“Virtually all of my clients remark that my work is the best they have ever received. It's not because I am exceptional -- it's because the education I received at Alive & Well! is. Now I know why this school has such a wonderful reputation.”

-Michael Talbot, CMT; CBW Student

“I chose Alive & Well because it has a strong program in both energy and structure. I got what I came for and so much more -- a lifetime supply of enthusiasm, insight, playful exploration, community, peers, mentors and support. And a lasting career doing what I love!”

-Cheryl Stage, CBW

"There is so much to learn from each of the different teachers, assistants and fellow students. In my practice I often hear the compliment ‘I’ve never had such a great massage’, and I owe it all to Alive & Well.”

-Liza Kosinski, CBW

“Alive & Well provided me with a safe and supportive environment to let go of my insecurities. The teachers helped me get grounded, get out of my head and back into my body. And they gave me all the skills I needed to give a caring, high quality massage.

[But] the best gift was discovering that the ability to give a healing massage would be more rewarding for me than for the recipients."

-Janet Hubel, CMT

“The learning environment here is very contagious and you want to keep learning – and there is so much to learn from each of the different teachers, assistants and fellow students. In my practice I often hear the compliment ‘I’ve never had such a great massage’, and I owe it all to Alive & Well.”

-Liza Kosinski, CBW

“If you sign up for the CMT, be prepared for a wild ride! Not only do you learn an amazing amount about massage technique and philosophy, but you also learn at least as much about yourself! Watch old careers, routines and priorities fall by the wayside as you begin to create a new and even more vital you. I can honestly say I never expected such a dramatic revolution, birthing nine months later a healthy energy work practice and a vastly more satisfying daily life. Thank you, Alive & Well!”

-Bonnie Brenn-White, CMT

“Loaded with practical tools and techniques, this program has prepared me to address a multitude of problems from everyday stress and energy imbalances to more deeply rooted conditions of chronic pain, trauma and self-defeating belief systems. My clients continue to enjoy immediate, lasting and profound results from my work, acknowledging deeper integration and greater harmony in their bodies and their lives. In turn, I am rewarded and inspired by the everyday acts of heroism that their healing represents.”

-Peggy Donnell, CMT; CBW Student

“Whenever I mention that I studied at Alive & Well or I am associated with Alive & Well,
it’s gold!”

-Robin Calvert, OnSite Practitioner & Instructor

“I researched many schools before I chose one. My final piece of research was to call employers to ask which school they thought was the best. Alive & Well was unanimous!”

-Amber Guaraglia, CMT, CBW Studentt

“The reason I like to hire Alive & Well graduates is because they’re professional. They’re very responsive to the directions we give them. They ask good questions. Alive & Well grads are bright, they know what they’re doing, and they know how to respond to questions that patients have.

When all is said and done, I hire Alive & Well! grads because they are professionals who add to the quality of treatment we offer at Schillinger Chiropractic Group.”

-Mark Schillinger, D.C.

“I have been teaching at Alive & Well since its beginning. I feel blessed to be a part of this wonderful school. I love the very visionary Jocelyn, the staff and students and am grateful to be part of this incredible community.”

-Patricia Wiltse, Instructor & Practitioner

“As a holistic health educator, I can honestly say that Alive & Well provides a truly holistic learning environment where mind, body and spirit are simultaneously nurtured. It is intriguing to find a school where physiology and the etheric currents of life force are taught under the same roof. I really liked the caring and helpful staff. Whether I was a student or an assistant in a class, I always felt an exhilaration afterwards that seemed to defy description. That feeling of exhilaration is the essence of the school that is now a part of my backbone, my memories, and my heart, something I will never forget. My entire experience at Alive & Well was a gift and a blessing. Thank you!"

-Amir Alavi, MA, CMT

"I know it is impossible for a teacher to compress years of hands-on work into a lesson plan but I wanted to feel that with each class I had tools to begin with, and directions to continue observation and learning in my own practice. At Alive & Well my expectations for the quality of instruction have been far exceeded! Each class I take leaves me with a wealth of new material and teachers who are willing to be ongoing mentors. Being able to retake program classes for free, sometimes from a different teacher, has been phenomenally, enriching. I appreciate the diversity, depth and quality of the student community at Alive & Well. I have shared so much learning and life already! Solid direction, dedicated instruction, innovation, and hands on experience at Alive & Well have given me the skill, confidence and inspiration to follow my passion to empower people to take charge of their own bodies and lives!”

-Laurie Lesko, CMT, CBW Student

“I would like to thank you for such a wonderful learning experience at Alive & Well. The skills I’ve learned have enabled me to be an effective healer, and I haven’t even learned NMR yet! During my recent 6-week stay in New York, some of my experiences demonstrated how unique my education has been, and particularly the Level II course. One particular experience I’d like to share was at a massage school in New Jersey, where I was being evaluated for my current hands-on skills. After a 45-minute session, integrating mostly Level II and some Polarity, the owner of the school got up from the table truly amazed and a very ‘happy camper.’ She proceeded to tell her staff how effective and unique the work I did is. She wants to promote me in a nearby health club and chiropractic office.

Thanks again for a great experience. I will truly miss all of you and the great learning environment at Alive & Well. If all goes well, I will see you again soon.”

-David Priest, CMT

“Many blessings and thanks for the wonderful experience! Joining the CMT program lead me to personally experience NMR, a major breakthrough and missing link for me. My body is feeling better then it has for years.”

-Deborah Johnson, CMT

“I recently have been having experiences in my work that I never dreamed were possible! I had been earning a modest living doing massage since 1968. About nine years ago I decided that I had better do something to ensure that I would be able to support myself in my later years as I was then approaching 50. I became a Registered Nurse, which took two years of hard work in college. I had been working as a nurse in Vermont, hard work for very little pay, when I enrolled in the NMR Training in Vermont. This year I moved back to California and continued my NMR studies at Alive & Well while continuing to work as an RN.

A few months ago I began to notice my massage clients were making statements that I had rarely heard in the past such as: “This is the best massage I’ve ever had in my life!” Another thing I noticed was the ease with which I could alleviate chronic pain. For example, when I asked a friend if he had any aches or pains, he said, “No, not really, except for my thumbs, which are always sore. It’s hereditary. My mom and my brother have the same thing.” Muscle testing showed me that there was an imbalance between his thumb muscles and his neck muscles. I lightly rubbed my finger tips across the involved muscle fibers and the tightness disappeared. His “hereditary” condition dissolved in less than 10 minutes. He was free of soreness for the first time in memory! Now I find myself moving into a full-time therapeutic and clinical bodywork practice and I am thrilled! I can actually relieve conditions that haven’t responded to conventional medical approaches or chiropractic treatments, usually in one session. And my income is rising all by itself as I move from the stress of nursing to the joy of authentic healing work.”

-Sunshine Appleby, RN, CMT

"I graduated from the CMT program in March of 1996 and enrolled in the CBW program soon after. I am a huge fan of continuing education at Alive & Well. Each time I take a CE class, it adds new dimension, confidence and strength to my private practice. I love having so many valuable and caring techniques to offer to my clients.

I now work with a chiropractor in Larkspur. I work with personal injury clients and Workers Compensation referrals. Many of my clients are looking for pain relief or have very specific structural changes they would like to achieve. I use the advanced techniques that I learned at Alive & Well and my clients reap the benefits.

NeuroMuscular Reprogramming is a particularly indispensable tool. It teaches you how to discover and correct the most intricate compensation patterns and thereby alleviate pain and/or movement restrictions quickly. NMR has been a very crucial and successful addition to my practice. It is a constant adventure and reminder as to how very resourceful, responsive and creative the bodymind is. In conjunction with massage, I use NMR with almost all of my clients. My clients are always very appreciative. It’s a very rewarding feeling to have so much gratitude coming my way. It gives me a lot of incentive to learn even more."

-Lisa Borcich, CBW

“I felt like my life was slipping by unnoticed. I was frustrated working for the primary purpose of getting enough money to pay the bills and I was looking for something new. I read an ad for massage training and it piqued my interest, but I had never liked school in the past.

I went to Alive & Well and spoke with an enrollment counselor. She was great. She didn’t try to sell me. She just helped me investigate whether a somatics career was something I would find rewarding and whether Alive & Well’s programs were what I was looking for. She also advised me to consult some of the students and graduates for their opinions of the school. Without exception, they were extremely positive about their experience at Alive & Well. I was so impressed I enrolled in the program before I had ever received my first professional massage.

Three short years later, I have a successful massage practice in San Rafael. My lifestyle is considerably better than it was, but those aren’t really the things that mean the most to me. I came to this school with a very distorted self-image, uncomfortable with my body and insecure around other people. Through the loving support and nurturing generosity of the amazing staff at Alive & Well, I am a different person today.

Today I have a career that I love. I am amazed on a daily basis that I get paid to do what I love. I am now savoring every day of my life. I am completely alive and am able to bring a better quality of life to the people I ‘touch’. I hope that you will investigate Alive & Well for yourself. It just might change your life.”

-Allen Knight, CMT

“Two years ago my options seemed very limited as I tried to decide which direction I wanted to take as an electrical engineer. After months of soul searching and countless interviews with friends, I decided to switch careers and try bodywork at the advice of my chiropractor. She checked with colleagues for a good CMT program and found Alive & Well to have the most respected program in the area. I took time off from work and went through the summer intensive program, falling in love not only with massage, but also with the school as well. I had originally chosen another school to study advanced bodywork, but I was so impressed with the staff, curriculum, and underlying philosophy of the CBW program that I stayed and took every class I could fit into my schedule.

My experience at Alive & Well was exactly what I was looking for when I left Silicon Valley. I was taught how to look inward and explore my own body physically and emotionally and how to teach others to do the same. I now find that every session is a time for me to help and to teach, and the time after every session is a time for me to reflect on what the session has just taught me. I thank everyone at Alive & Well for this gift of a lifetime.”

-John Walker, CMT

“I came to Alive & Well two years ago searching for a way to make a life for myself doing what I wanted to do. I have a degree in Fine Arts and had become increasingly angry and frustrated with career counselors and co-workers telling me I’d “never make it in the real world,” I expected to simply get my CMT and be on my way, but after just a few classes, I realized I’d finally found a place I could flourish.

Through studying, practicing and receiving bodywork, I’ve not only gained new skills and knowledge. I’ve gone through personal transformations that I never expected. I’m pursuing my CBW, having completed the CMT program as well as other invaluable classes, and throughout it all, I have received continual support, guidance, and encouragement in bringing my dream to fruition. I’ve gone from working at survival jobs for subsistence wages to doing work that I love full time and really integrating my career with my life goals.

I am filled with gratitude for all my teachers and fellow students at Alive & Well for giving me a place to begin my journey as well as a place to come back to and renew along the way.”

-Naomi O’Connor, CMT