About Altair

I have been training in Holistic Medicine since 1975. My studies have covered a wide range of Holistic Medicine, including Counselling, Feng Shui, Meditation, Nutrition, and Spiritual Healing, amongst others, in addition to the ones listed in the pages on this site.

Holistic Therapies

‘ True knowledge only comes from experience’
Lao Tzu, Chinese sage, who wrote the Tao Te Ching (Dao De Jing) 6 BC

Over the last 33 years (since 1988) I have been continually honing my skills of Holistic Medicine to include powerful life-enhancing holistic therapies treating mind, body, and spirit via Acupuncture, Shiatsu (Acupressure), Tai Chi (Taiji), Qigong (Chi Kung) & Biodanza. Have a look at the individual pages for more details of the therapies mentioned.

I am professionally qualified in 5 streams of Holistic Medicine, which though connected, are separate systems in their own right. Each training was a minimum of 3 years and some as long as 7 years! I humbly make that distinction, because many therapists qualify after as little as a weekend training, and others after 6 months at Adult Education colleges. As a result of my intensive training, I draw on my experience of over 40 years to tailor a treatment more specifically tuned to my client’s or student’s needs. The outcomes are therefore more holistic and faster than a practitioner newly qualified or one trained in a single system.

When I, as a practitioner of Holistic Medicine, seek to treat ‘the whole person’, building up a pattern of the persons energetic state is rather like painting a pointillist picture. I spend about two hours on the first consultation talking with my client, noticing subtle sensory clues like facial colour, sound in the voice, as if creating a structure of dots and colours of information. I then stand back as it were, and notice the overall pattern and gaps in the integrity of the energy system. Diagnosis is therefore a multi-layered process and treatment is planned to stimulate the person’s own resources to restore balance and harmony on the appropriate physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels.

Apart from my experience of several thousand individual treatment sessions since I became a full-time Practitioner of Holistic Medicine in 1988, I have specialised in Lifestyle changes, which help my clients develop habits that enhance a return to optimum health. By enabling my clients to make these changes I have found that they often advance to a lifetime of Improving Health and Peace of Mind, which is inspiring to both of us!

Only recently ( 15th August 2015) did I come across the teachings of the world-famous Dr. John H. Shen, from New York, (born Shanghai 1914 -2000).
”Dr. Shen repeatedly said, “Chinese Medicine is in the life lived”. More specifically, he said, “In Chinese medicine, ten percent is treatment, and ninety percent in life and how you live it”.
He was explaining that the truly successful practice of Chinese medicine comes not just from the application of herbs or acupuncture, but also from attempts to understand patients’ lives, ascertain the cause(s) of their complaints, and help them to achieve lasting change through altering the way they live.”

When I read that I was enthralled because that’s what I’ve been practicing for over 30 years. That’s why I put such emphasis on giving my patients simple, do-able practices that will enhance their lives, based on my in-depth study of many disciplines. These practices change their lives, sometimes dramatically. That is why after over 3 decades of practice, I still allow 1 hour for my patients, as it helps me understand their lives more profoundly. Some Acupuncture colleagues only give 30 minutes per session, and that’s after 5 years in practice!

I offer a FREE 20-minute phone call or Zoom session to enable you to discuss your particular issues and to meet me. As I am interested in helping you make profound changes to your health and well-being (assuming that that is what you want!), it is useful for you to know that you can work with me congenially.

T’ai Chi and Qigong (Chi Kung)

My study and practice of T’ai Chi and Qigong (Chi Kung)-ancient Chinese systems for increasing health, strength and vitality- began in 1980. For six years I studied solely with Master Chu, a lineage Master of the Yang family, in London. Subsequently, I have been privileged to work closely with other Masters of T’ai Chi, Qigong, and Spirituality.

I founded the Inner Dance School of T’ai Chi and Qigong in 1988 and taught in Malvern for 33 years until the ‘lockdown’ of 2020. Since then I teach on Zoom. Check out the Tai Chi Qigong page for details. I also teach elsewhere in Britain and internationally, according to demand. I prescribe specific gentle exercises for my clients to enhance their recovery to health.

Shiatsu

My study of Shiatsu began in 1982. I was the only Shiatsu Society registered teacher/practitioner in Worcestershire,(MRSS(T)) for over 20 years. Since then I transferred to the FHT, the UK’s largest umbrella body for Holistic Practitioners, as it suited me better. Under the auspices of the European Shiatsu School -one of Europe’s largest Shiatsu training centres, for several years, I taught a three-year course for people wishing to study Shiatsu for professional purposes in the UK, Slovenia, and Greece.

Acupuncture

I qualified as a registered Traditional Acupuncturist in 1988 and have subsequently taken various postgraduate courses including the very effective Battlefield Acupuncture system, excellent for reducing pain-more details on the Acupuncture page. Where necessary, and with their agreement, I draw on these other disciplines to enhance and speed recovery as well as maintain the health of my clients.

Biodanza

In January 2000, I started training as a Biodanza teacher. This involved intensive monthly, weekend trainings in London at the Ballet Rambert premises in Chiswick. Biodanza is an amazing Healing system using specific evocative music, movement, interaction with another person/persons/group, entering the Here and Now and allowing for the deepest Self Expression in that moment.

It is the progressive work, since the 1960’s of the late Professor Rolando Araneda Toro, a Medical Anthropologist / Psychologist. His genius was to successfully deepen and take to the next level the work of Jung, Freud, Maslow, Reich etc., letting go of verbal exchanges in preference to Being Now, using the above-mentioned modalities. It enables participants to safely dissolve unwanted barriers created through previous negative experiences/traumas in our lives. I am honoured to have been elected as the Chairman of the Teachers association from 2008 to April 2011. Having seen over the years how it can safely help people transform, my passion is to make Biodanza a house-hold name as soon as possible, with the help of my collegues and students.

Unlike many psychotherapeutic models, Biodanza is not cathartic nor traumatic and does not involve re-living of previous experiences. On the contrary, it is fun, increases vitality and is often transcendent and euphoric! Healing occurs on a cellular level (have a look at the research!), using music, movement and dance.Can you think of a more pleasurable way to heal yourself? Dance into Bliss – come and enjoy Biodanza!

For more information please visit my Biodanza page.

My Qualifications

Lic. Ac., FMFHT, D.S., TCUGB, Dip.BD, M.BAUK., M.IBF., ARMT

Licentiate in Acupuncture, Fellow Member of the Federation of Holistic Therapists, Diploma in Shiatsu, Senior Instructor Member of the Tai Chi Union of Great Britain, Diploma in Biodanza, Member of the Biodanza Association UK, Didactic Teacher Member of the International Biocentric Federation, Angelic Reiki Master Teacher.

For more information please contact me here.

Clinic:

For a FREE short chat about appointments or enquiries, please ring the number above or email me: altair@wellbeingvibes.com