NHI Teacher Nancy Gouge schedules appointments for the Encino Haiti Fundraiser.

A giant THANK YOU to all the National Holistic Institute clients, students and staff who have participated so far in raising money to aid the Haiti Relief efforts!!

With 4 of 5 fundraising clinics complete, NHI has accumulated over $5,700!  And we’re not done yet…

You still have the opportunity to participate in one last fundraising clinic:

Petaluma              Wed, February 10     1:30p, 2:45p, 4:00p

Living in California, we all have some notion of how devastating an earthquake can be, even for a better prepared community.  In the past, NHI has shared the power of positive touch with both the victims and emergency workers of California’s disasters.  While our hands may not reach all the way to Haiti, with your generosity our touch there can still be felt. 

Some of the Encino student and graduate volunteers celebrate the evening's success.

San Jose became the first National Holistic Institute campus to hold a Haiti Disaster Relief Fundraiser this past Saturday.   With massages booked every available session and donations still coming in, the San Jose Campus has already raised over $1200!

Campus Manager Beth McNeill massaged alongside 10 student therapists, 2 graduates and 3 teachers for donations to go to Haiti victims.  Beth wasn’t looking to massage all three sessions when she came in to lend a hand, “but was excited just like [NHI teachers] Phil, Gena, and Darlene to help out where needed.”

Thanks to the staff and students of National Holistic Institute who are donating their time, skills and supplies so that all the proceeds of our special clinics can go to the people who need them.

Want to participate in one of our Haiti Disaster Relief Fundraiser Clinics?  You still have 4 more opportunities.

Click on your preferred campus below to book an appointment.  If your campus appears unavailable at the moment, please try again at a later date.  Additional massage volunteers will allow more sessions to come available.   

• Encino                   Wed, January 27        6:15p, 7:30p, 8:45p
• San Francisco   Thu, January 28         1:30p, 2:45p, 4:00p
• Emeryville          Thu, January 28         6:15p, 7:30p, 8:45p
• Petaluma              Wed, February 10     1:30p, 2:45p, 4:00p

Simply book and attend a designated massage clinic at one of our campuses and pay at least the minimum massage fee*.  You’ll receive a 50-minute student massage and your entire fee plus any contribution will be donated to USAid.

With your help, we can touch the world!

*Massage fees vary from $20-$35 depending on campus.  No gift cards accepted.  Cash only.

The Admissions Department visits the new Emeryville Campus for which they will soon be enrolling.

Students who join us in January often do so because of a New Year’s resolution they’ve made – a promise to themselves to achieve a specific goal in the coming year.  In this case, to start a new career in massage therapy.

National Holistic Institute is no exception.  Every year we make New Year’s resolutions that will benefit our students and continue our unrivaled streak as California’s best massage therapy school.  This year, our 31^st year helping people have work they love, looks to be our best yet.  Among our 2010 goals and plans:

• New Emeryville Campus – In March, the Emeryville Campus will leave its home since 1989 and move 1 block away into its own building at 5900 Doyle.  This state-of-the-art, eco-friendly facility was designed and built with the NHI student in mind.  Admissions Representatives (pictured above) have started enrolling for classes in this new location.
• Advanced 400-hour Program – NHI has long set the standard for massage therapy education, becoming California’s first nationally accredited massage school back in the late 80’s.  We continue the trend by adding an additional 400 hours to our already comprehensive, foundational 720-hour program.  NHI has teamed with expert and American Massage Therapy Association Vice-President Cynthia Ribeiro to develop a 5-module neuromuscular course that will include cadaver classes, anatomical clay modeling, and integral anatomy work.  Classes begin February/March in Emeryville with other campuses to follow.
• Los Angeles Expansion – With wait lists for many of the classes at our Los Angeles Campus in Encino, expect to see a larger NHI presence in Southern California later this year.

As we fulfill our New Year’s resolutions, we look forward to helping our students fulfill theirs.  We wish you all a prosperous and very happy New Year!

Dean of Students Ron Peat checks out the soon-to-be new home of his students.

The new NHI Emeryville Campus as seen from Doyle & 59th.

NHI Graduate Jenn Taylor with “American Idiot” cast members Tony Vincent ("St. Jimmy") and Christina Sajous ("Extraordinary Girl").

Jenn Taylor, a student of National Holistic Institute, is very excited about providing massage to the cast of American Idiot, a new musical based on the eponymous Green Day album.  She is completing her externship through the Saint Francis Center for Sports Medicine in Walnut Creek, under the supervision of DPT Patricia Commer.  NHI Student Life & Career Coordinator Aviana Lynn recently had the opportunity to visit with Jenn about the experience.

Jenn has extensive background in theatre and dance, including work with the famous Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat production years ago.  However, the opportunity to massage with American Idiot was a serendipitous one.  Jenn signed up with the Sports Center before their involvement with the show.  It came as a pleasant surprise when she learned she would practice her massage skills in such a familiar atmosphere as the Berkeley Repertory Theatre which hosted the musical’s world premiere.

Jenn describes the show as very high-energy, and lots of fun to watch.  The actors really give it their all, “basically giving themselves whiplash over and over again” during many of the dance moves.  Because of this physical intensity, the cast is super-appreciative of the massage that Jenn provides before and after the performances.

As dancers, “they really appreciate knowing what’s going on with their bodies.”  Jenn, whose mother is also an NHI-trained massage therapist, enjoys using what she’s learned here at NHI to educate the performers about possible issues, while simultaneously providing them with a little relaxation.

The cast has been so enthusiastic that there may be a paid position in Jenn’s future.  With the theatre managers expressing interest in having her provide massage therapy for future productions, Jenn may well return to the performance world once again – this time practicing her new love of massage therapy.

The Festival of Socks held at the National Holistic Institute San Francisco Campus was a huge success, according to Student Life & Career Coordinator Emily Devenny.

The collection box overflowed with more than 100 pairs of socks which will be delivered to the nearby homeless population to warm their feet and hearts during our cold winter months.

The students had blast! They decorated socks, danced in socks, and paraded their socks to the delight of the judges. We had two winners – Jen Butler took the morning prize for her ninja socks and high kicks. The evening prize went to Jim Schmidt who was wearing not one, not two, not three, but oh so many layers of socks with which to tell the story of his attendance at NHI. Jim then graciously donated his prize set of hot rocks to Megan who has perfect attendance and sets the bar for the entire group.

Almost $400 was raised which will be donated to Project Homeless Connect. Students ran a charity clinic and donated their time, good cheer, great massages and fancy socks.

About Project Homeless Connect:

“The services we provide makes a world of difference in the lives of the clients we serve. With every available dollar we can reach many clients.

• $10 can pay for dental treatments and supplies
• $20 can pay for a California ID card which can be vital for applying for a job
• $30 can give the gift of sight with a pair of prescription glasses.”

For the holidays this year, the National Holistic Institute Emeryville Campus again invited seniors from the Emeryville Senior Center to come and enjoy a free massage from our students during our Holiday Senior Center Day.  Group 16 students provided relaxing and therapeutic Swedish massages to 30 senior attendees!  Lisa Mendiola-Flores supervised clinic again this year, and she made everything go wonderfully smoothly.

Student Life & Career Coordinator Aviana Lynn heard from many seniors that the students did an excellent job, and all clients seemed relaxed and happy after their massages.  A couple of them even went so far as to write a thank you note on the dry-erase board in the Student Resource Center.

NHI provided holiday eggnog, cider, and cookies, which many of the seniors enjoyed while chatting with each other after their massages.  The morning was a great success!

We look forward to keeping this NHI holiday tradition going in years to come!

What better way to tell someone you care than with the healing gift of massage?

Gift cards from National Holistic Institute are good for one 50-minute student massage and never expire.  In a world cluttered with “stuff,” a massage offers the perfect opportunity to de-stress.

This holiday season, NHI offers a gift card special to help you give the ideal present without spending an arm and leg.

Buy 5 Gift Cards, Get 1 FREE!
Buy 10 Gift Cards, Get 3 FREE!

CLICK HERE to Buy Online

You can also buy gift cards at your local NHI campus, which may be offering additional holiday specials.

NHI wishes you a safe and happy Holiday Season!

Petaluma accepting a food donation.

At National Holistic Institute, helping people is part of our mission statement.  So, the holidays are an extra special time for us, a time when our students and staff do even more for our communities.  Here is a sampling of what some of the NHI campuses are doing this holiday season…

San Francisco will have a “Sock Hop.”  Clinic clients will get $5.00 off a massage for donating a new pair of socks throughout December.  All donations will be distributed to local homeless shelters where socks are a high priority.  On December 14, an extra clinic will be held with all proceeds going to charity.  Students and clients are encouraged to wear their most creative socks!

Encino is currently in the midst of their 4^th Annual Food Drive.  By donating at least 2 non-perishable food items, clinic clients can get a 50-minute massage for the rock-bottom price of $10.  Last year saw over 650 pounds of food donated to the L.A. Food Bank.  This year’s goal is 1,000 pounds!

Petaluma is hosting its 3^rd Annual Food Drive to benefit the Redwood Empire Food Bank.  Now through December 20^th, clients who donate a non-perishable food item at their appointment receive their massage for only $15!

We hope you take advantage of these specials by booking a massage through our clinic website.  It’s the perfect way to help yourself while helping our students and helping the community.  Happy Holidays!

Encino food donations.

With 15 events and counting in 2009, the National Holistic Institute’s San Jose Sports Massage Team looks forward to 2010 with 7 events already planned.

A whopping 140 students participated in a wide range of events including the AFM motorcycle endurance ride, I Care Classic cycling tour, Forest of Nisene Marks Trail Run, Tour de Cure cycling tour, Relay for Life Los Gatos, Santa Cruz Sprint Triathlon, Women’s Trail Half Marathon, and the Silicon Valley Marathon and Half Marathon to name a few.

A big thanks to all the NHI staffers who worked to make these events happen – Beth, Gena, Benita, Conrad, Lucas, Mark, Patrick, and many more support crew.

Participating in local sporting and charity events is a proud custom at all NHI campuses.  We look forward to building on that tradition in 2010!

Recently, a group of four enthusiastic National Holistic Institute students volunteered in the annual Emery Bay Coastal Cleanup in Emeryville. Along with NHI Student Life and Career Coordinator Aviana Lynn, the students spent 2 hours walking the local coastline picking up trash and debris.

Afterwards, the students donned their NHI apparel and provided an hour of chair massage to the other volunteer participants – including Emeryville Assemblywoman Nancy Skinner. All in all, it was a very productive, eye-opening day. Everyone was excited to help increase awareness about the environment, as well as provide a relaxing reward to those involved!

And every 2-3 months, a group of NHI students visit the Be Still Meditation Retreat at Jack London Aquatic Center in Oakland. Here they provide two hours of chair massage to attendees of this relaxation-focused event.

These are just two of the many events NHI participates in every year. Look for NHI volunteers in your community!