ASHA is a community of holistic health pioneers, School of Massage, Wellness Center, Student Clinic, and Natural Pharmacy . ASHA is a friendly, nurturing environment designed to develop a world of compassionate, healthy people working together towards self-actualization. We are a community where students, instructors and staff are truly passionate about their mission and purpose—to treat the whole person … mind, body and spirit. We are committed to shifting the world's view of health care from treating illness to creating wellness.

Our Healing Arts Massage School is based in the Atlanta area. It started and still operates with a clinical-based focus on deep structural massage therapy with our core passion being holistic health for individuals as well as the world in which we live. ASHA stands for Academy of Somatic Healing Arts and we are now expanding our Healing Arts trainings to include a cutting edge Wellness Coaching Program that allows graduates to teach health classes and get paid by insurance companies. In the near future we are expanding even further to offer an Oriental Medicine Program.

ASHA’s holistic health orientation recognizes the interdependence of spirit, mind and body and bases everything we offer on this integrative approach. Many of our expert healing arts teachers work together in our Wellness Center with this vital understanding of the necessity of human interdependence for the establishment and maintenance of real health. At ASHA Wellness Center, any practitioner you start with will lead you to your overall health goals. Come and join our ASHA community.

The backbone of ASHA and our Executive Director/Owner is Dr. Stan Dawson. He has been a pioneer in the wellness field for over 30 years. He is a Dr. of Chiropractic and Ayurvedic Medicine, Neuromuscular Therapist, Polarity Therapist, Massage Therapist, Mind Body Psychotherapist and educator. In the mid 70’s, he realized the mind body connection and was the first Chiropractor to work with an MD and a Physical Therapist and the first to offer massage therapy and chiropractic in one facility, all of which were pioneering moves for a chiropractor at that time. He has continually brought the healing arts professions together through his deep understanding of the interdependence necessary for individual and world-wide health.

In 1978, Dr. Dawson opened the FIRST Holistic Health Center in the entire Southeast. He brought together 30 teachers including practitioners in polarity therapy, psychotherapy, massage therapy, chiropractic as well as traditional medical doctors, offering a variety of educational and therapeutic programs. This paved a new way to help people heal on a physical, emotional and spiritual level. This approach later became the foundation of the Holistic Model that is unique to ASHA. At ASHA you are in expert hands.