Therapist Spotlight: Alexandra “Allie” Henry by Mālia Helelā

Alexandra “Allie” Henry

by Mālia Helelā

“I give the best massages after surfing.” Allie shares the connection she feels between bodywork and surfing. “When I’m surfing, I’m dialed in and my attention has pinpoint focus. There are no distractions. And when I’m giving a massage, I am in that same meditative state.”

Focused and in-the-flow are great ways to describe Allie. Early studies in fashion design taught her to be creative and look at the big picture to see how all the individual pieces fit together. Allie grew up in California, but extended international travel to Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Brazil, Jamaica, Bahamas, Thailand, India, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Germany, Turkey, Spain, England, France, Italy, and Korea further shaped her world view and perspective on health and wellbeing.

In addition to her current modalities of Thai Massage, Deep tissue, Prenatal, Hot Stone and Swedish massage, Allie is in the final stages of being certified as a MABT (Mindful Awareness in Body-oriented Therapy) practitioner. This training program increases self awareness by blending mindfulness and hands-on therapy. She also plans to attend the upcoming fall training and get her ACAD (Academy of Mindful Movement) Instructor certification as well! 

She shares, “the body is the only thing that knows the body. The only thing in the present moment is your body, and the body is the only thing that knows the truth. Your body tells the truth even when you don’t want it to. When we understand that our bodies respond to the present moment, we are reminded to stay in touch with that part of ourselves. To be grounded, able to follow your intuition and speak from your gut, are things that will actually help you.”

It makes sense that with more presence, we are able to make choices that align with our inner wisdom. 

“The less you’re connected to your body, the less you’re going to realize the truth of the moment. You’re going to keep doing things that are bad for you, and be around people you don’t like, and work in places you don’t like, because you’re disconnected from your truth. And then the more you feel into your body, you’re going to realize this feels horrible. Why would I want to continue doing these things? “

I asked Allie what elements are necessary for wellbeing and she had two thoughts:

“One, I think people need to cultivate attention.” She does this by staying present though the entire process of cooking, from preparing to enjoying a meal. She also goes for long meandering walks without any particular destination or distractions like screens.

“Two, people also need assurance and comfortability in themselves.” Allie and I agree that self acceptance is a foundation stone of confidence. The more we become aware of the interconnected nature of our wellbeing, the better we are able to navigate our way forward.

“Devotion creates discipline.”

In closing, Allie shares that if you are devoted to your practice then you will be disciplined. If you feel devotion, you’re going to want to wake up and do your chanting or go to your class or book your massage or your favorite therapy. 

As a devoted regular client of Allie, I can personally attest to her skill and wholeheartedly recommend her to all of you!

– Mālia Helelā