The Extraordinary Channels
A two-day workshop exploring the deepest channels in Chinese medicine — the channels of yuan qi, of original essence, of the blueprint for this lifetime. These are the channels we turn to when something in the very foundation needs to be addressed.
entry via Waller St
What you’ll learn
The Extraordinary Channels exist solely at the level of yuan qi — our original, prenatal qi. They do not connect to the organs. They carry something deeper: the blueprint of who we are. Chong Mai is laid down at conception, holding that blueprint for how this being will be built. From it, Ren Mai provides the substance, the building blocks of form; Du Mai provides the animating force that drives it into being. One becomes two, and from two, all the myriad things are formed.
As we step into time and space, the remaining channels come online. Yin Wei Mai keeps a record of all that has passed, held in the body’s structure over time. Yang Wei Mai allows us to keep moving into what is yet to come. The Qiao channels allow us to stand upright — Yin Qiao holding our relationship with ourselves, Yang Qiao our sense of where we are in the world.
These are the channels we reach for when a condition runs deep or unconsciously — when it has been present since birth, arose in the first cycle of life, or feels like it has always been there.
- Patterns present since early life or embedded in the constitution
- Imprints arising from birth or early developmental experience
- Conditions running in families or connected to the yuan qi level
- Fertility, reproduction, and the preservation of essence
- Growth, development, ageing, and major life cycles
- Questions of identity, belonging, and self-acceptance
- Chronic or complex conditions that do not fully resolve at other levels
- Supporting serious illness and the process of dying
Weekend structure
- Classical understanding of each channel and its trajectory
- Extraordinary channel pulse diagnosis
- Indications and pathology for each channel
- What happens when expression is blocked — trauma, belief, early life
- How pathology is laid down from birth to age 7–8
- Afternoon: live patient demonstration
- Channel transmission and meditation practice
- Point location and the particular needling technique these channels require
- Supervised peer practice — you will both give and receive a full treatment
- Ada will support you hands-on throughout
Reading for this workshop
Required
Illustrations of the Complete Acupuncture Channel System — Essential for class. Hardcopy or PDF. Contains all channel trajectory maps. Get it from Ann Cecil-Sterman’s website →
Recommended (optional)
Advanced Acupuncture: A Clinic Manual — The full clinic manual. Not required, but invaluable for deeper reference. View or purchase here →
About Ada Sobieszczuk
Ada holds a BSc (Hons) in Traditional Chinese Medicine from Middlesex University, London, and Beijing University of Chinese Medicine. Early in her training she was drawn to the Classical texts. A single workshop with Master Jeffrey Yuen became a turning point — someone who could hold the most complex Western medical theory as if it were the simplest thing, and yet it barely scratched the surface of the depth he carried in Classical Chinese Medicine. She left completely hooked, and has been immersed in these teachings ever since.
That immersion deepened through almost a decade of study with Ann Cecil-Sterman, whose work gave Ada the clinical framework to fully understand and apply what she had glimpsed. This shaped her approach as a way of seeing through multiple lenses at once — like light moving through a prism — where different perspectives coexist and inform one another. Integrating the extraordinary channels into practice means being able to work with deep, often unconscious material — things not always named, but experienced, sensed, and felt.
About the series
This weekend is the fourth and final workshop in the Complement Channel series. Together the four weekends form a complete system — a coherent, comprehensive map for clinical work that means you’ll be equipped to treat every patient who walks through your door.
While individual weekends can be attended, it is strongly advised to take the series in full. Mixing these methods with other channel approaches can dilute the treatment and lead to confusion — you really do want all four.
Terms & Conditions
Payment
Workshop fee: $600 per workshop (incl. GST). Full payment is required at time of booking. Booking does not constitute enrolment in the full series; there are no package deals or payment plans.
Attendance & transfers
If you are unable to attend, you may request to attend the same workshop in a future round, subject to availability and at the instructor’s discretion. This is a courtesy, not a guarantee.
Cancellations & refunds
- More than 7 days before the workshop: refund (less any processing fees) or credit toward a future round.
- Within 7 days of the workshop, or non-attendance: no refund available.
Refunds, where approved, are processed via the original payment method.
Workshop changes
The instructor reserves the right to make reasonable changes to dates, content, or location. Participants will be notified as early as possible. If a workshop is cancelled by the instructor, a full refund or credit will be offered.
Practice during workshops
Registered acupuncturists (CMCNZ) may practise on each other. Non-licensed participants may participate as Channel Practitioners — receiving treatment and performing massage, Gua Sha, and remote channel treatments. All participants practise within the scope of their professional training.
Liability
Workshops are for educational and professional development purposes. The instructor and The Acupuncture Sanctuary are not liable for any loss, injury, or damage arising from participation or practice exercises.
Acceptance
By enrolling, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to these terms.
Paid parking and free street parking available nearby.