Alaska Institute of Oriental Medicine

About Instructor Cynthia McMullen

MARESA HUSKE, AUGUST 2017

Cynthia’s teachings are more than awesome. She is awesome, period. I’m so thankful that she came into my life. She truly has had a life-changing impact on me personally through her Essential Oil and Chinese Medical Aromatherapy workshops and courses. Even though I completed her entire series of live Essential Oil workshops in the past and benefited tremendously from those, I am now following up and taking some of her online Essential Oil courses in my quest to continue learning and growing.

I absolutely LOVE the online site! Not only is the entire site very easy to navigate, with everything laid out in a wonderfully comprehensive way, but I have received so much additional insight and information from the online courses. Cynthia has greatly expanded upon the information that she provided in her live workshops and presents it in a very friendly, inviting, and uplifting way. Her narrative is clear, insightful, and informative and flows flawlessly.

Each online course has a beautiful downloadable Workbook of her teachings, broken out into small sections as part of the curriculum, as well as multiple videos, and students can easily go back through the sections and the videos and review the materials again and again, which is really helpful for retaining information.

In the videos, Cynthia's attitude and her excitement about sharing and teaching are fun and real. The viewers feel like Cynthia is a friend who cares very much about "enlightening" them, not just "teaching" them. Her presentation is beautiful and inspirational.

Believe me, studying with Cynthia is an EXPERIENCE! If you've been wanting to learn how to use and incorporate essential oils into your life, Cynthia’s 12-lesson course is a MUST.

MARY MUMMA, JUNE 2016

Cynthia has been my teacher in the fields of Massage Therapy, Acupressure, Traditional Chinese Medicine Five-Element Nutrition, Aromatherapy, and Medical QiGong over the 13 years I have known her. She is an incredible teacher, always reaching for the highest level of learning and experiencing and keeping her own ego in such a balanced state, to allow and encourage her students to grow and develop at their highest potential. I have gained tremendously from being a recipient of Cynthia's teaching.

She is also a wonderful practitioner of Chinese massage and Medical QiGong and has helped me and members of my family through the years. I will never forget how she was present and so very helpful for my sister when she needed her. Cynthia is a wonderful, kind, and very adept holistic natural health care practitioner. My life and my family's lives have been enhanced and elevated from knowing her through the years.

JAMES BENZSCHAWEL, APRIL 2016

I had my last day of massage school today. I am so thankful that I joined this program on a whim. I don't have enough ways to say how much I appreciate all of the instructors at our school but particularly Cynthia (second to left) who walked us through the fundamentals of the Five Elements, meridian systems, acupressure points, cupping, guasha, and most importantly - living life in the Tao.

I was in a pretty low spot last spring when too many bad things in my life all happened at once. In addition to a very loving and supportive boyfriend and a group of amazing best friends, it was Cynthia's consistently warm energy and words of real insightful wisdom that got me through more than she even knows. I've transcended so much with her guidance. Thank you, Cynthia, with all of my heart! Anyone who learns underneath her is better for it. You can also book her through her private practice, Touch of Tao. Here's to life in the Tao! And life on the fringe!

BECKY MAKOOL, JULY 2016

I am an editor, and I am helping Cynthia put her Essential Oil courses online. I attended Cynthia’s live Essential Oil workshops in Anchorage, Alaska, once a month for more than two years because I enjoyed them so much. Now, in my capacity as an editor, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to help her convert her workshops to an online format because I believe so strongly in the value of the information that she teaches. I want to help her get that information out to a wider audience.

Thanks to Cynthia, I have experienced firsthand the healing power of essential oils, and I want to help make others aware of that healing potential, too. Essential oils can be used to help adults and our children and pets, as well. Having said that, I also believe that we need to be knowledgeable about the proper use of essential oils because they are very powerful substances. One drop packs a mighty punch!

Cynthia is so much more than just another essential oil instructor. She is a gifted healer and an inspirational and captivating teacher who has a wealth of knowledge about essential oils and the healing arts. As a Certified Aromatherapist, a licensed Massage Therapist, and a practitioner of Oriental Medicine, Cynthia blends her knowledge about the healing power of essential oils with her knowledge of massage techniques, energy meridians and acupressure points, the Five Elements of Chinese Medicine, and Medical QiGong energy healing. Her classes and workshops delve into all of these areas at times.

Cynthia readily shares her own healing insights and wisdom with her students and also adds a touch of humor here and there to make learning really fun! She uses a hands-on approach in her classes and workshops to give her students real-life experiences with essential oils. Her online courses encourage students to “play” with the oils—to experiment with them and get to know the oils personally. Each online course includes a homework assignment to help students accomplish this goal.

Again and again, I have been fascinated and impressed by Cynthia’s ability to use essential oils to create what I call “magic healing potions” to address all kinds of health issues, both physical and emotional. In the five years in which I have known her, she has used essential oils to help me with colds, digestive issues, cuts and bruises, neck and back pain, headaches, fatigue, dry skin, and various emotional issues. She has also given me special essential oil blends to use for meditation and QiGong. Cynthia is a master alchemist who works in harmony with Mother Earth and with the wonderful plants that grow here.

She is also one of the most unconditionally loving and kind people I know. I have the greatest respect, admiration, and appreciation for Cynthia McMullen. And, yes, more and more, as time and money permit, I play around with essential oils myself and make my own magic healing potions!