NEW WORKSHOP: Rectifying Systemic Imbalances through the Center - Abdominal Treatment Workshop with T'agyol Daniel Adler

This is a NEW WORKSHOP!

Class size is limited to 18 participants to ensure a hands-on, small-group learning experience.

Early registration is recommended to secure a spot!

Details

Schedule: Mondays March 30, April 13, 27, May 4, 11, 2026 from 9:00AM - 4:30PM

Cost: $800

Cost for AIM Alumni: $700

Early Bird Rate Before February 15th: $600

Location: In Person at AIM Academy

Cancellation Policy
Cancellations made by the student on or before two weeks prior to the course start date will result in a $50 + HST cancellation fee. Student cancellations made after that date will not receive a refund.

Description:

In all traditional East Asian medical systems, the abdomen is regarded as the core from which vitality emerges, is consolidated, and through which all channels and pathways flow. The condition of the abdomen reflects the state of the entire organism—physically, energetically, and emotionally - and therefore plays a pivotal role in both diagnosis and treatment.

Based on his 26 years of clinical practice, Daniel Adler has drawn from his training in Shiatsu, Tuina and Acupuncture in creating this program. This course presents a comprehensive system of abdominal palpation and treatment designed to treat both local abdominal pathologies and systemic imbalances manifesting in diverse symptoms.

Equally suited to bodyworkers and acupuncturists, it is a synthesis of a number of modalities and techniques into a single treatment protocol which Daniel has been actively using in his clinical practice. This is NOT a Shiatsu, Ampuku or Tuina course. It is a Bodywork work course focusing on treating the Abdomen using various techniques.

The training emphasizes direct, hands-on treatment of the abdomen as both a diagnostic and therapeutic practice.

• Bodyworkers will learn to incorporate a refined abdominal sequence into their treatments, developing confidence, sensitivity, and depth in working with this vital and often underworked area.
• Acupuncturists will learn to integrate manual abdominal techniques alongside needling, performing bodywork safely and effectively while needles are retained elsewhere in the body, thereby enhancing both diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic outcome.

Some practitioners are familiar with palpating the abdomen as a diagnostic aid and many insert needles into the various points on the abdomen, yet few utilize it as a primary treatment focus. This course seeks to re-establish the abdomen as both the mirror and the source of systemic regulation, following the therapeutic principle:

“Diagnosis is treatment, and treatment is diagnosis.” — Masunaga Shizuto

Participants will observe detailed demonstrations and engage in practical, supervised sessions from the outset, learning to connect deeply with the abdominal tissues, and apply a sequence of techniques to soften, regulate, and consolidate the abdomen they are working with.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

1. Confidently treat the abdominal region using manual and/or acupuncture-based methods.
2. Apply appropriate dispersion and tonification strategies through abdominal contact.
3. Integrate abdominal work into a full-body treatment sequence for systemic regulation.
4. Recognize contraindications and adapt techniques for safety and sensitivity.

Format and Audience

This course combines lecture, demonstration, and extensive hands-on practice. It is suitable for:

• Acupuncturists seeking to deepen palpatory skill and expand manual therapeutic repertoire. (Note: Acupuncturists must be in good standing with the CTCMPAO or similar regulatory body and must carry their own Professional Liability Insurance)
• Bodyworkers wishing to learn how to work deeply with the abdomen and to integrate energetic and meridian-based understanding into abdominal work.

Both disciplines will gain tools for systemic regulation, digestive support, and emotional grounding through direct abdominal treatment.

The emphasis of the course is on hands on, practical treatment and partner work. Participants will be working directly on each other’s abdomens. Participants should be comfortable having their abdomens touched by a wide range of people (the other course participants).

It must be emphasized that this is a practical and treatment focused course aimed at developing your ability to work with and treat the abdomen utilizing bodywork techniques. Participants are expected to actively practice what they have been taught each week in order to move forward the following week.

Instructor: T'agyol Daniel Adler, R. Ac, R. TCMP

Hailing from South Africa and now calling Toronto home, Daniel came to Canada in 1998 to study Chinese medicine. 

Trained in Zen Shiatsu, acupuncture, and Japanese herbal medicine, He is a RTCMP in current good standing with the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners of Ontario.

He works with a wide range of conditions, ranging from broad issues such as musculoskeletal pain and stress to more specific concerns around digestion and menstruation.

Daniel is particularly fascinated with the profound ability of how gentle, simple treatments have truly deep effects on health. And he is known for my ability to connect with clients, and for his strong commitment to facilitating healing on multiple levels.

As a teacher, he is known for his energetic, non-dogmatic and enthusiastic approach to the transmission of information and his ability to work with students from a wide range of skill levels and backgrounds. 

Known as both Daniel and T’agyol, T’agyol is his Dharma name, which he received when he took Buddhist Precepts in the Korean Zen tradition. It means “Harmonizing of Opposites and Conflict Resolution”. He uses both names interchangeably.