Ian Miller, 58

From Guildford, Surrey, Miller was a chartered surveyor who valued commercial property for over 20 years. He was on a "good" salary with a company car and he worked in London, Hampshire and Surrey. He is now a chiropractor.

In my late 30s I realised that what I was doing was not fulfilling enough to keep me going for another 30 years. Although I have been married I had made a conscious decision not to have children and I wanted to give something back to the world.

I knew that I wanted to help people in a more direct way than by moving pieces of paper around to make one client some money and save some for another. As I learned more about life I kept being attracted to the healing arts in general.

I had looked at a number of alternative therapies, but none of them felt right for me. One year I went to an alternative health exhibition and visited the McTimoney chiropractic stand. This is a particularly gentle kind of therapy which doesn't hurt people, and their training offered the opportunity to work with animals.

I took the three-year part-time course which involved one weekend a month and a lot of home study. I was able to stay in my permanent job and maintain my income throughout the period, but once I had qualified I worked part-time as both a surveyor and a chiropractor.

After a few years I gave up surveying and now I work about four to five days a week with people, as well as dogs and horses. I don't earn as much as I used to, but I wouldn't go back. This is harder work and there is always something to do, but it's extremely fulfilling. I particularly enjoy working with ani mals because if I don't see them there is a chance they won't get any help.

There was definitely something in my psyche that led me to this. As a child I was fascinated in history lessons at school by why some people became ill and died, while others didn't. What I do now I call a vocation, whereas what I did before was a career.

Chris Colgan, 38

Colgan, of Croydon, Surrey, had spent all his working life in IT and retail until he left his job last year to become a reiki healer.

I was director of customer relationship management at a large internet service provider where I had been for five years. It was the best job I ever had. I started with nine staff and ended up with 140, many of whom were working on the phone in the call centre.

It was a stressful job but I enjoyed the challenge. But something used to niggle me that I was not really fulfilled. I focused most of the time on the people I was working with, helping them to develop. I am an intuitive per son and I can pick up when things aren't right for people.

My goal at work was to find out what people were best at and get them to do more of it. I cared more about the staff than the customers, but if the staff were looked after and did their best, the customers got a fantastic service.

One of the women who worked there suggested that I became a reiki healer because she felt I might have the ability to do it well. When she left I took her advice and learnt it from a reiki master. People began appearing at my office doorway to ask me to give them some healing if they had a headache or other aches and pains.

In 2000 I went on a spiritual journey to Sedona, Arizona, and while in the desert I was reflecting on my life and knew I couldn't carry on doing my job. Although I concentrated on people at work I wanted to give more. So I walked away from a six-figure salary to an uncertain income. I don't regret it for a second. I have met fantastic people and helped them to change their lives and their careers. I feel I can make a real difference.

Obviously it's scary not earning so much money. I used to be able to do whatever I wanted which isn't the case now. But I'd rather be earning a fraction of what I was getting before, and do what I am doing now. It's much more satisfying. Now I am talking to companies about working with people in the corporate environment. Since September 11, more people are questioning their lives.

Ann Wilkinson, 51

A barrister since she qualified in her late 30s after having children, Wilkinson, of Ringmer, East Sussex, now also practices the Alexander technique.

I didn't find what I was doing very rewarding. Apart from not getting much satisfaction from it, it was stressful. A few years earlier I had had a back problem and tried Alexander technique lessons and was very impressed. At this stage I didn't think it would be financially possible to requalify. But I became more and more interested in the Alexander technique and decided that it was worth any sacrifice and financial outlay.

I gave up working for two years of the three-year course, and for the last year I worked part-time as a barrister locally. I moved into a smaller house to finance the course and made other adjustments to manage on less income. The compensation was that the course was so great that the rest ceased to be important. There wasn't one day in three years that I found it difficult or that I didn't want to go to my course.

When you are doing something you're not really enjoying you tend to need treats such as expensive holidays. When you do something you really love you don't need that any more. There's no need to escape from what you're doing.

I used to earn good money, but I never had the ambition to be a high flier and didn't put my heart and soul into it. I felt that I couldn't carry on forever being a barrister, whereas there is no time limit to practise the Alexander technique. Training was the best thing I've ever done. It has completely changed me. Apart from being more fulfilled it has brought back the joy in my life, and I really love it.

I now spend three and a half days a week practising the Alexander technique and still work part-time as a barrister. It's wonderful to see people after you've treated them. Their voice changes and their smile comes back.

This isn't a dress rehearsal. Why do I want to do something that I don't enjoy for the rest of my life? My quality of life has improved hugely. You can't put a price on that.

Richard Kravetz, 48

Kravetz, of north London, combines two careers as a chartered accountant and a yoga teacher.

About 25 years ago, when I was doing my articles, I used to work late, take work home and find my mind was so cluttered I couldn't sleep. I started going to yoga classes and found that it helped me to cut off from work and sleep well.

After several years of attending classes I inadvertently got into teaching. The teacher was leaving my class in Finchley and she asked me to take it over. Subsequently, I took the British Wheel of Yoga diploma which was a two-year course.

As time went on, my classes have got bigger and bigger and now I run five, and sometimes seven, a week which I fit in around accountancy. It brings balance into my life because both jobs are so different. Accountancy is a sedentary job which is money driven and stressful. On the other hand, yoga keeps me fit and young and helps me to relax.

After a day in the office, my mind is full of details about clients and problems which need resolving. Whereas I used to spend the whole evening thinking about work, now I forget about the day and completely cut off. The yoga helps me to clear my mind and I find it very therapeutic. After a class I feel great and always have an excellent night's sleep after a yoga class.

In some of my yoga classes we do meditation and thoughts keep coming in so it's about trying to clear the mind and be still. I put a lot of emphasis on breathing exercises which are very uplifting and help to relieve tension. Even though I am running the class I am just as relaxed as if I were attending.

I have my yoga diploma up in the reception of our accountancy practice and several clients and staff have come along to my classes. I think a lot of people are beginning to become more spiritual, moving away from materialistic things. September 11 has made people think differently about life.

My business experience made me confident about running a class, and I really love teaching. I love seeing people enjoying themselves.

I'd like to carry on as long as my body allows me to. I have remained very fit and have a better lifestyle, and haven't put on any weight over the years. Most of all, yoga has made me able to cope with the traumas of life which I have been through.