Cindy Banker began her professional practice of Asian Bodywork Therapy in 1982. Since then in addition to maintaining a busy private practice she has continued her own education in a number of areas which have helped to broaden and enlighten the work she does with individual clients. Throughout this time she has also remained extremely active in the professional development of her field serving in a variety of positions for the national professional associations (see resume for details).

Cindy holds a Master's Degree in Chinese Herbal Medicine and Language which she completed through Lesley University’s Independent Research Option. There she incorporated her original training with Ted Kaptchuk, OMD; two years of the Chinese herbal medicine course at the New England School of Acupuncture and an extensive internship with a master level practitioner at a local Chinese herbal shop. Working with Ted Kaptchuk as her advisor, Cindy structured her own unique degree programs in both the history and practice of Chinese herbal medicine. She now has years of experience using this knowledge as an adjunct to her Five Element Shiatsu practice. Cindy has also done extensive studies in the use of diet as a means to health with her original training throughout the 1970’s from Michio Kushi and Shizuko Yamamoto. Since then her study of Traditional Chinese medicine has helped to evolve and refine this original training in macrobiotics.

Cindy's studies of literary Chinese at Harvard University have allowed her to continue the translation work she began while doing her Master's Degree Thesis. At that time she translated a chapter from the Lei Jing on Emotional and Mental Illness. She has presented her own original translation work both for an academic and clinical audience. She actively participated in medical text reading workshops at Harvard and Princeton Universities. She has taught from her translation work at national seminars offered through the American Organization for Bodywork Therapies of Asia and 500 hour plus educational programs in Asian Bodywork Therapy. She has frequently taught Pulse and Tongue Diagnosis and until the time of its unfortunate closing, she taught a ten week course in classical Chinese medical literature at the Charles River Shiatsu School in Cambridge.

Cindy has also pursued a serious study of the physical arts that enable a practitioner to use their own Qi when practicing shiatsu. She lived in a yoga ashram for eleven months in 1973 and then went on to study Do-In; Qi Gung; Tai Chi; Aikdo and Kung Fu. She chose the top teachers in each of these fields and considers herself to be extremely lucky to live in the Boston area where she has been able to find some of the best teachers from all around the world.

This background reflects the strong emphasis Cindy places on education as she works in a collaborative manner with her clients and enables them to create their own health. With over twenty five years of experience in the field, Cindy is able to prioritize her consultation time and teach each of her clients the aspects and rationale of Traditional Chinese Medicine which is most helpful to them. Her clear and simple explanations create direct access to the perception of Chinese medicine that is otherwise only available in original source text material. Her private consultation time is available in:

• Structural consulting and ce40 consultations which help clients explore their own creative process using the energetic dynamic as a map. This work has been further developed by Cindy from her original studies of the work of both Yves Requena, MD. and Robert Fritz

• Dietary recommendations specific to Chinese Medicine; macrobiotics and modern research specifically tailored to each client's condition

• Specific exercises in Qi Gong and meridian stretches which may be added or emphasized from her professionally produced video tape: The Do-In Video.