Tatyana Ryevzina, LAc
I grew up in the Soviet Union and immigrated to the United States as a teen, living in New York and Chicago before moving to the Bay Area in 1998. I have been involved with various Eastern healing and spiritual traditions for almost 20 years. I began as a Yoga instructor and as a practitioner of Ohashiatsu bodywork and have been practicing Chinese Medicine since 2003. In addition to private practice, I have worked as an herbal pharmacist, an herbal medicine instructor and as a volunteer at the Charlotte Maxwell Complementary Clinic in Oakland, serving low-income women with cancer.

My discovery of Community Acupuncture practice model transformed and revived me. I see this type of acupuncture practice as the most sustainable and most fitting to my values. It makes sense to me from the point of view of healthcare access, social justice, spirituality, and as an antidote to isolation. I have taught Community Acupuncture practice development at AIMC, an acupuncture college in Berkeley. I also served on the Board of Directors of Community Acupuncture Network.

I live in Albany with a wonderful family that includes four humans, three cats and four chickens. I am a swimmer, a student of Dayan Qigong and a somewhat sporadic practitioner of Buddhist meditation. I always wish I had more time to read and knit.

Pamela O’Malley Chang, LAc
I grew up in Massachusetts, daughter of a Chinese immigrant biologist father and an American-born librarian mother whose father was a Chinese herbalist. Initially rejecting medicine as a career, I became an architect/civil engineer specializing in eco-friendly residential renovation. After side-trips into the nonprofit world, and a bout with early-stage ovarian cancer, I received a Master of Science in Traditional Chinese Medicine from the Academy of Chinese Culture and Health Sciences in Oakland, California and am licensed to practice acupuncture in California.

Having a deep-seated desire for a world with ample resources for people to create their own solutions to everyday problems, I am delighted to be a founding partner of Sarana Community Acupuncture and a member of the growing Community Acupuncture Network.

Outside of work, I am a volunteer at the Charlotte Maxwell Complementary Clinic—a free alternative therapies center for low-income women with cancer, and am a contributing editor to Yes!Magazine, journal of the positive futures network. I practice a variety of tai chi and qi gong forms, am an enthusiastic if mediocre violinist, and have dreams of creating a deer-free organic vegetable garden in my Berkeley backyard. I am also a graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School, a former Peace Corps Volunteer (Micronesia), and the owner of a solar-electric roof.

Mari Kubota, LAc
I grew up in North Carolina with a small-business owner mom from Mississippi and an acupuncturist pop from Japan. From an early age I had an interest in healing work.

In 2002 I completed the Reiki II training in Ohio. After moving to the Bay Area in 2003 I attended the Acupressure Institute and obtained my certification with a focus in Emotional Healing. I began practicing bodywork in 2003, utilizing techniques from Tui Na (Chinese massage), acupressure, and Reiki. More recently I finished my studies at the Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College in Berkeley and have become a licensed acupuncturist.

Along the way, I have spent time volunteering with the Charlotte Maxwell Complementary Clinic in Oakland and the Lyon-Martin Health Clinic in San Francisco, a clinic that provides low/no cost healthcare to women and transgender people. I have also become passionate about studying transformative justice as a path to healing on an individual, community, and global level. I yearn for the day that all people can feel safe in their own bodies and within our healthcare systems.

Outside of the clinic I enjoy art, the outdoors, and spending time with my partner and pups.

Sarah Liners, LAc
I grew up in Salinas, CA and Brainerd, MN before moving to the Bay Area in 2000. For years I worked in the restaurant industry. I even went to culinary school and became a pastry chef. It was my intention for many years to open an organic/local/sustainable produce market and cafe, but then I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. After battling cancer, I worked to regain my health with the help of natural and holistic medicines. During that time I realized that I wanted to do more for my community; that I wanted to increase the health and vitality of the people around me.

Chinese medicine has always been part of my life. My mother's family immigrated from China and the use of traditional herbs and medicines were and are commonplace in our homes. My father was a Chiropractor throughout my childhood and greatly influenced my dedication to holistic and natural health practices. I studied acupressure and then other massage modalities including tui na, shiatsu, and reflexology. Most recently, I've studied CranioSacral Therapy. I received a Master of Science in Traditional Chinese Medicine from the Academy of Chinese Culture and Health Sciences in Oakland and am a licensed acupuncturist.

Outside of Sarana, I volunteer at the Charlotte Maxwell Complementary Clinic, where I received free alternative therapies during and after my cancer treatment. I enjoy biking, hiking, qi gong, and generally being outside in the wide world. Occasionally I teach violin, although mostly I just play for my own pleasure. My partner and I enjoy being with our puppies and kitties whenever possible.

Amanda Quvus, LAc
I grew up in New York City. My mother died from breast cancer when I was six. I was then raised by a Puerto Rican woman who became my adoptive mother. In my new family’s culture, when I was sick, I was taken to the curandera (folk healer) before the doctor. This taught me from a young age to seek alternative therapies for any ailments. In my early twenties I found relief from painful periods through the use of herbs, nutrition, and meditation. Inspired by this experience, I studied Ayurveda, and was soon led to Chinese medicine. I received my Master’s Degree at the Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College in Berkeley and am a licensed acupuncturist.

I believe in community-based medicine and am dedicated to providing sustainable healthcare for all. I currently volunteer as an acupuncturist at the Charlotte Maxwell Complementary Clinic, serving low income women with cancer. I am fluent in Spanish.

Outside of the clinic you may find me wandering through bookstores and art museums or hiking around California. I frequent local farmers markets and love to cook. I dream of having land, building a home with my partner, and having chickens, a goat, and kids running around. I am learning to make more time for Yoga and meditation.

Sarah Lovett, Massage practitioner
I grew up in Northern Colorado, and relocated to the Bay Area in 2002. After major burn out from the tech and restaurant industries, I began to search for something that would not only help others but also help myself. As a result, I began studying at the Acupressure Institute in Berkeley, where I received my certification and continue to study today. My specialization is wind and water style Tui Na and Jin Shin acupressure. In addition I have trained in shiatsu, reflexology, cranio-sacral therapy and have received Reiki Master training. I currently live in Albany, where I enjoy practicing qi gong and tai chi in my garden. I also love collecting all things vintage, crocheting, train trips and playing the clarinet and drums.