This year marked the eighth year for the event that draws over 22,000 runners from around the world to the half and full marathon.  The course is filled with steep climbs and beautiful views of the city and the Bay.  The finishers of the race are rewarded with Tiffany necklaces and post-race massages.  Kaiser Permanente, a major sponsor of the Nike Women’s Marathon, contracted The NHI Sports Team to provide these post-race massages.

By 9:00, the massage tables are littered with runners and student therapists working to relax and stretch strained muscles. When the last runner was escorted off of her massage table at 2:15, the NHI Sports Team had performed collectively over 1700 massages.

The students were joined by seven instructors from the various campus, Beth McNeill (SJ), Kristine TenBrink (SJ), Curtis Hisao (SJ), Mark Nielson (PE/EM), Lucas Nevarez (SAC), Phil Okazaki (SJ), and Gabriel Posner (SF/EM) and 15 Teaching Assistants who supported the students by coaching bodywork, issuing and managing breaks and injuries.  The San Jose Campus Student Services and Career Life Coordinator, Chris Pavao acted as Master of Ceremonies directing the line and finding open massage tables for the athletes.  The average wait time was a mere 15 minutes.

The NHI Sports Massage Team prepped for this event by holding sports-specific training sessions where students learned about the marathon, athlete training plans, common injuries and massage techniques.  While it was a mild morning in the city, the team was equipped with skills to combat thermal injuries.

The calm before the storm

The student therapists had fun, worked hard and finished the day with a sense of accomplishment.  They each provided at least 15 massages through out the day, more clients than they see in a regular week.  Emily Luckett from On Board, who is the event planner for the Nike Women’s Marathon, “Thanks for all of your hard work, NHI!  Everything seemed to be managed very smoothly.  We appreciate your efforts!”

In response from the post-event report given by NHI Staff lead, Beth McNeill, Curshanda Woods from Kaiser Permanente had this to say, “Thank you, NHI.  Great job, Beth!  Everything looked great.”  The NHI Sports Massage Team ended the day taking a group picture and a group WHOOSH!  Kudos to NHI and to the students participating in the Sports Team.

Pediatric Massage Master Teacher Tina Allen rolled into NHI’s San Jose campus recently to talk about the value of massage for infants and children.  Allen, the founder of Liddle Kidz Foundation travels North America with her husband and young son in a customized tour bus giving workshops and presentations about the benefits of touch therapy for the youngest among us.  Although massage is often still seen by the general public as an annual luxury or first aid for a sore back after a weeketnd of cleaning up the yard, it can also support healthy, well children in the normal process of growth and development, as well little ones who are struggling with complex medical conditions.  And Tina Allen should know: She managed the United States’ first comprehensive pediatric massage program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and recently consulted on the development of a comprehensive pediatric massage therapy program at The Mayo Clinic.

A fun way Tina shared of introducing massage to children is through massage stories.  Using a combination of light strokes such as hand glides, palm circles, finger taps, and cupping, she guided the group of 30+ San Jose students, staff, and faculty through a familiar story: the change of weather from a bright sunny day to one with lots of snow.  It even included a guest appearance by a pair of cats on the top of a chimney!  Ms. Allen encouraged NHI students to develop their own massage stories and to try them out on the children in their lives.  Whether it’s a massage story about making a pizza, planting a garden or taking a swim in the ocean, it’s Tina Allen’s conviction that children who have a positive experience with healthy touch early on in their lives will grow up to be peaceful leaders in the world.  Tina feels so strongly about this vision that she organizes, trains, and leads volunteers on trips to orphanages abroad.  Previous sites included Japan, Vietnam, and Thailand, with Ghana slated for later this year.  She is also a certified trainer of Peaceful Touch.

Left to Right: Beth McNeill, Linda Rikli, Tiahna Skye, Jen Jhanda, Raquel Rodriguez and Ron Peat. AMTA Schools Summit NHI Panel

Several audience members expressed difficulties trying to place graduates while dealing with often slow state licensing processes.  NHI representative and California Massage Therapy Council (CAMTC) Board Member Joe Bob Smith explained how this wasn’t a problem in California since programs like NHI could help students apply for certification to work while they were still in school.  Michael McGillicuddy from Florida and Sally Hacking from the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards (FSMTB) shared their perspectives on the matter and encouraged everyone in attendance to get involved in their local legislation.  It was agreed that many lawmakers still need to be educated about the massage profession and the role of schools.

Some attendees raised the issue of training students with English as a second language.  Cynthia Ribeiro, NHI’s Advanced Curriculum Coordinator and AMTA President-Elect, shared her story of coming to America from Brazil and succeeding as a massage therapist.  Most all schools, like NHI, welcomed the challenge of training a diverse student body.

The purpose of the panel was to encourage all schools to share their best practices as a way of raising the bar for massage therapy education as a whole.  In addition to some of NHI’s wisdom, participants also got to experience a couple of NHI rituals including the chi pat and the infamous “Whoosh!”.  Ron Peat closed the two-hour session with words of wisdom that he often shares with students: 1) the only failure is the failure to participate, and 2) if you can’t be on time, be early.

This annual summit, held this year in San Francisco, gathers massage school owners, directors, and personnel from across the country to discuss their challenges and successes as well as the future of massage therapy education.

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.

MTF President-Elect Ruth Werner & NHI San Jose Campus Manager Beth McNeill

It was an honor for National Holistic Institute to be recognized by the Massage Therapy Foundation at this year’s American Massage Therapy Association National Convention in Orlando.

Only a short year ago at the Phoenix convention, I attended the MTF’s reception for the first time.  Watching so many people within the massage community support the MTF inspired me to do something.  I brought that inspiration back to the Encino campus teachers, which resulted in a “faculty clinic” that raised both awareness and money for the MTF.

During this year’s reception, I presented the money our teachers had raised to Ruth Werner, MTF President-Elect.  Much to my embarrassment (yes, I can be shy), she announced NHI’s donation and the story of how it came about to the capacity crowd.  She also challenged other schools in attendance to find similar ways to contribute.  By publicly acknowledging our efforts, another layer was added to the awareness and money we had already raised.  Perhaps our actions will encourage even more people to participate next year just as I was so inspired last year.

And next year, we will be back – hopefully with even more money as well as some student case studies!

Click Here for the previous blog of our fundraiser and why we support the Massage Therapy Foundation.

Sunday, March 8^th, was a beautiful day in Menlo Park!  Nineteen members of the National Holistic Institute Sports Team worked on 137 cyclists under the supervision of instructors Beth McNeill and Mark Nielsen at the Tri-Flow Grand Prix sponsored by the Velo Girls.

Students from NHI Groups 30, 31, 32, & 37 had taken part in a training on pre- and post-event massage for cyclists and were ready to work.  By about 10:15, the finishers of the first race made their way to the tables. The Sports Team worked on cyclists in each of the ten races.  The last cyclist was off the table around 5:00.

This was the first time massage was present at the Tri Flow Grand Prix and the cyclists were excited to see the NHI banner.  They were very gracious as well – the team earned $245 in tips!  This was a great first outing for the NHI Sports Team in 2009.

Thanks, Beth & Mark, for contributing this story and photos.

On Saturday morning, five students from the San Jose campus and I drove up to Napa to provide chair massage for the riders of the 4-hour Endurance Ride hosted by the American Federation of Motorcyclists (AFM).  A student from Group 32 arranged the event through the president of the AFM.  She was also instrumental in bringing the riders and vendors and cornerworkers to the massage area.

We provided chair massage at the massage area, at the timing area and in the pits.  The students felt very prepared to work on the riders after attending a sports massage training focusing on the specific needs of a motorcyclist.  They all did great work throughout the day.  The riders loved having on-site massage and the President of AFM has asked us (NHI) to think about coming back for more events next season.

We all had a great deal of fun.  It was a wonderful to spend Saturday with this crew!

It was a successful event by every measure!  Much gratitude goes out to Lucas Nevarez for coordinating this operation and providing us with the follow-up report.

We had 103 volunteers, 80 tables, and massaged approximately 1200 runners in just a few short hours. The students did an amazing job, taking care of many strained, overworked, and often cramping muscles. NHI was well received and appreciated by these aching athletes.  

San Francisco Marathon NHI Massage Tent

Something this size doesn’t happen without a lot of help.  Well-deserved shout-outs go to Nick Lanoza, Beth McNeill, Conrad Santos, Jaime Montenegro, Shoshana Friedens, Giselle Griffin, and Marz Jaffe.  Also, thanks to the staff and teachers who helped pump up the anticipation and excitement.

Being a part of a multi-campus, 100+ person “Whoosh!” is enough to send a shiver down anyone’s spine!