Élisabeth Rochat de la vallée

CEU CLASSES

MONDAY 12:30 TO 2:00 pm (PDT) - 3:30 to 5:00 pm (EDT) - 8:30 to 10:00 pm (WEST)

How to understand si 思, to think, to consider, to long for, feeling, thought has an emotion that can either benefit life when in its good use or harm life when in excess.

60$ per class with CEU, 45$ without. Your choice of 2 classes: 110$ with CEU, 80$ without.
Your choice of 4 classes: 200$ with CEU, 152$ without.

Sept. 14, 2026: The Music as the harmony of Qi in Nature and in a human being.

The Musique as the great metaphor for all mouvements of yin yang Qi in the universe. In classical China, it is the best model to understand the harmonious interplay of qi between Heaven and Earth and to put it in practice in a human life.

The music helps to comprehend and regulate all kinds of interactions in human society, in rituals, political, therapeutical relationships.

Music holds a unique place in ancient Chinese civilization and in the daily lives of the ruling class, where it is ever-present from the very beginning of one’s education until the end of life.

Whether it is the sounds of nature or a human composition, music is unrivaled in its ability to unite—or to restore unity among—all those who play or listen to it together. Hence its deep and intrinsic connection to ritual practices.

All music originates in the human heart, whether one directly expresses emotion through song or composition, or imitates sounds made by other beings who share Heaven and Earth with us. Hence its role in certain therapeutic practices.

Music helps human beings attune their hearts so they may truly become co-creators of life in partnership with Heaven and Earth.

Those who understand the Great Music of the universe take care not to fall out of tune, so as not to cause disorder in the world, but rather to restore their companions, subjects, or patients to the natural order.

Oct. 19, 2026: The symbolist meaning and diagnostic use of the Five Notes.

The Five Notes as a tool to appreciate ordre and disorder in the society as well as in a person.
The sounds of the body, as a tool for diagnostic and an healing technic.

Since the earliest texts, sounds have been a way of recognizing the unique qualities of a being. Flavors and colors provide additional information.

Sound—whether it be the wind in the trees, the cry of an animal, or the human voice—arises from the depths of a being and reveals its true nature.

When the theory of yin-yang and the Five Elements (yin-yang wu xing) became predominant, the variations in sound across the Five Notes were correlated with the Five Elements. They can then be used to assess the degree of harmony within a whole—for example, the harmony among different social classes in a country, or the harmony of Qi within a social body, an army, or the human body. This analysis also makes it possible to identify the disruptive element and predict the disturbances it causes.

Thus, in the application of the Five Agents theory to medicine, the Five Notes serve as the basis for a diagnostic understanding of the various sounds emitted by the body—whether pathological or normal—as well as the relationships between vocal modulations and emotions, and between the nature of the voice and an individual’s fundamental dispositions.

Nov. 23, 2026: Energetic of the year Dingwei 丁未, corresponding to the year 2026, according to the wuyun liuqi 運六氣 theory. The prevalent qi at each period of the year are presented through the chapters 69, 70, 71, & 74 of the Suwen.

Jan. 11, 2027: Jing 驚 fright, startle, spasm, convulsion.

In classical Chinese medicine, certain emotions are easy to understand and conceive of as emotions, as they are very close to Western conceptions of emotions. But there are emotions that are harder to grasp and even harder to conceive of as an “emotion.” We propose an in-depth study, based on classical texts, of some types of emotion that people often find difficult to pinpoint and fully understand.

It is quite difficult to grasp what the startle jing 驚 is, a character in which the heart (xin 心) is absent, replaced by the horse, the thoroughbred (ma 馬). Sometimes it is the physical movement that dominates—a spasm, a convulsion; sometimes it is the psychological aspect, but one that is difficult to distinguish from fear, kong 恐.

We will explore the different facets of the concept and examine what unites them to understand what jing 驚 means and what specific disorders it causes.

Feb. 22, 2027: you 憂 brief, oppressiveness, despondency.

In classical Chinese medicine, certain emotions are easy to understand and conceive of as emotions, as they are very close to Western conceptions of emotions. But there are emotions that are harder to grasp and even harder to conceive of as an “emotion.” We propose an in-depth study, based on classical texts, of some types of emotion that people often find difficult to pinpoint and fully understand.

It is often difficult to distinguish between various Chinese characters that express transition, sorrow, mourning, grief, melancholy, affliction, despondency, oppression… It is impossible to differentiate the concepts evoked by each Chinese character by assigning it a specific English word, as the definitions do not overlap precisely enough.

We must therefore examine the precise meaning of each character, the breath movement it implies, and its effects on the organs, psychology, and physiology.

We will explain the meaning of the character you 憂, which can evoke grief, mourning, or despondency, oppression; we will see how it differs, for example, from what the character beh 悲, sadness, implies.

March 22, 2027: xia he 下合, general presentation of the he lower points.

April 19, 2027: xia he 下合, in-depth study of the he lower points with texts.

May 10, 2027: A body of Qi.

June 7, 2027: The 3 main characters for the body: xing 形 - ti 體 - shen 身.

For information and registration: robyn.sodders@gmail.com

ICOM – 2 SERIES ON EXHAUSTION/TAXATION

Tuesdays from 6:00 to 7:30 pm (London) – 1:00 to 2:30 pm (EDT) – 10:00 to 11:30 am (PDT)

Part 1: Tuesdays April 14, 21, 28 and May 5.
Insights and lessons from traditional Chinese texts to understand more deeply fatigue and
exhaustion, problems that are increasingly present in modern life. Learn how to manage them.

Part 2: Tuesdays September 8, 15, 22.
Explore how the practitioners are faced with an exhausted (and often exhausting) patient but
also with their own exhaustion. Learn how practitioners can protect themselves from exhaustion.

Cost Part 1: £140 – Part 2: £105 – Both Parts: £245

For more information and registration: Kate Joseph – cpd@orientalmed.ac.uk – https://orientalmed.ac.uk/product/exhaustion/

CEU CLASSES with DAOIST TRADITIONS COLLEGE

Tuesday, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm (EDT) - 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm (PDT) - 1 am to 3 am (CET)

November 3, 10 & 17:
The Ascent to Heaven:
Reading the Cosmos through the Mawangdui Funeral Banner.

Through the use of symbols and mythic animals, this painting from the 2nd Century BCE reflects the beliefs of the people on how life appears, develops and disappears, and their hope to enter afterward in the peace of Heaven.

With splendid drawing and sumptuous colors, it offers to anyone a direct grasp and feeling of the emerging of life as a crossing of yin and yang, of its development as a ascension from the depth of the Earth to the everlasting serenity of Heaven.

The Banner is like a vivid illustration of what we read in the Chinese classics, a diving in the soul of ancient China.

Reaching the depths of hope and beliefs of people living far away a long time ago, we access to what we have in common with us. The Banner speaks directly to us, not only of ancient China but of our present-day life and expectations.

Chinese texts from the same period of time illustrate the explanations.

January 12, 19 & 26:
Between Heaven and Earth:
The Paths of Life and Death in Classical China.

Views of life and death in classical China. The traditional (Ancestors worship, the funeral rituals), Confucianist and Daoist approaches/perspectives/visions).

«As long as we don't know what life is, how can we know what death is? » (Lunyu)
“Alive, I am and I serve (Heaven-Earth); dead, I shall be at peace.” (Zhang Zai)
« To die but not be forgotten - that's true long life. » (Daodejing 33)

Information and registration: jmoore@daoisttraditions.edu – (828) 225-3993 – https://daoisttraditions.edu/dtc-events/

TOMO

A series of 6 classes of 3 hours each, in English with a translation in Polish, on

THE IMAGES OF THE ORGANS (zang xiang 藏象)
A dynamic study of the five zang through the lens of the five elements

Tuesday: 16:00 pm to 9:00 pm (CET) - 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm (WEST) - 12:00 to 3:00 pm (EDT) - 9:00 am to 12:00 (PDT)

These classes aim to present the physio-pathology for each of the five zang organs as the representatives qi dynamic of the five elements in a human being.

By clarifying the deeper theoretical background of the Five Elements and the zang organs, the course helps practitioners move beyond a simplified diagnostic model. It offers a more grounded and nuanced understanding of physiology, psychology, and pathology, supporting greater confidence in clinical practice.

Oct. 27: General presentation.

A brief recap of the theory of the yin yang and Five Elements (phase/agents) as organizers of life in the universe and all forms of life. These five moving forces that we can observe in nature become the pattern for an efficient knowledge of the functioning of life in a human being.

Exploring the meaning of « image (xiang 象) » and the use of analogy in classical Chinese medicine.

A general presentation of the five elements as a pattern to understand the functioning of the five zang organs.

Nov. 3: The LIVER as the Wood Qi.

The normality and pathology of the Liver as the working and the effects of the Wood qi, at any level of the human life (physiology, psychology, emotions, working of the mind, building of the self, etc.). Specific characters used to express this Liver/Wood dynamic are explained.
Exemples of normal and pathological relations with the other qi are given. How it helps in the diagnosis and treatment of Liver patterns.

Nov. 10: The LUNG as the Metal Qi.

Nov. 17: The SPLEEN as the Earth Qi.

Nov. 24: The KIDNEYS as the Water Qi.

Dec. 1: The HEART as the Fire Qi.

Information and registration: Anna Słowik: herubin@o2.pl

INSTITUTE OF TAOIST EDUCATION & ACUPUNCTURE (ITEA)

November 11 & 12 - 11.00 am to 3.00 pm (EDT) - 8.00 am to 12.00 pm (PDT)

For information and registration, please contact president@itea.edu (www.itea.edu).

Video Teachings

Some past classes and other teachings are available as online videos, in most cases also in a version valid for Credits (CEU, PDA and other). More details in the Online Teachings page.

Teachings in French and other languages

For the program of teachings in French and other languages, please click here.

For teachings specifically in Italian or Portuguese, please click here.