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First Year Syllabus

Please note that all teaching is in English, but we shall make every effort to help students whose first language in not English.

PHILOSOPHY

• George Ohsawa’s original philosophy of macrobiotics and approach to healing, including the Seven Theorems and Twelve Principles, the creation and purpose of life, the use of yin and yang, the Seven Levels of Judgement (or Consciousness) and the stages of development of illness.
• Michio Kushi’s broad contribution to macrobiotics, including past and future worlds, creation of world peace, Nine Star Ki, Oriental Diagnosis, Standard Macrobiotic Diet and yin yang approach to healing illness.
• The human energetic constitution, including central channel, chakras, organs and meridians, and the subtle bodies - etheric, emotional, mental and spiritual.

HEALTH STUDIES

• Understanding the causes of illness within a person’s diet, lifestyle, emotions and beliefs.
• Yin and yang used to balance diet, life style, exercise, emotions and beliefs.
• The theory of the Five Transformations of Energy, the five energies in nature, our bodies and psychology, foods, cooking styles and activities.
• Using Five Transformation theory to understand how to choose a balanced diet that nourishes all our bodily organs and functions, and our emotions, mind and spirit.
• Using Five Transformation theory to design specific healing diets and give lifestyle recommendations.
• In depth study of a range of common non-serious health problems, their underlying energetic and physical imbalances, deeper causes, healing, and specific remedies.
• Basic practice of giving dietary consultations – developing counselling skills in conducting interview sessions, with practice seeing a number of clients in class and at home.

DIAGNOSIS

• Overview of the four main methods of Oriental Diagnosis, visual, listening, questioning and touch.
• Diagnosis of a person’s constitution by yin and yang, and looking at individual strengths and weaknesses.
• Visual diagnosis of a person’s condition using yin and yang, facial colour and areas, sclera diagnosis, the hair, hands and feet.
• Listening diagnosis of the quality of the voice and by smell.
• Touch diagnosis of the abdomen, the physical organs and their energetic quality.
• Questioning diagnosis using yin and yang, the Five Transformations, the energetic and physical functions of organs, and prevalent moods and emotions.

COOKING

• Cooking balanced meals with variety.
• Cooking more yin or yang meals for different personal conditions.
• Cooking for men and women.
• Using the ingredients and cooking styles of the Five Transformations to create meals with five different energies, for seasonal eating and for healing specific imbalances and health problems.
• Cooking for children.
• Cooking for families.
• Cooking quick meals.
• Party cooking.

BODYWORK

• Abdominal palpation to feel the physical and energetic quality of internal organs.
• The 12 meridians of the Classical Meridian system, using the meridians in diagnosis, and use of common points for diagnosis and treatment of minor ailments.

WESTERN STUDIES

• Basic human anatomy, physiology and pathology.
• Basic principles of western nutrition - the nutrients we need, and how to get them, dangers of over-nutrition, the physiology of digestion etc.

EMOTIONAL HEALING

• Relation between food and emotions - how our emotions can determine our eating, as well as how our food affects our moods and emotions.
• Basic skills of listening well and emotional counselling.
• Ethics and responsibilities when seeing clients. Creating a safe environment for client’s with clear boundaries, confidentiality, clear communication etc.
• Developing an awareness of your own emotional patterns, their causes and how to transform them.

PHYSICAL AND ENERGETIC EXERCISES

• Do-in self shiatsu including abdominal massage, Makko Ho meridian stretches, and use of  the meridian pathways.
• Abdominal and chakra breathing exercises.
• Spiritual development - what this means, its stages and initiations, and what we can do to progress more quickly.
• Internal energy exercises for opening the spiritual channel and chakras.

Please note that this syllabus may be varied slightly according to the needs and progress of particular groups.

Other Opportunities to Study and Practice

The Holistic Cooking School runs a Cooking Assistant training programme, offering some basic training and the opportunity to assist on a variety of cooking classes, courses and public events. Assisting gives you the opportunity to study and practice what you have learnt in a social setting, as well as developing your communication and teaching skills. The school also selects a small number of outstanding students to train as future teachers.