Emily Morrison, a licensed acupuncturist and practitioner of Chinese medicine, founded Valley Spirit Acupuncture & Internal Arts (VSAIA) to create space for transformative collaboration among Beacon’s community of holistic practitioners. “There’s this bursting forth of something really special here,” Morrison says.
VSAIA’s space, tucked away on Mason Circle in the Lofts at Beacon, has become a one-of-a-kind destination for holistic wellness. In addition to private treatment rooms, there’s an herbal medicinary, a sauna, full kitchen, a 1,200-square-foot movement space, and a patio with a garden terrace that overlooks Fishkill Creek.
Morrison’s own practice includes acupuncture, classical Gongfu medical theory, craniosacral therapy, cupping, herbalism, medical qigong, Chinese nutritional therapy, and Jin Shou Tuina, a style of Chinese orthopedic massage that harmonizes the body by clearing obstructions in the channels and the joint spaces. She estimates that this specific blend of integrative Chinese medicine is practiced by fewer than 100 people worldwide—an approach that allows her to tailor each treatment to an individual’s needs.
The growing VSAIA team also includes traditional Chinese medicine practitioner Dr. Belmarie Millan of Beacon’s Solarena Acupuncture; Dr. Margaret Ready, a holistic chiropractor who specializes in pelvic health with a focus on prenatal and postpartum care; certified natural foods chef Marybeth Romeo; sound practitioner Joule L’Adara; herbalist and VSAIA’s assistant manager Sasha Geerken, yoga instructors Amy Doermann and Amanda Amadei; and qigong instructor and VSAIA’s manager Felicia Ballos. “To work alongside these talented individuals and to learn from each other and provide such amazing work for the community is a dream come true,” says Morrison.
This article appears in August 2023.
