfu, Suzanne Lǎoshī, Sara Ward and the Tan Academy of Balance Team

See you online, in-person, or on the Tan Balance Hub

BSAP Mentorship Graduate Profile

Courtney Nagasaka, Dr. TCM

 What led you to Balance System Acupuncture?

I had been looking for a system or a framework to work within for acupuncture. I had been taking a lot of a la carte courses and had found myself extremely overwhelmed trying to remember everything that was taught in each individual course. Also, there was never a guarantee that it would work. I was lucky enough to find Balance Foundations 1 on Acupro Academy and I haven’t looked back since. Best investment ever.

How has Balance System Acupuncture (BSA) changed your practice?

Coming straight out of TCM schooling, I committed to practicing Zang Fu and TCM acupuncture for an entire year.  I said to myself all the time that I just needed to give it time and that I would improve. Well, I never really excelled with TCM/Zang Fu style. It didn’t work well for injuries and poking the sore spots was me, basically, replicating IMS which is what the physiotherapists in my clinic were already doing. I needed to find a style that actually worked and had a framework. I couldn’t remember everything that all the a la carte courses out there were pushing. It was impossible to remember everything. Trying to take one course per disease was getting expensive and often the results were poor.

 I took Balance Foundations 1 at the end of my first year of practice and tried it out. That sweet sweet Li Gan Jian Ying was present right from the beginning with single balances.  I was hooked and so were my patients.  I’d have patients say things like “you know, that other style you practiced was ok (TCM) but this one is better! Let’s keep doing this style.”  I went from feeling a lack of confidence in my skills to having patients filling up my waitlists and extending my work days.  If you practice what you are taught in Balance System Acupuncture, the transformations of your patients and your practice is astounding.

 What made you decide to join the TAB BSAP Certificate Mentorship program?

 This was a no brainer after having taken Foundations 1 and 2 on Acupro Academy. The Foundation courses alone taught me so much and I knew that going on this mentorship journey would only take my skills and knowledge to a much deeper level.  I wanted to learn more about internal medicine from a Balance standpoint and it did not disappoint when I joined this mentorship. The BSA Mentorship was incredibly comprehensive. I went in thinking about only a few diseases in particular that I wanted to learn about. But when you learn the framework that Balance System Acupuncture teaches you, you have so much more than learning piecemeal tidbits that you would from other courses. You have something to draw from for every patient that walks through your door.

 To reflect on the experience, Courtney shared a few thoughts inspired by the Mentorship and community: 

The best part of the Balance System Acupuncture Certificate Mentorship program was… honestly, I loved the entire program. My only complaint is I wish it were longer so that I could learn more! This program focuses directly on acupuncture right from the get go. I find that often with a la carte courses, there is a lot of filler material and not a lot of acupuncture itself. This entire program was discussing meridians and point selection.  There is a ton of material and I often find myself reviewing (even after graduating) the material because this mentorship was clinical pearl after clinical pearl.

 The BSAP program inspired me to learn more.  Learning from this program gives you a huge leg up in how to proceed with treatment. However, as with anything, you can continue to learn and deepen your knowledge.  I continue to participate in the learning labs with Tan Academy and with the Tan Academy Balance Hub. Every juicy clinical nugget has been tremendously beneficial for my patients. 

 The BSAP Mentorship program changed… Everything. Absolutely everything. I see acupuncture and the human body in a completely different way from TCM school. The Balance System Acupuncture Certificate Program is the real deal. It’s what you went to TCM school hoping you’d receive but didn’t.  This classical meridian based style is more powerful, deeper and faster than Zang Fu/TCM style acupuncture. And, there is no guess work which is the best part. If you understand the theory, you understand how to apply the treatments. 

 The Balance System Acupuncture Certificate Mentorship group surrounded me with beautiful human beings. I felt fortunate to be surrounded by so many lovely, intelligent and passionate practitioners who all varied in their experience levels. I found the BSA Certificate Mentorship group was one of the safest spaces I’ve ever been in. We all learned and grew together in a fun, safe and supportive environment. I will always look back fondly on my time in the program and recall how special it all was. 

 Anything else you would like to say?

I know the cost of this program could be a deterrent for some.  Yes, it is quite costly. However, the BSA program is most definitely a worthwhile investment that pays for itself in no time. If you are teetering on whether or not to spend the money, let this be the encouragement you need to take the leap. I can honestly say this has been the best bang for my buck I’ve had out of any of the programs or courses I have taken. This is the program that helps you become the practitioner you dreamed of being in TCM school.

We extend our sincere thanks ❤ to Courtney for sharing her experience and insights, and for inspiring future BSAP graduates along the way. 

Mentorship Program News

We are excited to announce that we have 3 mentorships starting this fall!

Certified Balance System Acupuncture Practitioner (BSAP) Mentorship

We are very excited to begin a new mentorship with passionate students of Cohort 7 this Fall! This cohort of the Balance System Acupuncture Practitioner (BSAP) Mentorship begins with Level 2.5 – 3: Channel Conversion on September 11, 2026! 

Our next cohort will start in September 2027 – applications will be available June 1, 2027.

Certified Chinese Astrology Consultant Mentorship

We’re delighted to welcome Cohort 2 of our Certified Chinese Astrology Consultant beginning this October 3! We’re looking forward to another inspiring journey of learning, connection, and exploration as we dive into Level 1 together. 

Our next cohort will start in October 2029 – applications will be available June 1, 2029.

Eight Extraordinary Vessels and Complementary Channels Mentorship 

We are thrilled about our next Cohort 3 of the Eight Extraordinary Vessels and Complementary Channels (8EVCC) Mentorship with Dr. Yvonne Farrell with Module 1: Sinews begins this October 23, 2026!

Our next cohort will start in October 2028 – applications will be available June 1, 2028.

Congratulations to all the students that were accepted into these Mentorships! These are intense learning experiences that require dedication and commitment. These students are blessed to be learning from Tan Shīfu, Dr. Yvonne Farrell, Suzanne Lǎoshī and the TAB teaching team.

If you would like to be added to our waitlists for the next cohorts, please email hello@tanbalance.com

October Balance System Acupuncture Learning Lab

Monday October 19, 2026!

Chart with Confidence & Clarity! – A Crash Course in BSA Nomenclature & Charting
with Lana Lǎoshī

New to BSA and feeling unsure how to chart all those Ashi points?
Experienced BSA practitioner and looking to refine your charting skills?

The October Learning Lab invites you to embrace BSA nomenclature and develop coherent communication of BSA channel theory diagnosis, treatment plans and acupoints that other BSA practitioners can easily understand and interpret! Charting focus will be on single balance and multiple system/global balance treatment strategies.

Join Lana Lǎoshī in this one-hour learning lab as she guides you through how to:

• Clearly write a channel theory diagnosis
• Develop a BSA treatment plan
• Effectively record acupoints, including Ashi points

Who should join? Students interested in developing clarity and confidence when charting BSA Treatments.

PREREQUISITE: Those who have taken a minimum of Balance System Acupuncture (BSA) Foundations Level 1 and 2. Designed for new and experienced BSA practitioners.

Join ONLINE for 60 minutes from wherever you are!

We’ll begin at 1:00 PM Pacific Time on October 19, 2026!

The Zoom link will be sent out 15 minutes prior to the start time for those who have registered.

Fee: 25 % OFF for premium members of the Tan Balance Hub (the private Tan Academy learning community). Coupon code can be found in Tan Balance Hub on the Activity Feed.

Non-members: $29.00. Register on the TAB Hub by clicking the Events tile.

* Please note: CEUs are only available for those who attend Learning Labs live online.

See you at 1:00 PM Pacific Time on Monday October 19, 2026.

Learning Labs Update: Learning Lab recordings will no longer be posted in the Tan Balance Hub Members Area. The Tan Academy of Balance is currently reallocating resources to support live participation and meaningful engagement within our community. We encourage members to attend the live sessions to get the full value of the experience. 

Note: Last day to register is Tuesday October 13th.  A minimum number of registered participants is required. If the minimum is not reached, the Learning Lab will be cancelled and all fees will be refunded.

Sign up as a premium member for discounted access!

Balance System Acupuncture (BSA) Levels 1 & 2

Friday February 26- Sunday February 28, 2027

We are thrilled to announce that our 2027 IN-PERSON ONLY BSA Foundations seminar will be held February 26 to February 28, 2027.

Venue: Our Vancouver Chinatown location. The course runs from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM all three days for a total of 21CEU hours.

This is an IN-PERSON ONLY seminar with a practical component through hands-on palpation and needling practice with Tan Shīfu and her teaching assistant(s).

The course offers knowledge and skills of Foundations of Balance System Acupuncture (BSA), Level 1: Single System Balance and Level 2: Multiple/Global System Balance.  

REGISTRATION INSTRUCTIONS:

• Click Here to Register for a TAB Student Account.
• You can then access the TAB Student Access page and see all available Courses in the TAB Store.
• Select and register for “Balance System Acupuncture Foundations (Levels 1+2): Single + Multiple Systems – In Person.”

If you have any questions, please email hello@tanbalance.com.

Continued Learning Resources

         Books

Tan Academy of Balance Books

Dr. Sonia Tan authored this book as a reference textbook for BSA Levels 1+2: Single + Multiple Balance. It is an essential clinical reference.

Available in English, Spanish & International French!

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~ Inspiring Confidence ~ Creating Balance ~ Motivating Evolution ~