Small Steps Healing Project making big waves

Group photo of (Left to Right) LaShyra "Lash" Nolen (founder of We Got Us Project), Golda and Cornelie Jean-Charles (Haitian-American sisters who have a business called I Love Me Reiki https://www.ilovemereiki.com/), Dr. Tolbert Small, Oren "Ren" Pilinger (lead acupuncturist at Boston Acupuncture Project), Geri Hughes (Blue Willow Acupuncture), and Eana Meng, founder and director of the Small Steps Healing Project.

In the past few months, over 150 community members received free holistic healing thanks to the Small Steps Healing Project, part of We Got Us. Boston Acupuncture Project had the opportunity to contribute to this work.

Community Empowerment

What is We Got Us? From their website: “The We Got Us Empowerment Project is a Boston-based collective of Black community members, health professional students, and allies dedicated to empowering our communities with education about medical racism, COVID-19, and the vaccine. We also seek to promote public health and to influence policy in order to help keep our communities safe and healthy.”

The Small Steps Healing Project, a community-based collaborative, aims to “increase access to acupuncture and holistic healing for the historically marginalized populations in Boston and beyond.” Harvard medical student Eana Meng named the project after Dr. Tolbert Small, physician to the Black Panthers and one of the first American doctors to practice acupuncture.

Eana and other Small Steps Healing Project volunteers organized eight pop up clinics around Boston, providing acupuncture, reiki, sound healing, and more – all free for the community.

Learning and Celebrating

This past Saturday, October 22, 2022, Eana arranged for Dr. Small to fly out and speak in Dorchester. We learned more about Dr. Small’s trail-blazing life and work as a Black physician and activist. It was wonderful to be there and an honor to meet Dr. Small.

Healers from around Boston

Check out the work of some of the other healers participating in the Small Steps Healing Project:

Click arrow to see more photos. Photos 1-5 courtesy of Elizabeth Ropp, L.Ac. Final group photo courtesy of the Small Steps Healing Project.

Short trailer video by Eana Meng about her research journey! More videos at https://www.wegotusproject.org/small-steps-project

Free Outdoor Yoga + Acupuncture

Image of Black woman doing yoga in park. text says: Community in Nature. Free yoga plus acupuncture. Sundays 10-11 AM. Mother's Rest Park on September 11. Reverend Loesch Family Park on September 18. 4 Corners Yoga and Wellness Logo.

Join 4 Corners Yoga + Wellness and Boston Acupuncture Project for outdoor yoga followed by relaxing group acupuncture!

Community In Nature Yoga Classes:
Sunday, Sept. 11 at Mother’s Rest Park, 10-11 AM
Sunday, Sept. 18 at Rev. Loesch Family Park, 10-11 AM

To see details and register:
1. Visit https://www.4cornersyogawellness.com/yoga
2. Select the date of the class on the scheduler at the top of the page
3. Click the green “book” button next to the class name.

(Drop-ins are also welcome!)

At the end of these classes, Boston Acupuncture Project provides free relaxation acupuncture.

Please bring your own yoga mat!

Yoga + Acupuncture at Mother’s Rest Park

Image of Black woman doing yoga in park. text says: Community in Nature. Free yoga plus acupuncture. Sundays 10-11 AM. Mother's Rest Park on September 11. Reverend Loesch Family Park on September 18. 4 Corners Yoga and Wellness Logo.

Join 4 Corners Yoga + Wellness for 2 free/donation-based outdoor classes!

Community In Nature Yoga Classes:
Sunday, Sept. 11 at Mother’s Rest Park, 10-11 AM
Sunday, Sept. 18 at Rev. Loesch Family Park, 10-11 AM

To see details and register:
1. Visit https://www.4cornersyogawellness.com/yoga
2. Select the date of the class on the scheduler at the top of the page
3. Click the green “book” button next to the class name.

(Drop-ins are also welcome!)

At the end of these classes, Boston Acupuncture Project provides free relaxation acupuncture. Please bring your own yoga mat!

Second Anniversary Free Day

We’re celebrating the second anniversary of our Hyde Park community acupuncture clinic with a day of FREE acupuncture treatments! Appointments required. First treatment begins at 10:00am, last treatment begins at 2:15pm, and doors close at 3:00pm.

Schedule Appointment

We will also kick off our Readiness Raffle, raising money to cover the costs of providing outdoor acupuncture this coming Spring.

First prize: one MONTH of FREE acupuncture treatments for one person

Second prize: one WEEK of FREE acupuncture treatments for one person

Third prize: ONE FREE acupuncture treatment for one person

This event is on Facebook: Free Day & Raffle to Celebrate 2 Years Open at Boston Acupuncture Project. Check it out and invite your friends!

Carmen’s Birthday Benefit: Acupuncture by Donation

Ren treats a volunteer who happens to be the ED of the Mass. Coalition of Domestic Workers. Text reads Carmen's Birthday Benefit. Acupuncture by Donation on Feb. 21 to benefit the Mass. Coalition of Domestic Workers.

Care for others while caring for yourself! Join us to celebrate Carmen’s birthday on Friday, Feb. 21, 2020 and support justice for domestic workers with an acupuncture treatment at Boston Acupuncture Project (74 Fairmount Ave, Hyde Park, MA 02136).

Anything you give for your acupuncture treatment at BAP on Feb. 21, 2020 benefits the Massachusetts Coalition of Domestic Workers (http://www.massdomesticworkers.org/). You can pay with cash or check in the clinic, or make your donation online at http://www.massdomesticworkers.org/donate

Walk-ins are welcome from 3:00-6:00pm as long as space is available, but you can also save your spot! Click the button below to schedule your appointment for this special event.

**Once you are in the scheduler, click on the date, Feb. 21, in the calendar to see available times, then click on the one you want to enter your information.**

Schedule Appointment

TaiJi-QiGong Class Series Offered in Fall 2019

Boston Acupuncture Project announces our first-ever class series, bringing QiGong and TaiChi (aka Taiji) taught by instructor Paula Reardon-Webster to Hyde Park. This 6-week series is appropriate for both new and experienced practitioners. Classes are Thursday evenings, 6:00-7:00pm, beginning September 19, 2019 at Boston Acupuncture Project’s Hyde Park location (74 Fairmount Ave).

QiGong and TaiJi cultivate health, strength, and energy

Qigong integrates physical postures, breathing techniques, meditation and focused intentions, also incorporating Taiji form (Chen Style) movement in this evidence-based program. These static & moving postures strengthen the lower body, improve functional balance, and provide many other holistic benefits.

The Instructor

Paula Reardon-Webster is an Evidence Based Qigong & Taiji Instructor, T.A. for the Center for Taiji Studies, M.A. Mindfulness Studies Lesley University, RYT200 yoga and Yin Yoga instructor. For more about Paula’s offerings and background, please visit her website: https://www.thenowpoint.com/

Don’t Wait – Register Now

Space is very limited! You are welcome to attend the first class if you are not sure about signing up for the 6-week series. Cost is only $100 for the entire series. 

Click the Register Now button below,
scroll down to the calendar,
click Sept. 19,
then select “recurring” to sign up for all 6 weeks:
Sept. 19, Sept. 26, Oct. 10, 17, 24, and Nov. 7.

Button: Register Now


(The scheduler will tell you you’re signing up for 8 weeks –
that’s because we are skipping 2 weeks.
Just sign up for all 8 weeks – you will see that 2 are crossed out – and select “pay later.”
Then click the payment button below
or come into the clinic to pay $100 for all 6 weeks.)

Button: Pay Now


Questions about PAYMENT or VENUE? Contact Ren: contact@bostonacupunctureproject.org or 617-506-3868

Questions about class content? Contact Paula: atthenowpoint@gmail.com

Farmers Market Visits

Every month this summer, Boston Acupuncture Project offers free sample acupuncture at a local farmer’s market. Here’s the travel schedule:

May Free Day and membership drive

MAY DAY FREE DAY WEdnesday, May 1, from 2-6pm at Boston Acupuncture Project, 74 Fairmount Ave, Hyde Park, MA 02136

May Day Free Day

Come celebrate May Day and kick off the May membership drive for the People’s Organization of Community Acupuncture (POCA) with a FREE acupuncture treatment on Wednesday, May 1, from 2:00-6:00pm. Our May Day Free Day event is on our website (click here) and also on facebook (click here).

Ren treats Vitalis at BAP's kickoff event at 4 Corners Yoga + Wellness in Dorchester, MA
free treatment at BAP’s kickoff event in July 2017, hosted by 4 Corners Yoga + Wellness

Also known as International Workers Day, May Day is acknowledged worldwide as a commemoration of the social and economic achievements of the international labor movement. POCA Community Acupuncture clinics like Boston Acupuncture Project are social businesses dedicated to affordable healthcare.

Whether or not you have ever been to Boston Acupuncture Project, you can click here to reserve your May Day free treatment online or walk in from 2:00-6:00pm on Wednesday, May 1st, at 74 Fairmount Ave, Hyde Park, MA 02136.

UPDATE, 4/30/19: it is likely that no more appointments are available when you click the link. You can still stop by the day of, to see if we can squeeze you in – just in case someone does not show up to claim their spot. But we can’t guarantee this will happen. Thank you for your interest and understanding!

Walk-ins are always welcome as long as there is space – just wait for someone to greet you before going in past the waiting area.

Remember that acupuncture appointments through the end of May are 25% off for all POCA members. Find out more and join POCA at pocacoop.com/join-page

What’s POCA?

The People’s Organization of Community Acupuncture (POCA) is a multi-stakeholder cooperative working to make acupuncture available to as many people as possible. POCA members are acupuncturists, clinics, and – the largest membership group – patients/community members!

POCA members believe everybody should have access to the many benefits of community acupuncture. For that to happen, we need more acuPUNCturists (a.k.a. ‘punks’) in more places! That means a community acupuncture clinic in every town, everywhere.

green logo with recliner and words POCA People's Organization of Community Acupuncture

POCA works toward this goal by funding micro-loans for new clinics, running a fantastic, affordable community acupuncture school called POCA Tech, and supporting volunteers in many other projects promoting access to affordable group acupuncture.

Strength in Numbers

Boston Acupuncture Project, a clinic member of POCA, regularly provides acupuncture treatment for everybody on a sliding scale of $20-$40. With over 150 Community Acupuncture clinics across North America, thousands of individuals are expected to receive free services on May 1st.

In May, Boston Acupuncture Project participates in POCA’s Membership Drive. We wish everybody, everywhere who had an ache or a pain had a local acupuncture clinic to turn to, so we’re making that happen – and you can join us. This year’s theme is “More Punks in More Places”.

“POCA Tech students come from all over the country to study liberation acupuncture in Portland, Oregon” – Janis Aura, photo from 2018

A POCA membership is an opportunity for you to help others receive care, while also benefiting yourself. By paying once-a-year dues on a sliding scale from $25-$100, you directly support the creation of new community acupuncture clinics, and the graduation of more acu-punks from POCA Tech, so more people can get more acupuncture.

Just like our acupuncture treatments, POCA membership is the same no matter what you pay on the $25-$100 sliding scale. We appreciate any contribution you can make. To sign up for a membership go to: https://www.pocacoop.com/join-page

Membership Perks

A POCA membership can pay for itself in a few treatments, because perks include a free treatment on your birthday, 3 “free first treatment” coupons to share with loved ones, and having all new patient paperwork fees waived at any POCA Clinic (click for a map)!

Our new patient paperwork fee of $10 is always waived for all POCA members, but in May 2019, POCA members get 25% off all month long. That means you can pay just $15 for any acupuncture visit when you show your POCA membership card.

As POCA members we are creating jobs, creating community, and creating a healthier future for everyone. We hope you will join us. If you have any questions please check out POCA’s mission and vision at https://www.pocacoop.com/our-mission-and-vision, or ask your acupuncturist how much POCA means to them!

Happy new year! Special offers January 2019

Often acupuncture works best when you get a lot of treatments in a short period of time. Usually we recommend the minimum number of treatments that we think you will need, based on clinical experience – but sometimes even that amount of treatments seems like a LOT.

For example, quitting smoking – a popular new year’s resolution – often works best with acupuncture when you can come in several times every week for a few weeks!

So, in order to help support your new year’s resolutions, we’re offering a special all month of Unlimited Acupuncture Treatments. This package is good for 30 days from the date of purchase. Feel free to ask after your first treatment if this option could be right for you. Fine print is below!

Also check out Newbie Tuesdays – click here for more details! Brand new visitors get a free first treatment on Tuesday mornings at Boston Acupuncture Project, 9:00am-1:00pm, every Tuesday in January 2019.

You can make an appointment online by clicking here. Tell your friends, loved ones, anyone you know who might be able to use these specials! Best wishes for a healthy, happy new year.

Background shows someone smiling in a recliner. Text reads: Happy 2019! Unlimited month of acupuncture treatments for $190 at Boston Acupuncture Project, 74 Fairmount Ave, Hyde Park, MA 02137. 617-506-3868. Book online anytime: bostonacupunctureproject.org
Available in the clinic – please sign for and purchase in person.
Terms and conditions:
– one month unlimited means one treatment per day for every day during a 30 day time period that Boston Acupuncture Project’s Hyde Park clinic is open
– visits are not transferable and may only be used by the patient purchasing and signing the agreement
– the unlimited period is consecutive and cannot be broken up or paused and re-started
– there is no guaranteed number of visits during the unlimited period
– any refunds will be pro-rated at the rate of $10 per visit used
– if the clinic is closed unexpectedly for any reason, your end date will be extended to account for the missing day(s)
– this special may not be combined with any other offer or promotion.

Newbie Tuesdays in January 2019

What a great way to try something new in the new year! Brand new visitors get a free first treatment on Tuesday mornings at Boston Acupuncture Project. Appointments are available from 9:00am-1:00pm, every Tuesday remaining in January 2019:

Tuesday, January 8th
Tuesday, January 15th
Tuesday, January 22nd
Tuesday, January 29th

You can make an appointment online by clicking here – or just walk in between 9am and 1pm on a Tuesday in January. Don’t forget to tell your friends, loved ones, and anyone else you know who might be able to use this special!

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