About

Our team

Treat, restore and prevent at Project DAO when you access our holistic range of services. Our practitioners currently offer massage therapy, movement therapy (one-on-one and group sessions), Compassionate Inquiry and Chinese medicine. Project DAO is a team of compassionate experts, here to guide you towards your health goals.

Yanan

B. HlthSc (TCM) 
Cert. Compassionate Inquiry
Acupuncturist
Chinese Herbalist
Founder

A Chinese medicine practitioner and the founder of Project DAO, Yanan’s passion lies in helping people transform themselves through deep healing of the body and mind. Having worked extensively with patients with chronic pain syndrome and complex mental and physical health issues, Yanan has developed a unique method of dealing with such issues with clarity and compassion.

The patients who benefit most from working with Yanan have complex health issues that have been dealt with by many different practitioners and doctors, often without any coherence or an overview of the whole picture of your condition.

Yanan is trained in the psychotherapy approach created by Dr. Gabor Mate, Compassionate Inquiry, whereby the process guides the patients to connect with their body and emotions. Naturally drawing from her training in Compassionate Inquiry in her approach with her patients, Yanan guides you to find your truth and to unlock your potential.

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Yanan believes in three core elements we need in order to deal with chronic and complex health issues: a clear intention, a comprehensive treatment plan, and a holistic approach. Healing Contract* is her method which encompasses acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, massage therapy, Compassionate Inquiry, movement therapy, Tai chi and Qigong.

Expect to be seen and heard in a way your spirit has always longed for as Yanan holds space with utmost compassion and curiosity and without judgement. As she guides you on your healing journey, you will gain a deeper understanding of who you are and begin to experience the innate wisdom of your body. Embodied and empowered, you will find safety back in your body and learn to have compassion and love for yourself and the world around you.

Richard

B. HlthSc (TCM)
Acupuncturist
Chinese Herbalist

It was while being successfully treated for his own health issues with Chinese Medicine that Richard became inspired to embark on the journey of becoming a Chinese Health Practitioner after a long career in the creative professions. Now he likes to use his problem solving experience to help his clients identify the root cause of their symptoms and to clarify what their health goals are.

Richard will help you make meaningful changes to your health by setting clear, achievable targets, and show you the way to reach those targets using the modalities of acupuncture, cupping, moxibustion, gua sha, and herbal medicine, as well as showing you how to make lifestyle adaptations which are easy to follow and to comply with on a long term basis.

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Don’t worry if you have a fear or dislike of needles – Richard can support you using laser acupuncture and the application of ear seeds (small seeds carefully taped onto your ear in specific acupressure points) in place of needles. He believes each client will best achieve their goals by following the path to health that suits them individually.

He has special interests in pain reduction and injury rehabilitation as well as men’s health and sleep issues, and in his practice he applies the learnings and techniques from both classical Chinese medicine as well as contemporary scientific health research, with a particular focus on rigorous data methods to measure progress.

John

Dip. of Osteopathy
Dip. of Personal Training
Cert. Tai Chi / Qigong instructor

John likes to work with people who are ready to start fixing the aspects of their bodies that are preventing them from living the lives they want and feel they deserve. He identifies with their predicament because he has found himself in such a situation, when old injuries and aches and pains were limiting his own activities.

“I understand that it can be daunting to start altering established patterns of behaviour, and new habits and routines can be difficult to sustain, but I believe that each one of us can find safety and comfort in our body if we approach the matter with confidence and determination.”

When people are ready to change their habits, John guides them on their journey using the knowledge and expertise he has gained over 30 years working in the health and fitness fields.

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John worked as an osteopath for 16 years and trained as a gym instructor and personal trainer before going to China to study Tai Chi and Qigong. His unique combination of knowledge and skills from both Western and Eastern perspectives of health leave him well placed to offer a comprehensive and wholistic approach to mindful and intentional exercise.

John incorporates hands-on body work – massage and mobilisation techniques – with various exercises to invite the body to heal itself.

He enjoys supporting people as they transform the way they occupy their bodies by finding the adjustments they need to make within themselves through mindful movement. John strongly believes that while we benefit greatly from receiving treatments from health practitioners of various modalities, the most profound and longest lasting improvements to our health come from the work we do ourselves.

Steph

A. Dip. Remedial Massage (Myotherapy)

After practicing as a Remedial Massage Therapist for over ten years, Steph is even more passionate about using physical therapy as a vehicle for complete and holistic healing now than when she began.

Patients who are suffering from complex conditions involving multiple symptoms will find that this is the kind of condition Steph thrives on. You will find that her finely developed senses of touch and intuition will develop an understanding of the condition of your body’s tissues and its connection to your trauma history. This enables her to create an individual treatment plan for you involving a combination of different techniques including myofascial release, deep tissue techniques, dry-needling, and exercise and lifestyle advice.

People who have a problem with scar tissue resulting from surgery or injury can also benefit from Steph’s expertise in this field.

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Working carefully and comprehensively, she can create an opening of the tissue even where it may have been closed for many years.

Clients are struck by her individual and unique treatment style. She takes a holistic viewpoint, and sees the connection between past traumas and the presenting symptoms. As well as eliminating your pain, she sees her role as enabling you to regain your true potential by unwinding movement restrictions and re-balancing the body. Steph’s enthusiasm for tissue health is inspiring. After a treatment expect to feel a sense of lightness throughout the body, improved freedom of movement and positive emotions.

Thad

Cert. Classical Tui Na
Cert. Organ-Regulating Tui Na
Cert. Senior Level Ba Gua Instructor

Thad became interested in Tui Na through his study of internal martial arts, which he began over 10 years ago, and seeing the impact that such practices had on the lives of those who adopted them.

If you are unsatisfied with the results you have achieved with the more common approaches to your health problems, you will find Thad’s approach is refreshingly different. You will feel heard and not judged, as he suggests ways and tools which will help support you on your path.

His approach to examination, diagnosis and treatment is rooted in the Chinese Medicine tradition. Using pulse and tongue observation, postural analysis, palpation and joint movement assessment, as well as a thorough inquiry into your lifestyle habits, he will formulate a comprehensive treatment plan.

Treatments seamlessly blend Tui Na, gentle unwinding techniques, cupping, and moxibustion to help you achieve your wellness goals

 

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If you want to take a more proactive approach to your healing you will be pleased to find that the hands-on work in the treatment room is directly supported by internal martial arts exercises that Thad will expertly guide you through. Over a series of sessions you will build a practice that empowers you to integrate and progress the changes made during your treatments.

This harmonious synthesis of therapeutic treatment with the practice of influencing one’s own internal energy flow yields incredible results. Chronic pain dissipates, performance is elevated, and a newfound ability to remain calm in stressful situations is cultivated.

After a session with Thad, people feel noticeably calmer, empowered with a deeper understanding of their issue, and armed with a clearer idea of the actions they can take to support their healing process.

Embark on this profound journey of transformation today by booking your first session with Thad.

Talieh

B. HlthSc (TCM)
Acupuncturist
Chinese Herbalist

Talieh has a long-held passion for natural and holistic therapies and is a firm believer that the body is its own best healer, which is what led her to study Chinese Medicine. She sees her role as assisting her clients in reaching their health targets in the ways that best suit them, and to enable this she makes sure that her treatment room is a place where you can feel comfortable in voicing all your health concerns.

Talieh’s clients often comment on her openness and willingness to listen carefully to their needs. If you are looking for a practitioner who is patient and ready to hold space for you then you need look no further. She is confident in helping you deal with any kind of acute or chronic issue, and as well as using the classic modalities of Chinese Medicine – acupuncture; cupping; moxa; herbs. She can integrate sound healing and energy healing for those of you who feel those techniques will help them and are open to trying them.

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If you feel that you are suffering from some kind of health imbalance, physical, mental, or emotional, and that you are ready to do something to change it, then Talieh is ready to guide you on your journey, in the direction and at the pace that is right for you.
 

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