Acupuncture Sanctuary

About Us

Hi, I’m Ada. (sounds like Black-Adder)

I started studying Chinese medicine straight out of high school — I completed my Bachelor of Science degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in London, UK, and at the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine and Pharmacology, and decided this was lifelong learning I was embarking on.

When I started working with people in the wild, I saw when you meet the body, mind, and spirit together — as one whole experience, so much can shift, and none of it is seperate.

I love working, I show up with all I can muster, and am constanly humbled by people and their stories.
This drives me to keep learning, refining, building resources and reaching for whatever will help you — whether that’s acupuncture, herbal medicine, Tuina, massage, essential oils, NLP, or functional medicine.

I’ve built a big toolbox, and I tailor what I use to what you need in the moment.
I work with what I see. I listen for what’s unspoken. I ask you questions.

I’m mindful that we live within a Western medical culture, so I’ve learned to read lab results and understand the language of pathology — and I’m happy to explain things in a clear, down-to-earth way. I’m also versed in functional and nutritional medicine, with an understanding of how to use supplements clinically and appropriately.

But Chinese medicine offers something else: a way of seeing the world that is elegant, pattern-based, and rooted beyond cause and effect.
It’s not about fighting the body — it’s about listening to it.

Sometimes the work is physical. Sometimes it’s emotional.
Sometimes I speak directly to your unconscious — through language or through needles.

I use NLP and gentle conversational hypnosis when it fits, as an invitation for change.
There’s no one-size-fits-all. I follow your story. I look for the root. I work with your lifestyle, environment, history, diet and intended outcome — wherever you’re ready to go.

I love the simplicity at the heart of Chinese medicine:
Noticing where things got blocked, and finding a way to your congruency — to being more free in the world.

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About Me

I was born in Poland and moved to Melbourne when I was two. I returned to Europe as a teenager, and after finishing university in London, I was fortunate to complete a six-month internship at the Beijing Massage Hospital. When I was massaging, I felt completely in the present moment — focused and in flow, like I could keep working this craft all day long. This became my trade — the foundation of my skill set.

I came straight to Auckland to put those skills into practice. Here in Aotearoa, part of the great Pacific, I’ve found the spaciousness to deepen my work. The light here has helped me see the medicine more clearly as an energetic and spirit-rooted practice. I now work not only hands-on but also through light work and remote healing. I feel truly blessed to have this opportunity.

I acknowledge with deep respect the tangata whenua of Ngāti Tamaoho, Te Ākitai Waiohua, Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Whātua, Te Kawerau ā Maki, Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara, Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei, Ngāti Tamaterā, Ngāti Te Ata, Ngāti Maru, and Waikato-Tainui, on whose land the clinic is located — and I give thanks to the Waitākere Ranges for looking after us.

I bow deeply to my teachers and mentors — especially those within Taoist lineages who have carried and passed down the medicine for over 88 generations. It’s a privilege to walk this path and receive even a small part of that transmission.

I love living in West Auckland with my partner, our three children, and our dog, Te Pō Marino.

Professional Affiliations and Memberships:

  • BSc (Hons) Traditional Chinese Medicine
    • Middlesex University, London, UK · 1998–2004
  • Bachelor of Medicine — 5th Year Clinical Placement
    • Beijing University for Pharmacology and Traditional Chinese Medicine, China · 2004
  • Internship Certificate in Tuina
    • Beijing Massage Hospital, Beijing, China · 2006–2007
  • Neuromuscular Therapy Certificate
    • Diploma of Therapeutic Massage · Wellpark College of Natural Therapies, Auckland · 2008
  • Meditations of the Classical Energetic Channels
    • Ann Cecil-Sterman · 2024
  • Classical Acupuncture Mentorship — Complement Channels Certification
    • Ann Cecil-Sterman · January–July 2024
    • 24-week live-streamed intensive · 248 contact hours · 132 CEUs
    • Weekly programme: theory lectures, clinical Q&A, practitioner cultivation and mentoring, live patient observation
    • Additional training in Classical Food Strategy and Herbal Medicine with Andrew Sterman · 1:1 mentoring with Ann Cecil-Sterman
    • Covering: Eight Extraordinary Vessels · Sinew Channels · Luo Channels · Primary Channels · Divergent Channels · Pulse & Tongue Diagnosis
    • Lineage tracing to the Han Dynasty via Master Jeffrey Yuen
  • NLP Practitioner Certificate
    • The Society of Neuro-Linguistic Programming · Amy Bell · Melbourne, Australia · 2025
    • The Society of NLP is the world’s oldest NLP certifying body
    • Certified also by the NLP Association of Australia (NLPAA)
    • 22 days live in-person · Exceeds ICF and NLPAA standards
  • Ericksonian Conversational Hypnosis Certificate
    • Amy Bell · Melbourne, Australia · 2025
  • NLP Master Practitioner Certificate
    • The Society of Neuro-Linguistic Programming · Amy Bell · Melbourne, Australia · 2026
    • 22 days live in-person · Exceeds ICF and NLPAA standards
  • Advanced Life Coach Certificate
    • Amy Bell · Melbourne, Australia · 2026
    • 360+ hours of advanced live in-person training and supervision
    • Theory and practice of advanced life coaching
    • Formally recognised as a fully qualified Advanced Life Coach
    • Exceeds ICF and NLPAA standards
  • Embodied Leadership Level 2 Certificate
    • Amy Bell · Melbourne, Australia · 2026
    • 360+ hours of advanced live in-person training and supervision
    • Exceeds ICF and NLPAA standards
  • Enneagram Coach Certificate
    • Amy Bell · Melbourne, Australia · 2026

Speaking Engagements:
  • I’ve been a keynote speaker at the Acupuncture New Zealand annual conference for five consecutive years, and I’m the first acupuncturist in New Zealand to have completed training in the complete system of classical acupuncture across all five classes of complement channels. I am obsessed. I’ve been teaching them here in Auckland since late 2025, and as an NLP Master Practitioner, I bring that lens into how I work with practitioners as well as clients. During the pandemic lockdowns of 2021, I was involved in running online study groups for fellow acupuncturists — a real silver lining of that time — and have continued supporting practitioners in applying classical principles in clinical practice ever since. I also taught acupressure at Wellpark College of Natural Therapies from 2009, following my six-month internship at Beijing Massage Hospital.

Languages:
  • English Fluent, French Proficient, Polish Proficient, Mandarin Basic.

Continuing Education