I have news that genuinely made me do a little happy dance. For the first time in a long time of running our Feel to Heal Program, we are offering a SUMMER round.

Yep. You read that right. 🌞

Since January 2022, Feel to Heal has been mostly a spring-and-fall-only program. Two rounds a year, a small group, and — I’m so grateful to say — it has sold out nearly every single time. The feedback has been extraordinary. People have called it life-changing, eye-opening, the missing piece they didn’t know they were looking for.

And apparently... you all want MORE of it.

The interest has been so consistent, and the waitlists have grown long enough, that I made the decision to add a third round this year — a first-ever summer offering. This is entirely because of the demand YOU have created, and I don’t take that lightly. It means the world to me that this work is resonating so deeply in our community.

So if summer is finally when it’s the right time for you to join us, this is your moment.

FEEL TO HEAL — SUMMER 2026

Tuesday evenings, June 2 – July 28 (skipping the week of June 30), 6:45–8:45 PM

Over 8 weekly sessions, we explore the connection between your emotions, your stress, and your physical body — and we build real, practical skills for moving through the hard stuff instead of holding it in your tissues. It’s part science, part somatic practice, part community, and 100% unlike anything most people have ever experienced.

Weeks cover everything from the neuroscience of pain and the body’s stress response, to befriending your nervous system, to working with anger, grief, shame, and yes — joy.

Everyone leaves with a full resource binder, access to session recordings for one week after each class, and (if the testimonials are any indication) a fundamentally different relationship with their body.

EARLY BIRD PRICING — SAVE 10%

Regular rate: $315

Early Bird rate: $284 — use code EARLY-BIRD at checkout

The Early Bird deadline April 28 (just 4 weeks away), so don’t sit on this one. Spots are limited to 10–16 participants, and if our history is any guide, they will go.

A $100 deposit holds your spot. Sliding scale spots are available for those who need them — just reach out.

Enroll here

(Fall 2026 is also on our calendar, although not yet available for booking: Thursday evenings, Sept 10 – Nov 5, if summer doesn’t work for you.)

I built this program because I believe that so much of our chronic pain, tension, and exhaustion is our body trying to tell us something we haven’t yet learned to hear. Feel to Heal is about learning to listen. And then learning to respond, gently and with curiosity, instead of bracing.

If that sounds like something you’ve been waiting for... summer might just be your season. 🌿

With so much warmth,

Allie

More and more as I interact with clients, hear their stories, and observe how their bodies respond on my table, I am convinced of the value of working in a trauma-informed way. What may seem like subtle differences to some, make a BIG difference to others.

A lot of this starts with a thorough intake, and really listening to the client from the beginning. It starts with understanding their goals for the session and explaining how I work, and what it means that I work in a trauma-informed way.

It means that I check in pretty frequently about pressure, comfortability, working various body parts, etc. While not a big deal to some, this is very empowering for others to be able to speak up and verbalize their wants or needs. I tell people at the beginning that they have full freedom to tell me to stop, to change their mind, to ask for something to be different or adjusted. Communicating this up front, and then responding accordingly when they speak up is key. I’ve had numerous clients thank me for actually listening to them when they spoke up, and thank me for making them feel empowered, and not like an annoyance or inconvenience if they asked for something. Allowing clients to be in the driver’s seat is very important to me.

It also means I am conscious of any trauma history clients have shared with me (or may not have shared). If I am aware that there is a history of abuse, an accident or injury in a certain area, or shame about how their body looks, I keep this front of mind. I check in and explicitly ask if certain positions are okay to be in, if they are comfortable with me working in a specific way (especially positions that might mimic/trigger something for them). More often than not I have clients thank me for asking, and then proceed with with, “Yes, it’s okay, I know I am safe here.” Creating this environment of safety and building trust with clients is essential when working in a trauma-informed way. It allows for re-introduction of safe touch and healing where there has been trauma.

Working in a trauma-informed way also means normalizing whatever shows up on the table. It is not uncommon for emotions, memories, or thoughts to show up when receiving bodywork. I tell clients from the get-go that this is a possibility, and if that happens, it’s okay and to try to allow their body to do what it needs/wants to do. Sometimes things appear in tears, or twitching, or shaking. Holding space, checking in, and allowing them to have their experience is often very healing. I’ve had clients tell me, “I did not expect that to happen, thank you for telling me in advance it was okay and I did not have to hold it in/shut it off/etc.” Often clients feel lighter, more relaxed and grounded after an experience like that.

These are just a few examples of small gestures and intentional decisions that make a huge difference for our clients. It’s what sets Studio A apart from other places, and what we enjoy so much about our work.

Openings in this Saturday’s Release & Refresh Class

Come spend your Saturday morning with me (Callie) at our Release & Refresh class! What better way to start your weekend off than with intentionally releasing tension in your body and allowing your body to drop out of fight/flight/freeze and into more calm? I would love to have you join us! Learn more about this class here.

Saturday, March 21 - 9:00-10:30am - $24

Register for R&R class

We also have a R&R class on Wednesday, April 8, 7:00pm, as well as Friday, April 24, 7:00pm and Saturday, April 25, 9:00am. Take your pick of date/time that works for you!

Expanding the reach of trauma-informed bodywork has always been the heartbeat of Studio A. So when ProTeam Wellness approached us about providing trauma-informed massage for their first responders, we were eager to participate in the conversation.

The mission at ProTeam Wellness is to provide their patients with the tools that they require to be the best version of themselves they can be. ProTeam Wellness is creating the first of its kind in Indiana, a proactive approach to public safety mental wellness. We are excited to join them in their efforts.

What this means is that starting in March, I will be working with them once a week, offering massage to their clients in their space. And therefore no longer at Studio A on Wednesdays. Even before this scheduling change, my schedule has been filling quickly, so if you would like to secure your spot for a massage at Studio A, be sure to check out my calendar and claim it now! Especially those of you who like evenings and weekends, I recommend scheduling weeks in advance to ensure you find a time that works for you.

We look forward to this new opportunity, and expanding our reach with trauma-informed massage to the greater Indianapolis area, helping care for those who readily step into danger to care for others.

Callie will be out of the studio March 27-April 9

Speaking of getting on my calendar, I am going to be gone for two weeks come the end of March and early April. I am thankful for the opportunity to travel with family, and will look forward to serving you when I return on April 10. Thinking you may want a massage this Spring? Get on my calendar now - your future self will thank you!!

Book a Massage

Release & Refresh classes this weekend!

There are still a few spots left in this weekend’s Release & Refresh classes. Grab yours today!

• Friday, February 20, 7:00-8:30pm - taught by Allie

• Saturday, February 21, 9:00-10:30am - taught by me (Callie)

We would love to see you there and help your nervous system drop into more calm going into the weekend. These somatic classes involve gentle fascial stretching paired with strategic nervous system exercises, and are deeply trauma-informed. Most participants leave in a much more calm, grounded, and thoughtful state than when they came in. Join us and give it a try!

Book a class now

‘YES/NO & Letting Go’ Workshop - Saturday, Feb 28

A note from Allie about this special workshop that is a somatic exploration of autonomy, choice, and boundaries, which is coming up very soon!

“Trauma teaches you to close your heart and armor up. Healing teaches you to open your heart and boundary up.”

☝️One of my all-time favorite quotes right there.☝️

In your healing journey from trauma or whatever has gone wrong, have you done the work to learn (or re-learn) how to “boundary up”? If not, I would gently offer that your healing is stunted and/or not yet complete.

Most types of trauma involve a boundary breach in one way or another, whether that’s a boundary breach of your physical space (e.g. car accident, injury involving an object or a person that made unwanted contact with you), your emotional space (e.g. someone mishandling your emotions or intimate sharing, betrayal), or your psychological space (e.g. a person inserting themselves too freely in your thought processes and decisions, manipulation, etc).

Healing from those things must involve, at the right time, a re-setting of boundaries, a renegotiation of where you want the lines to exist moving forward, so that you have clarity on where you end and everything/everyone else begins. This involves tuning into one’s sense of interoception and proprioception, as well as emotions, as that is how the peripheral body provides feedback to the nervous system and brain about where you exist (and don’t exist) in space, how close or far others get to be in relationship to you, and how you’re interacting with the world around you and what needs to change.

We explore all of this and more in the day-long workshop called YES/NO & Letting Go, and you are invited to join us. Taught in partnership with Dr. Michael Trexler, owner and therapist at Peace of Mind Counseling & Wellness, we’ll meet on Saturday, February 28 from 9:30 am - 4:30 pm. This is an incredibly affordable way to explore the topics of boundaries, consent, autonomy, choice, and one’s sense of personal power, all in an extremely safe and gentle format that is deeply trauma-informed and draws from interpersonal neurobiology, Somatic Experiencing, and the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM), among other things. See here for more details.

Join the Workshop!

We hope you’re enjoying the warmer weather this week!! Spring is coming!

~Callie for the Studio A Team

Guess what? Based on the number of 5-star reviews we have received on Google over the span of our 6.5 year existence, we were awarded with the “Best of Massage Therapy” in the area. Woot woot!! 🥳

Providing excellent care to every single client that is trauma-informed, relational, and client-centered is the backbone of how we work. Because our services are especially catered to folks who have trauma in their history, we intentionally lead each session with prompts and invitations to voice concerns, express boundaries, and communicate therapeutic priorities. And those things establish trust right off the bat, before the hands-on work even begins.

Once the client is on the table, the trust-building and trauma-informed care continues and deepens. We empower every client to engage and co-create the session, removing the felt power differential that typically exists with providers, and placing the client in the driver’s seat of their own session and experience.

The results speak for themselves. We are trusted locally as THE source of trauma-informed massage and bodywork services, and endorsed by many local counselors and therapists, who regularly send their clients to us and seek to collaborate with us. Here is what Adair McDonald, Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Indianapolis, recently wrote:

It is so rewarding to see our hard work pay off, not only with our Google reviews and with this award, but more importantly with the number of clients that entrust us, and we are grateful. Bodywork is vulnerable and intimate work, and we consider it a true privilege and honor to walk alongside people as they seek to heal from trauma with safe, therapeutic, trauma-informed touch. THANK YOU to each and every one of you!

Early Bird discount extended for boundaries workshop

The early bird discount came and went for the upcoming YES/NO & Letting Go workshop, and I forgot to announce when it was nearing its end!

So I’ve extended it until this Wednesday night, 2/4. You must enter YNLG-EB as a coupon code when registering for the workshop to get the discount! It takes 10% off, for 2 more days (despite what the website says about it expiring on 2/1).

So if you’re open on Saturday, Feb 28 and are interested in engaging in true self-care by changing patterned responses, come learn how to hear your body’s “yeses” and “no’s”, and how to honor those responses with boundaries that are kind, honest, and brave.

Register for YES/NO & Letting Go

Many of us don’t realize just how much bolstering we need in this area of exercising autonomy and drawing boundaries. But this is foundational work to being at ease in (and finding joy in) our relationships and in how we move through the world and relate to people… including everyone from the cashier at the grocery store, your medical providers, and your co-workers… to your kids, parents, and your spouse/partner. It is worth asking:

• Do I respond to and relate with people based on what I feel they’re expecting from me? Or do I have a connection that is strong and alive to my inner self (a.k.a. body), that knows clearly what it wants/needs and knows how to honor that as I navigate relationships?

• Do I agree to things I actually don’t want to do? Or have I worked through my personal hang-ups that keep me stuck in saying “yes” when I actually want to say “no”?

• Do I know how to feel, tend to, and move through the grief that may come if I draw a boundary with someone and they walk away or reject me? Or does facing the grief feel so daunting and anxiety-producing that I never actually draw the needed boundary?

• Do I feel that I get taken advantage of a lot? And/or, do I worry that I’m sometimes verging on taking advantage of other people? How to know if that’s what’s really happening?

We explore these themes and so many more, hitting them from both a “top-down” (cognitive) and a “bottom-up” (somatic) perspective, which is what all the experts in the field have acknowledged is the best and most comprehensive way to bring about real, lasting change. This day-long workshop is led by yours truly and co-taught with Dr. Michael Trexler of Peace of Mind Counseling & Wellness in Indy.

Everyone who attends gets a 20-page interactive workbook to take home with them.

So grab that coupon code above and join us! We meet on Sat, Feb 28, 9:30am - 4:30pm at Studio A.

Register for YES/NO & Letting Go

Hope to see you there!
~Allie for the Studio A Team

Hey friends! Our newest somatic workshop, called YES/NO & Letting Go, is happening for the 2nd time, on Saturday, February 28, 9:30-4:30, and you are invited to join us!

Dr. Michael Trexler of Peace of Mind Counseling & Wellness and I hosted this at the studio for the first time on a Saturday this past November and it went really well. We had a group of 8 participants, and the day held really meaningful teachings, conversations, exercises, and curiosity around how our body is involved in the sense of personal autonomy we carry with us through life, how we make choices in light of what our body is carrying and saying, and how we draw (or don’t draw) boundaries where needed.

The graphic/logo we developed for this workshop is based on a bookend I have here at the studio: a heavy black figurine that is leaning backwards to block something. He’s holding a boundary, in a way. But what’s interesting is how he’s doing it… He’s pushing in a very inefficient way, using his body to hold back the books in a way that would be extremely tiring and that doesn’t utilize his power/strength well. He is actually turned away from the things he’s attempting to stop/block; he’s not facing it, and so his energy is just as much being directed AWAY from the thing as it is TOWARD it.

We can all be like that when it comes to drawing boundaries in our personal lives. A lot of us hold fear around walking in our full authority / autonomy, because it threatens our perceived sense of self. “Who am I to….?” These patterns develop often out of survival, and are needed in order to get through certain situations. But when that pattern persists beyond its original purpose, it keeps us from living lives of authenticity, self-honesty, and ease. We can become, sort of like that black figurine bookend, “disfigured” in how we move through life and negotiate our yes’s and no’s, unaware of the possibility of more efficient, energy-saving ways that our body might actually be craving. Sometimes all it takes is awareness and curiosity for a new way to emerge.

Curious to join us in our next round? The early bird rate, which ends on Jan 31, is only $125. Learn more about it and sign up using the button below.

Check out the YES/NO workshop

Do you need to “release and refresh”?

If so, you’re in luck! We have 2 classes coming up this weekend that provide safe, gentle, guided opportunities to do that. Friday night, 7:00-8:30pm with Allie, and Saturday morning, 9:00-10:30am with Callie, come as you are and be led through fascial stretching and somatic exercises to become more aware of how your body is holding and expressing states of fight/flight or freeze.

These Release & Refresh classes are unique in that they do not invite you to “calm down” — I personally have big issues around being asked to “calm down” and honestly find it disrespectful to what’s ACTUALLY happening in one’s nervous system. (Because whatever is happening is worth paying attention to; it holds key information for us about our fight/flight or freeze patterns. If we force ourselves to “calm down” then we’ll miss out on all that information.) I found this sign many years ago in a store and immediately purchased it:

It sits on a shelf in my home office, right next to me as I type this. In our Release & Refresh classes, you can safely connect in with what your body is telling you, and move through it via the stretches and exercises, so that the survival energy naturally discharges on its own… which may lead to more calm (among other things)—not because we had you override what was actually going on internally, but rather because we honored and listened to it.

Anyways, stepping off my soapbox 😆, my point is that you are welcome to join us for these drop-in classes this weekend if any of this resonates. Want to read more about what we do in the classes? You can do that here. Or, if you’re ready to sign up for a mere $24 (or $18 if you’re struggling financially and so decide to make use of our always-available coupon code HELP-ME-OUT for those that need assistance), click the button below. Come connect to your body, your heart, and your whole self with us. 🧡

Join a R&R class

Be well and take good care of yourself out there, friends. There are a lot of hard things happening right now for a lot of people. At Studio A we invite you to connect into your authentic self so that you are equipped with resilience, equanimity, and perseverance to face life and to overcome the internal/personal challenges that exist for you. 🫶

~Allie, for the Studio A team

Whether you experience ongoing emotional tension/pain or physical tension/pain, the underlying mechanism behind BOTH of those is the same. It’s the same regions of the brain, same pathways, plus the same nervous system activation for both physical and emotional pain; they are deeply connected and intertwined, even if you don’t experience both at the same time.

Emotional tension/pain examples:

• Unsure of what to do with your anger?

• Don’t know how to productively grieve the loss of someone or something in your life?

• Feel like you’re looping (think: hamster wheel) when it comes to processing hard stuff?

• Can’t get your system to move past something traumatic that happened a long time ago?

Physical tension/pain examples:

• Recurring IBS-like abdominal pain with no known medical cause

• Chronic tension in the neck and shoulders

• A “bad ankle” many years after an injury to it

• Tight hips and low back that never seem to let go

Get freedom from those patterns and step into something new. Learn about your nervous system and how the body processes stress, trauma, and difficult emotional experiences. Learn how to move through and out of patterns of tension, pain, and dysregulation. Come be equipped for a life that includes more capacity, more resilience, more ease, more vitality.

This is our 10th running of the program, over a span of 4 years, and we continue to get the same feedback after every round, that always says something similar to these real client testimonials:

A tried-and-tested program that has sold out nearly every round it’s been offered, for a program fee that comes out to only $20 per hour. 😲

I don’t think I need to tell you that that’s a small fraction of the cost of individual therapy, be it PT, chiro, or mental health counseling. We’re not against those things -- those are valuable and needed services! (We engage in them ourselves!) But at Studio A we believe that EDUCATION and INFORMATION (especially about foundational things like the nervous system and how the body processes stuff) should not be the same cost as individualized therapy. 🤓 Save your money and accelerate your healing in whatever therapies you’re currently doing, by learning all about how your nervous system is interplaying with and processing the stuff of life. It will help you make sense of HOW and WHY the therapies you’re doing are working (or not) and what’s truly happening in the body when you experience chronic or ongoing tension/pain.

And it helps you choose the right providers and therapists moving forward, because you’ll understand what your body REALLY needs in order to overcome pain and to heal. As these folks from the Fall 2025 cohort have said:

So... should we prepare a binder for you?

Want to join us? Read more details, and grab one of the remaining spots here.

Can’t make a particular night of the program? No worries, we’ve got you covered with a video recording of that night’s content, that you’ll have access to for a week so you can stay caught up. 😉

I hope you’ll join us! 🧡

I'm in! Make me a binder!

~Allie

Hey therapists and counselors! We have a special offering for you!

To help take care of our local mental health therapists, we occasionally host Release & Refresh classes exclusively for them for a significant discount or free. The goal of these discounted, exclusive classes is to give a chance for those who take care of those in our community to also be taken care of; it provides a safe space for therapists to somatically move through and out of residual stress that they’re carrying from their work or life, so they can continue serving from a refreshed place. It’s one of the ways we at Studio A seek to build up and serve Hendricks County and beyond, striving for good health and vitality among our communities.

This Saturday, Jan 3, we are offering one of those special classes from 9:30-11:00 am at a 50% discount.

This class is led by me (Allie) and seeks to support our local therapists to ring in the new year with good nervous system hygiene and flow, rather than carry into 2026 any stagnant or residual weight from this past year. So if you are a counselor/therapist, I welcome you to join us!

If you are not familiar with our Release & Refresh classes, you can read more here. I created these classes and have been offering them regularly since 2023, and they provide a truly unique combination of somatic and myofascial techniques, that facilitate awareness of the fight/flight and freeze patterns as they currently present in the body and offer guided exercises to invite the nervous system to complete the cycle, thereby shifting out of the pattern and into something new.

And as one who holds space for clients and their trauma, I thoroughly understand how our own personal nervous system patterns show up and apply themselves to our work with clients. Handling the difficult stories and trauma material of our clients impacts our own nervous system and triggers our own patterns to emerge.

Different than simply engaging in grounding or breathing exercises (or even yoga) to down-regulate a hyped-up nervous system, these classes are specifically tailored to move participants’ nervous system THROUGH the stress cycle (not just short-circuit out of it), which requires skillful guidance by a well-trained practitioner.

We’re doing true rewiring of the neural pathways responsible for executing the fight/flight and freeze patterns, which is delicate and sacred work.

Here is what one local mental health therapist, Crysty Huffman, owner of Harper Rose Counseling, said after attending a Release & Refresh class:

I can’t say enough about how freeing this was. My physical body felt lighter. My thoughts slowed down and I was able to be in the present. I’m still riding the high today. Thank you for investing yourselves into this work in order to bless and serve others. Well done.

Thank you Crysty for coming, and for your feedback!

So if you are a mental health therapist who practices here in Hendricks County or other places within the Indy area, and would like to join one of these classes, sign up here and join us! (Use coupon code MHT-RR50 to obtain the 50% discount when booking.)

Claim your spot in class!

If you are not a mental health therapist but you utilize one locally, please forward this email to them so we can pour into them and support their nervous system health so they can continue to pour into YOU.

PSA: Greater consistency now available between R&R classes

Speaking of R&R classes, while we played with doing Beginner and Intermediate-level R&R classes this year, in the end we decided to have each class be the same: same level (open to all), and same length of time and cost.

Typically the Wednesday and Friday evening classes are taught by Allie, and the Saturday morning classes are taught by Callie. Every class contains exercises designed by Allie, it’s simply a matter of who delivers them. 😊

This makes it much easier for you to reschedule to a different class if you have a scheduling conflict come up, as you can now choose freely from all the other class options rather than being limited to the class level and/or instructor you originally signed up for. You can reschedule to a new class by clicking the link to do so in the confirmation or reminder email of the original class.

Every Release & Refresh class is now 90 minutes and $24. There is still a coupon code available (HELP-ME-OUT) that takes 25% off, for those that wish to engage in affordable somatic work but find it difficult to pay for the class because of too-tight finances.

Classes still follow this schedule:

• One Wednesday evening class per month, usually the 1st or 2nd Wednesday of the month, 7:00-8:30pm. This is a mid-week chance to keep the stress at bay and to engage in self-care. Typically taught by Allie.

• One Friday evening class per month, usually one of the last Fridays of the month, 7:00-8:30pm. Decompress from the week, release stored tension, and find refreshment for the weekend ahead. Typically taught by Allie.

• One Saturday morning class per month, usually one of the last Saturdays of the month, 9:00-10:30am. Start off your weekend right by releasing tension and reclaiming your sense of calm. Typically taught by Callie.

Actual class dates are always determined months ahead of time, and can be viewed on the scheduler. The classes can sell out at times, so be sure to book in advance to reserve your spot!

Book a class

Celebrating our newest practitioner, Julia

Julia Piner, our Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP) in-training, began seeing clients this fall for Somatic Healing Sessions at Studio A under my supervision. Very young, yet wise beyond her years, she has a decade of doula work plus several years as a massage therapist under her belt and intuitively understands how to care well for those that are hurting. As the owner of the studio, I have the strictest standards for hiring practitioners, and Julia exceeds those standards and continues to impress me in our 1:1 mentoring hours spent together. She truly understands the complex relationships of the nervous system, emotions, and myofascial structures, and holds the sensitivity required to work directly with people’s trauma as it shows up in the body.

In addition (and perhaps most importantly), she allows herself to impacted by the work, and gets curious about her own nervous system patterns and stuck places. If you are wanting to do 1:1 somatic work at Studio A but do not want to wait for Allie to have availability, I cannot recommend Julia enough as a practitioner. She deeply understands healing from both a personal and professional standpoint, and is rocking it as a provider at Studio A!

I asked if she would want to contribute to this newsletter, to share a bit about what her journey has been like. Here is what she wrote:

If you had told me two years ago what I would be doing today, I probably would have laughed and said that was crazy talk! After just about 2 months of seeing clients here at Studio A, I am amazed at the hard, and often unseen, work people are doing. I am honored to be able to hold space for that work.

My whole journey to Somatic Experiencing has been overwhelmingly providential. My work as a doula (birth/postpartum) post COVID-19 started me on a path of realizing how much we don’t give ourselves grace and space in difficult times. How, as a society, people stopped listening to each other because things felt too heavy. My clients at the time needed more support (especially in their trauma), and I didn’t feel like I was equipped to give that support. In a wild turn of events, that led me to connecting with Allie at Studio A, within a week of chatting with her, I had applied to the 3-year Somatic Experiencing professional training program and enrolled in an upcoming cohort—a process that should have taken a minimum of 6 weeks. It all felt so fast, but I never looked back. The information and knowledge that I have received training to training has been monumental for the space I can provide when people are processing hard things.

One of my favorite things is that when we start to learn how to slow down, we start to listen to our body and hear what it has to say. A beautiful being that is full of emotions, sensations, memories, power, connection, and wisdom. A beautiful being that takes us everywhere we want to go. A beautiful being that carries and feels all for ourselves and others. And yet, a beautiful being that is often the last to be checked in with. My intention at Studio A will always be to get curious about what shows up when we change the narrative to checking in with this beautiful being first.

Julia, we are so glad you are here at Studio A and we celebrate you and the good work you are doing with clients!

New year, renewed commitment

Friends, I know that many of you are navigating difficult situations and are wanting desperately to gain a nervous system that knows how to organically and smoothly move through past trauma, cycles of stress, and difficult emotions. Let us all move into this new year with a renewed commitment to finding the wholeness that is our birthright! We are here to support you in that journey, with our body-centric and deeply trauma-informed approach, that comes through in all of our offerings:

• Release & Refresh drop-in somatic classes

• Feel to Heal 8-week program - new round starting in just 2 weeks!

• Yes/No & Letting Go - a somatic day-long workshop on boundaries, autonomy, and choice

• Trauma-Informed Massage with the fabulous Callie Willoughby to relieve body tension, receive safe and attuned touch, and stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system

• Somatic Healing Sessions with me (Allie) and Julia, to engage in deep work to renegotiate the body’s hold of traumatic events and to rewire nervous system patterns stuck in fight/flight and freeze

May 2026 be a year of continued movement towards wholeness and healing. 🥂🧡

~Allie

I’m here to inform you, in case you didn’t know, that emotional regulation is a skill—NOT an inborn element or personality trait. It’s not luck or genetics that gets you the ability to roll with life’s punches, nor is it dependent on intelligence.

Regulation and the ability to move through big, difficult emotions and stress without harboring tension in your body is a skill. And skills can be learned. At any age! Yay for neuroplasticity, which allows even the oldest among us to continue learning and growing. 🧠

I remember the days when I did not possess the skills of nervous system and emotional regulation. Life is, honestly, downright miserable when the regulatory mechanisms deep within the body are functioning as if everyday life is a day on the Survivor show. High tension, emotions with nowhere to go, mounting stress, and constant overwhelm—it’s not a fun time, right? We can quickly feel trapped within our own body, or our own life, when we’re not equipped to handle the stress we’re experiencing.

I created the Feel to Heal Program originally in 2021 out of a deep conviction that training in nervous system regulation needs to be available for the common man and woman. The only legitimate programs I could find that were offering it were online and incredibly expensive (running around $2k and higher). Plus, as a massage therapist who worked with people experiencing chronic pain, I had gained a special interest specifically in how the body utilizes pain and tension as an attempt to regulate when better regulation skills aren’t available to it.

And after living abroad for several years, once we were back in central Indiana where I grew up, I developed a deep compassion for my own people—hard-working, down-to-earth, traditional folk who, frankly, were still largely living in the dark ages as far as understanding the body’s role in moving through stress and difficult emotions. “Regulation is for everyone! Let’s learn it and practice it together! It’ll change your life!” was the message I began shouting from the rooftops, via developing the Feel to Heal Program.

It’s been tweaked and tweaked (and tweaked) over the years of offering it, with 2-3 rounds every single year, almost always selling out because, well, word of mouth is powerful, and people were learning lots and finding relief from their suffering, both emotionally and physically.

These days I’ve stopped obsessing over continuing to tweak the program, because based on the feedback we get after every round, I figure maybe I don’t need to fix what isn’t broken. Don’t get me wrong—I am definitely a firm believer in continual improvement (ask Callie; she and I are both recovering perfectionists 😆), but it’s undeniable that after all these years of working on the program, we’ve got a really great thing going. I am so thankful! My heart is filled with so much joy in being able to deliver the good news of regulation to my fellow Hoosiers, making it accessible in an area that otherwise lacks somatic resources. ❤️ And so now I channel my undying love for developing programs into creating other, new offerings.

You can read a sampling of the testimonials that have come in over the years, and decide if you want to join the movement that is slowly happening here in central Indiana towards holistic, nervous system-informed, tension-reducing ways of moving through life, with all of its ups and downs and zigs and zags. I absolutely believe that the world is a better place when we have regulation skills on board, and that starts with our communities right here. (If there are Feel to Heal alumni reading this that are willing to share a quick sentence or two about their experience of the program by leaving a comment, that would be awesome!)

Leave a comment

So let’s go Hoosiers! Sign up here for the next round of Feel to Heal, and let’s learn regulation!

We start January 14 and end on March 18. We’ll be meeting on Wednesday nights at the studio, from 6:45 to 8:45 pm. We meet a total of 8 times — check the website for specific dates, as there are 2 weeks we won’t meet because of other events at the studio. The cost comes out to less than $20/hour, which is mega-affordable compared to alternative options, and compared to 1:1 work with a somatic practitioner. If that’s still not affordable enough for you and your budget though, and you can commit to coming but are genuinely struggling financially, then by all means reach out and we will find a way to make it happen. (Money should never stand in the way of someone learning skills that honestly should have been taught in 8th grade health class, if not sooner by our own caregivers.) If you want to join but know there’s a class or two that your schedule conflicts with, no worries—we send a recorded version of the session out to anyone who missed a week.

Oh, and there’s an early bird discount of 10% off that ends on Wednesday (yeah, like now-ish). So there’s no better time to sign up! Use coupon code EARLY-BIRD when registering.

Join the program now

Alright, see ya in there friends!

😘 Allie

Just a quick reminder that today is your final chance to be entered into our drawing for a FREE 60-minute massage in the bleak, cold, grey months of January or February, when you purchase TWO Massage Gift Certificates before the end of the day today.

And remember, every additional Massage Gift Certificate you buy earns you another entry into the drawing. Get those gift certificates now for those in your life that love a good massage, or that could really benefit from safe, trauma-informed touch.

Shop Gift Certificates Now

Need to “Release & Refresh”?

We have several openings in this Wednesday evening’s Release & Refresh class, so if you’ve ever been curious about those (or about somatic work in general), this is a great time to try it. Class is 7:00-8:30pm and is a fantastic way to “come home to yourself” as we say in somatic work, meaning return to being grounded in your own body and sense of Self. This task can become especially meaningful during holiday seasons, when stress levels tend to be higher and pain from family situations can be intensified. Help yourself ride those waves of stress and big emotions by tuning in and tending to what’s going on, rather than white-knuckling your way through or checking out mentally.

Be here now, friends, to embrace all that this season holds for you, even if it’s not 100% cheery and bright… because the non-bright spots hold immense lessons and growth for us, if we have the right supports to face them.

If you’d like a bit of support in that process, I invite you to come to Wednesday’s Release & Refresh class, 7:00pm. Join me (Allie) as we “come home” to ourselves and engage the fascial and nervous systems to reconnect to our authentic self amidst the busyness and outward focus that the holidays tend to bring. Only $24, or $18 for those that genuinely need financial aid to attend (use coupon code HELP-ME-OUT).

Book a Class Now

Whatever the start of your holiday season entails, may you be present to it with authenticity, curiosity, and compassion. Be well, friends!

~Allie

If you do a survey of massage prices throughout central Indiana, you will be hard pressed to find too many other places that offer a full 60 minutes (not 50 min) for only $90. Don’t get me wrong; there are some out there, for sure. But there are way more that are in the $100-120 range, or that require a paid monthly membership in order to get a lower price. We at Studio A don’t want to push sales for memberships (yuk!), and we don’t want to inflate our prices all year long just to discount them on special days; instead, we intentionally keep our prices as low as possible in order to fulfill our mission of making trauma-informed bodywork accessible to all while still keeping the lights on.

Add to the fact that our prices include the hard-to-find specialty of being trauma-informed, plus the option for Myofascial Release in any session without an upcharge, and the value of what you get at Studio A is clear. Obviously we may not be the right fit for every person, but we take pride in the value we deliver to every single client that walks in the door, whether they are there for pain/tension relief, to de-stress, to experience safe touch, or to heal from a traumatic event.

So there is very little wiggle room in our pricing structure for discounts, considering our training and investment that go into each and every session.

And yet…

We know how many people enjoy both giving and getting the gift of massage for Christmas, and so we want to support you in that endeavor with a promotion. So we began brainstorming and came up with this:

For those that buy TWO Massage Gift Certificates during our promotional period (see below), your name will be entered into a drawing for a FREE 60-minute massage, to take place in the months of Jan/Feb 2026 (to help get you through the long, grey winter!). Plus, every additional Massage Gift Certificate you buy earns you another entry into the drawing, so your chances go up significantly. Woot woot!!

When is the promotional period? Well, instead of deciding on one special day (Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, or Cyber Monday), we decided to run the promotion ALL WEEKEND LONG, starting now. Now through midnight on Monday 12/1, the promotion is on.

Do pay attention to what kind of gift certificate gets you entered into the drawing! We now sell 2 kinds of gift certificates:

• Massage Gift Certificates (sold for a specific length of time and can only be used for massage)

• General Gift Certificates (sold by dollar amount and can be used for any offering at Studio A—class, workshop, massage, somatic session, etc).

It is the Massage Gift Certificates specifically that qualify you for this promotion.

So get thinking!

Do you know someone who could really use a massage? Or who you know would especially benefit from a massage by someone who is thoroughly trained in trauma-informed practices? (Unsure what we mean by that? Learn what makes massage “trauma-informed” here.) Consider buying a Massage Gift Certificate for them, to cover the cost of either a 60, 75, or 90-minute massage, that can be used at any point in the future (no expiration date) and that will always cover the cost of the session (tip excluded), even if our prices were to increase someday later.

Time to shop! Do it now!

If you yourself wish for a gift certificate to get a massage at our studio, then share this email with your loved ones, so that they know and can buy one for you during this promotional period, and one for someone else too! (Or both for you! Wouldn’t that be amazing??) And then they might just win a massage in the process. What a sweet arrangement!

Shop Gift Certificates Now

Enjoy your holiday!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! On behalf of all of us at Studio A, we are very grateful for you all and honored to play a role in your healing journey.

~Allie

First up is a Release & Refresh class happening this Wednesday night, 7:00 to 8:30 p.m., which is led by yours truly. All our R&R classes are open to all levels now; there are no longer “Intermediate” classes, so everyone is welcome to any class. These classes involve long-held stretches on double-thick yoga mats while being led through somatic and nervous system exercises to drop out of states of fight/flight and freeze and into a more grounded place. We have two spots available in Wednesday night’s class for those who wish to join us.

Join our class

Also, this Saturday is our first ever YES/NO & Letting Go workshop, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., where we will do a in-depth somatic exploration of autonomy, boundaries and choice. Dr. Trexler and I are having a great time planning the day’s events and can’t wait to hold space for those who want to engage with these very important topics. We have a few spots remaining, so if you have been considering it, this is your chance to register. Read more about this offering and sign up here.

Check it out

Last opportunity to mention here is Callie’s schedule for trauma-informed massage, as she has some openings at the end of this week (Thurs & Fri). Been a while since you had a great massage? Need support in calming your body and reminding your nervous system that you’re gonna be ok? If so, click the button below to get on Callie’s books and let her gifted hands, big heart, and regulated nervous system support you this week.

Book a massage

That’s it for now! Enjoy your week, hope to see you around!

Allie

Release and Refresh Classes this weekend!

Grab your spot for this Saturday’s Release and Refresh class!

Saturday, Oct 25 - 9:00-10:30am ($24) - Start your Saturday morning off right with this class led by Callie. There are plenty of spots left, so come and bring a friend! Your nervous system (and theirs) will thank you!

The Friday night R&R classes have moved to start at 6:30pm rather than 6:00, to allow for more time to arrive after work, dinner, etc. They now run 6:30-8:30pm and are led by Allie, and these 2-hour versions of the class are an amazing way to unwind from the weekend and reconnect with your body and all that it’s holding, and to find some equanimity amidst it all.

Yes/No & Letting Go Workshop

We’re roughly two and a half weeks away from our first ever Yes/No & Letting Workshop! There are still 4 spots available for this one-of-a-kind workshop. Join us for a day-long somatic exploration of autonomy, choice and boundaries.

The details:

• Saturday, November 8 - 9:30a-4:30p

• At Studio A Body Therapy (554 Pit Rd, #211, Brownsburg, IN)

• $139/participant

• Led by our very own Allie Whitney, and Dr. Michael Trexler

  

Learn more about this workshop and sign up at our website here.

Nourish: a Women’s Holistic Health Conference

A reminder about the upcoming women’s holistic/natural health conference called NOURISH coming up in Fishers on Saturday, November 1, 10am - 4pm. Put on by the Indiana Association of Naturopathic Physicians, it is the place to be if you are interested in natural health.

This year’s conference theme is “Nourishing the Nervous System”, which is why Studio A is excited to be a part of it, since so much of our work is centered around nervous system regulation and resilience. We will have a vendor table there, so stop by and say hi! Allie will also be leading one of the breakout sessions, titled “The Bracing Body”, about how the body’s fascial system tightens, tenses, and binds down when we lack the ability to draw (and hold) healthy boundaries in our life. Learn how chronic tension and pain can serve as valuable information about our emotions and relationships, and what you can do to find relief from the bracing.

Advance tickets are required. This event is VERY affordable, for all that it will give you access to in the day’s events, and even more affordable with my special link that gets you the “friends & family” 10% off discount that I am happy to share with you all, which you can get only by following this special link.

Massage Openings with Callie

While my schedule stays fairly full, I always have room for new clients (and repeat clients) throughout the week. Word of mouth continues to be my best marketing, so thank you to everyone who has referred a friend or family member to come receive a trauma-informed massage. I’ve got openings this week, and would love to see you!

We are trying out a new VibroAcoustic Therapy (VAT) table, so if you book soon, you could opt to experience it for FREE as we are still working out the kinks and learning how best to seamlessly weave it into the massage experience.

Book your massage today!

Hope to see you soon! Happy Fall!

~Callie

The last several months have taken me back to that place of needing to intentionally engage the body in order to heal. A crisis suddenly occurred in our lives, and for a while there my world was flipped upside down, and everything stopped. I halted seeing 1:1 clients, as my mental and emotional bandwidth was fully consumed by the crisis. I wasn’t able to engage with the world in normal ways anymore. I just wanted everything and everyone to stop, to pause with me… but it didn’t… ‘cause the world continues on, as it does. We could isolate ourselves and ignore the world, consumed by what happened and sitting in the relational aftermath of it all, but only for so long.

At some point, I felt my system ready to engage with it all in a different way, from being an “aftermath squatter” to a “recovery path walker”. Bit by bit, starting with just small, intentional movements, in the form of slow walks, looping and re-looping my neighborhood, and in the presence of my somatic therapist, it would come. Impulses that wanted to come up and out of the body to self-protect. Movements, postures, and words to feel and express my shock, anger, grief, and pain. Oil pastels and paper to convey what was lost, and also to foretell what was ever so slowly becoming mine—life post-trauma: Joy. Power. Presence. Strength. Resilience.

Embodiment (being fully grounded in the present moment) is a tricky thing in that it’s only in gaining more of it that we’re able to look back and have an ah-hah! moment and realize just how much embodiment and presence we weren’t experiencing previously. We can’t feel what we can’t feel, right? And so in any given moment, we’re naturally duped into thinking that we’re “fully” present, until something happens that ushers in more presence, and then it clicks (“Oh! This is what more embodiment is like!”). My experience of healing from the trauma of the last several months led me to such a moment. It was quite profound. I considered myself to be embodied before all this happened. But then the crisis entered, we suffered, and then I began the work of healing—letting my body and emotions move through it all—and one day in my therapist’s studio I had an experience of embodiment in a way I never had before. I was definitely treading on new ground—it felt unfamiliar but oh so welcome, and was like a feeling of sweet relief and ease mixed with an undeniable solidness. It felt so good! I was more “here” than I had ever been. More rooted and stable in myself and in who I am, available to all that was in the moment. I think I recall verbalizing it with “OH!….. Woah!!!”

Embodiment. Thanks to all the movements—big and small, structured and free, guided and spontaneous—I am more “here” than I ever have been. And I am grateful to be back. 🙌

Sidenote: I hope this story serves as a reminder that when something traumatic happens, we are NOT supposed to be calm. (I was not! I was a mess at times!) Our body responds to trauma and overwhelming experiences via emotions, movement, and impulses, and those things can be so dominant and consuming that it leads us to feel like we’re not okay (“regulated”)… and that’s okay! Don’t listen to the prevailing cultural message that we’re supposed to be “zen” all the time. We are not. Being in a fight/flight is a highly active state designed to protect you and get you back to safety, and you may feel agitated, angsty, panicky, confused, etc., when it’s happening. Let it be! Let that serve as information from your nervous system about what it’s dealing with and what it needs. 💜

Okay, off my soapbox 😁… and in closing…

So while I have not been the most *chill person ever* the last several months (which is another reason why I stopped seeing 1:1 clients), I shouldn’t have been, considering what was happening in my life. People that are working through the aftermath of trauma and are still resolving the internal fight-or-flight may not be the fun-est people to be around all the time—that’s the truth, and I’ll own that. I’m grateful for everyone’s patience with me as I was processing through stuff. 😆 But I hope that I served as an example of how to move through trauma well, with integrity and authenticity, showing up as best as I can to my commitments, stepping away from certain duties that I didn’t have the capacity for, and taking the time needed to heal.

Yes/No & Letting Go Workshop - November 8

I am so pleased to announce that this long-awaited somatic workshop is finally happening! This is years in the making; you can find it in my journals from years ago, me dreaming up a day-long workshop devoted to helping people discover their boundaries by simply learning to listen to their body and tend to what it’s revealing. It’s so empowering to discover these things! (My own somatic “encounter” with boundaries long ago was dramatic and eye-opening.) Despite me dreaming of this workshop for years, though, other endeavors kept taking priority, for various reasons. But then certain events in my personal life that happened this year (see above story) brought this topic front and center once again, and renewed my conviction that these things MUST be taught, practiced, and embodied. So here it is! Woot woot! 🥳

So, what’s this all about?? It’s about bringing your awareness to how your body is speaking, constantly saying “yes” and “no” to things as you move through life. And it’s about giving you the tools to know how to listen to it.

Whether you know it or not, all of the following things involve the body on a very deep level:

• how you make choices

• how much space you feel you’re allowed take up (or not) in the world

• the sense of personal autonomy and self-ownership that you experience

• what you consent to

• where your boundaries lie and how you communicate those boundaries

• how much access you have to a sense of power

So whenever those things are unclear or need strengthened, we can turn to the body for answers. And that’s exactly what this YES/NO & Letting Go day-long workshop is all about. It’s designed to deepen your connection with yourself and specifically your body, as we explore themes of autonomy, choice, and boundaries. I’m thrilled to be bringing in Dr. Michael Trexler, my dear friend and colleague at Peace of Mind Counseling Services in the Nora area of Indianapolis, to co-teach the workshop with me. You will discover on a whole new level your body’s role in holding and expressing both your YES and your NO in response to things. You will be guided in noticing your body’s signals and will have opportunities to put it into practice in a playful and safe environment. Embedded into the curriculum is recognizing and tending to the natural emotions of anger, grief, etc. that arise in response to these topics.​

This is perfect for anyone who wants to gain clarity in their decision-making, deepen their personal sense of self, explore the idea of taking up space, find their healthy power, discover or deepen their ability to draw boundaries (with self and others), reclaim ownership over their body, or understand the concept of consent at a new level.

Informed by a deep understanding of trauma, Polyvagal Theory, attachment science, interpersonal neurobiology, human anatomy and physiology, somatics, and emotional intelligence, this workshop is sure to provide a space for deep work to take place in a gentle, safe, and effective environment.

This will take place on Saturday, November 8, 9:30am - 4:30pm at the studio. The price is just $139 for this full day of learning, and right now there’s an early bird discount, making the price $125 until Oct 11 (with coupon code YNLG-EB). We can only take 14 participants, so sign up quickly if interested!

Learn more about this one-of-a-kind workshop, see the schedule, and register here. Bring a friend!

Studio A to be featured at women’s conference in Fishers

We’re thrilled to have a vendor table at the upcoming event Nourish: A Women’s Health Conference, presented by the Indiana Association of Naturopathic Physicians (INANP) on Saturday, November 1. The theme for this year’s conference is Nourish Your Nervous System, which so perfectly aligns with the work we do here at Studio A. We are excited to be a part of this local conference!

Besides the vendor table with goodies and info, I (Allie) will also be leading a breakout session titled The Bracing Body. I’ll cover how the body's fascial system tightens, tenses, and binds down when we lack the ability to draw (and hold) healthy boundaries in our life. Participants will learn how chronic tension and pain can serve as valuable information about our emotions and relationships, and what we can do to find relief from the bracing.

If you are interested in women’s natural and holistic health, join us at this high quality, affordable event and come see me! You can learn more and purchase a ticket for this all-day conference here.

Openings in this Saturday’s Release & Refresh class

Whether you’re wanting to try nervous system work for the first time, or are well-versed in nervous system work already, the Release and Refresh classes are a great opportunity to drop into your body, gain awareness of how/where you’re holding activation in your nervous system (fight/flight and freeze patterns). We have lots of openings still in this Saturday morning’s class, taught by Callie from 9:00-10:30am. Decompress from the work week and start your weekend out right! Involves gentle stretching to open up the fascial system, and guided somatic exercises to gain awareness and clarity so you can move forward from a more grounded, open, and regulated place.

Register for a class here

5 Stars for Callie!

Did you know that Callie has never received a review on Google that is NOT a 5-star review?! And she has a lot of reviews! I’ve always known she’s amazing, and it delights my heart that the community is discovering that too! She truly knows how to cater to each individual client that walks in her door in a trauma-informed, sensitive way that puts people at ease instantly. If you are looking for a new routine in your self-care regimen, or have a special day coming up that you want to celebrate/honor in a special way, we invite you to come get a massage from Callie. You will not regret it!

Offering Myofascial Release, a gentle and yet very effective way of engaging the fascial system to relieve chronic tension and pain, as well as traditional Swedish massage, plus pre-natal, Callie is well-equipped to handle whatever you’re bringing “to the table”. She often has same-day and next-day openings, which makes booking a breeze via our online scheduler.

Book a massage now!

Want to read more about the approach we take that earns Callie such high praise? You can do that here.

Friends, enjoy the rest of your week. Be well!

~Allie

We have plenty of spots still available in our Release and Refresh classes on Friday and Saturday. This class was featured in the Indy Maven magazine last month, in an article titled “How to Create Your Own Mini Retreat (Right here in Indy).” The author, Adair McDonald, writes, “From 6-8 on a Friday night, a friend and I allowed the stress of the week to melt away as we paid attention to parts of our body that deserved extra love and attention.” Come check it out for yourself, and give your body the love and attention it deserves.

Click the class you want to attend to grab your spot:

Intermediate Level Class - Friday, August 22, 6-8 PM ($32) taught by Allie

• This is for those who have attended these classes before and are acclimated to the pacing, positioning, and content. Also open to those who are well-versed in somatic work through other means. Slightly longer so as to go deeper into the work, and less time spent on orientation and demonstrations.

Open to All Class - Saturday, August 23, 9-10:30 AM ($24) taught by Callie

• If you haven't attended one of these classes before, this is a great place to start. This class is also open to those who have previously attended. Includes a thorough orientation to class and full demonstrations of the techniques we'll utilize so you feel prepared.

*If the rate per class is difficult for anyone financially, the coupon code HELP-ME-OUT can be punched in at checkout for an automatic 25% discount. This is not a sale or promotion; it is reserved for those genuinely interested in attending the class, but are struggling financially to make ends meet.*

Save the Date!

Yes, No, & Letting Go: a somatic exploration of autonomy, choice and boundaries

Save the date for this all-day workshop coming up on Saturday, November 8, 2025.

Allie will be co-leading this workshop with Dr. Michael Trexler, who is an Assistant Professor and licensed mental health counselor at his practice, Peace of Mind Counseling Services in Indy.

More details to come soon…

Welcome Julia Piner to the Studio A Team!

Studio A continues to grow. We are excited to announce the newest addition to the team: Julia Piner, LMT, PMH-C, SEP (expected Oct '26).

"I am so excited to be joining Studio A! For the past 10 years, I have guided families through the perinatal period of birth and postpartum as a Doula. I became fascinated in somatic work as I am also a Licensed Massage Therapist - I started noticing all the stories that people’s bodies told, some stories even forgotten, which led me to Somatic Experiencing. I am passionate and dedicated to creating spaces that allow people to feel safe, secure, and supported! Outside of the studio, you may find me with my husband, two little ones, or my fluffy great pyrenees! I enjoy coffee, nature, puzzles, my family’s Parkour gym, and quiet time with family and friends."

Julia will be seeing clients for Somatic Healing Sessions on Tuesdays starting in October.

Thank you for your continued support of Studio A! It is an honor to come alongside you in your healing journey, through classes, trauma-informed massage, and somatic healing sessions.

Have a great week!

~Allie & Callie

Where do you find peace and calm in your life? Do you experience peace and calm in your body?

Chances are, many of us experience more pain and tension in our bodies than peace and calm. I want to invite you to consider joining me THIS SATURDAY morning for our Release and Refresh class, to drop into some peace and calm for yourselves.

I am teaching our Release and Refresh Class this Saturday, and there are lots of spots still available. This is a perfect way to start your weekend, dropping into some calm after a busy week.

You’ll be led into gentle stretches that focus on the fascia, holding each pose for up to 10 minutes, while simultaneously being guided through nervous system exercises. Whether you’ve been here before, or this is your first time, this class is open to all!

• Saturday, July 19

• 9-10:30 AM

• At Studio A Body Therapy in Brownsburg

Sign up here: studioabody.com/release-refresh

Here’s one of many testimonials you can find on our website:

“I felt so hopeful and refreshed after I left the class. I really appreciated the stillness and calm that you brought into the space and the non-hurried environment that was so crucial to be present and in the moment for the class.” - Kelly B.

Come experience it for yourself this Saturday! Hope to see you there!

~Callie

If you prefer to watch a video reel, you can do so here!

Feel to Heal starts August 4!

Our next round of Feel to Heal is just around the corner! Grab your spot now for this 8-week program, hosted in our studio right here in Brownsburg.

Feel to Heal is a somatically-oriented, trauma-informed program where we explore the connection between emotions and the body, especially as it relates to chronic tension and pain. This program is for a small group of 8-15 individuals, and is a great introduction to somatic work. It is educational in nature, with experiential exercises sprinkled throughout. You can read all about it here.

There are 10 spots remaining for this upcoming class (and they’ll go fast)!

The details:

• Monday nights, 6:45-8:45 PM

• August 4-October 6 (skipping Sept 1 and Sept 15)

• The cost breaks down to less than $20/hour, and you’ll walk away with a binder FILLED with resources that will further your healing journey long after the program ends

This program gets rave reviews, which you can read on our website. Don’t wait to claim your spot for this upcoming Feel to Heal class, which happens only twice per year.

FREE Pain Brain Film Screening on Sunday, July 27

Join us at the studio for this FREE screening of the 55-minute film PAIN BRAIN, plus a discussion afterwards on the mechanism of chronic pain and why working with the nervous system is key to resolving it. This information has the potential to change everything for people who regularly experience pain and tension and want to find real solutions.​

The details:

• Sunday, July 27, 7:00-8:30 PM

• at Studio A Body Therapy

• Discussion with Allie, somatic body therapist and owner of Studio A

You can learn more about this FREE event and sign up here. Enjoy this trailer to get a sneak peak at what the night will be all about. We’ll have popcorn available, so bring your friends, and we hope to see you there!

Enjoy the upcoming weekend!

~Allie & Callie

Release & Refresh

These body-centric classes help rewire the nervous system to enable you to face the hard stuff of life with more resilience and less triggering. They take place on yoga mats, guide you into stretches and simultaneous nervous system exercises, and help you release tension surrounding stressors in your life so you can walk away feeling refreshed (hence the name!). Read more about them here. I hope you’ll try out a class if you haven’t yet!

First up is our Release & Refresh class Intermediate level, which we have coming up THIS Friday (in 2 days!), 6-8 pm. This is for anyone who has attended a R&R class before, as this class allows us to move a little faster, work a little deeper, and give a little more freedom for you to find your own groove amidst the stretches and nervous system exercises. No Intermediate level class is happening in July, but it will be back to its monthly schedule in August. I (Allie) lead these classes. So, remaining summer class dates are:

• THIS Friday, June 27, 6:00-8:00 pm

• Friday, Aug 22, 6:00-8:00 pm

Book a class!

We also have a R&R class that is OPEN TO ALL coming up this Saturday morning, 9:00-10:30 am. This is an awesome place to start for those new to mind/body work, somatics, or anyone with a curiosity to explore their inner landscape physically and emotionally. These are led by Callie. Here are all the upcoming summer dates for this “Open to All” class:

• THIS Saturday, June 28, 9:00-10:30 am

• Wednesday, July 9, 7:00-8:30 pm

• Saturday, July 19, 9:00-10:30 am

• Wednesday, August 6, 7:00-8:30 pm

• Saturday, August 23, 9:00-10:30 am

Book a class!

Feel to Heal Program

Also coming up this summer is Feel to Heal, which is Studio A’s flagship program, which I developed and led the first round of back in early 2022. It has evolved much since then, and we’re now preparing for our 9th round, which starts on August 4! This is an 8-week program that meets once per week, that combines the best therapies available for chronic tension/pain relief, emotional healing, deep nervous system work, somatic healing, and self-compassion. It teaches people about the connection between their difficult emotional experiences and/or trauma from throughout their lifetime and the tension, pain, or other physical symptoms they may experience regularly. It answers everything from the simple “Why do my shoulders hurt more when I’ve had a hard day at work?” to the more complex “What do my past painful experiences have to do with my aching body today?” In it, I teach participants how to “be with” their emotions so that they don’t turn into physical tension held in the body, how to move through stressful situations with more ease, and what to do with those pesky aches and pains when they show up. It’s SUPER gentle yet VERY effective. The class is mostly educational-style learning (it’s NOT group therapy; there’s no sharing required), with experiential somatic exercises sprinkled throughout it, plus an entire night devoted to learning how to become a master of myofascial release self-treatment for all your places of tension and pain.

Learn more about Feel to Heal

A total of 78 people have gone through this program so far! I am so honored to have held the role of somatic teacher to all of those wonderful folks. Some of those participants have driven from hours away to attend it for the 8-week cohort they joined. Here are what some of them have said about the program after finishing it:

This round of the program will meet on MONDAY evenings at the studio, 6:45-8:45 pm, starting on August 4 and ending on October 6 (skipping weeks of 9/1 and 9/15).

What is important to communicate TODAY is that the early bird rate for this program is ending soon! I keep it as affordable as I can, at $315 (that comes to less than $20/hour), but if you enter in the coupon code EARLY-BIRD at checkout, it will take 10% off that rate. But that discount ends after June 30! That’s in just 5 days! So head to the Feel to Heal page here to see the syllabus, read more testimonials, understand more deeply what it’s all about, and to sign up if you feel it’s a fit for where you’re at.

Learn more about Feel to Heal

For those who genuinely want to be a part of this program and can commit to it time-wise but don’t have the funds, reach out to me to inquire about my sliding scale spots.

Every round I enjoy making a fun little graphic for it (mostly for social media), but since this writing platform also invites pictures, I’ll share it here too. 🙂 Feel free to pass the info about this program to your friends, family, and colleagues who might be interested.

Stay cool, friends! Hope to see you around the studio!

~Allie

Register for this Wednesday's class!

We have a Release and Refresh class in 2 short days!—this Wednesday, June 11th, 7:00-8:30 PM. If you have never attended one of these classes here before, this is the perfect place to start, because we will do a full orientation at the start of class and we also demonstrate all of the stretches and the positioning at the beginning and give you a chance to try them all out for your body and figure out what bolsters, blankets, and props you need to make the position work best for you, no matter your body shape, size, and type, and with your personal preferences honored and given space.

This class is unique in that the idea is NOT to check your issues at the door, only to have you go right back out the door, no more equipped to deal with those issues. In this class, you are invited to bring your issues, bring your dysregulation, bring your pain! Because of our deep understanding of trauma, we are actually trained in guiding you to find calm and regulation AMIDST the issue, the stressor, the pain.

So bring it! And we're not gonna TALK about it in this class, this isn't talk therapy or group therapy, but we ARE going to do nervous system exercises and stretches that gently facilitate your awareness of how your body is holding and expressing the stress and we're gonna guide you in how to move THROUGH and OUT OF that high stress state.

This is very different than guiding you AWAY from the stressor, which doesn't teach your nervous system anything other than how to run away from stress! In here, we guide you not how to move away from, but how to move THROUGH and OUT OF high stress states. And that is the act of rewiring your nervous system and retraining your brain and body how to be more resilient amidst stress.

So if that's what you're looking for, then we’ll see you on Wednesday!

Register for this Wednesday's class!

~Allie

We’re excited to share some news with you today!

Our incredible trauma-informed massage therapist, Callie, has recently completed training in two transformative approaches to healing.

First, Callie is now trained in John F. Barnes’ Myofascial Release, a powerful method that gently releases long-held tension and restrictions in the fascia (your body's connective tissue). Myofascial Release is one of the most effective ways we’ve found to reduce chronic pain and restore ease and mobility in the body. It’s been a cornerstone of my own practice with clients and I’m so glad Callie now offers this deeply therapeutic work.

She’s also recently completed training in applying Polyvagal Theory to the massage treatment space, which means she now brings an even deeper awareness of what’s happening in your nervous system during a session. This allows her to tailor her touch and presence to what your body truly needs in the moment—especially helpful for anyone experiencing stress, the after-effects of trauma, or emotional overload.

With this expanded skillset comes a few important updates:

🌀 Callie is now offering Myofascial Release as an optional add-on to any massage session. You can now choose to incorporate 15 or 30 minutes of this technique into your session, depending on what your body needs. We offer this because Myofascial Release takes time, and can eat into your massage time. So while you can still request MFR in your normal massage session (how you spend your time is completely up to you), this add-on option gives you the choice to intentionally designate time for Myofascial Release, while still getting the full time for your massage. You’ll see these options available when you book a session with her via the website.

💵 Her rates are increasing slightly to reflect her new training and the greater value she now brings to sessions. Her rate is increasing by $5/hour, and this is reflected in all of the session lengths she offers.

• 60-minute sessions are now $90 (previously $85)

• 75-minute sessions are now $112 (previously $106)

• 90-minute sessions are now $135 (previously $127)

Booking an add-on of Myofascial Release (MFR) of 15 or 30 minutes will add $22 or $45, respectively, using that same rate of $90/hour. We are intentional about not charging higher rates for advanced modalities such as MFR, so that clients never feel that we are trying to “upsell” them when we recommend it, but rather can trust that it is purely out of our honest professional opinion.

This shift supports Callie in continuing her education and offering the most attuned, effective care possible.

✨ If you’ve been feeling stuck in your healing journey or are just ready to go deeper, now is a great time to book with Callie and experience what this next level of support feels like.

Book a session with Callie!

With care,
Allie Whitney
Owner, Studio A Body Therapy

For the past month or so, Allie has been training me in myofascial release techniques. I have slowly been implementing these into my treatment sessions with some clients, and I have learned a lot through the process, so just wanted to share.

You may be wondering, “what is myofascial release?” Great question!

Myo=muscle, fascia=connective tissue. Myofascial release is a form of therapy that addresses restrictions and imbalances of the connective tissue in the body and is used to promote wellness, decrease or eliminate pain and restore movement (Joyce Karnis, Comprehensive Myofascial Self Treatment). The fascia can be released by putting sustained pressure into a restriction or by actively elongating the area of restriction. While I learned one form of myofascial release in massage school, Allie is training me now in the John Barnes method, which will add more tools to my toolbox.

The old adage “slow and steady wins the race” comes to mind as I reflect on this training. There is nothing about myofascial release that is fast. It takes time for the fascia to respond and to loosen. When the fascia releases and breaks through restrictions, it can feel like a softening of the area, like taffy stretching or butter melting. But this is not a "microwave” method; it is more like a “crockpot” method. The longer you hold each position, the greater the release.

I am learning this method is growing my patience (and my forearm strength), as I “go the speed of the fascia.” To the clients who have allowed me to practice on you during a session, thank you! I hope you have found it beneficial and worth the time it took during your massage. The more I implement myofascial release and hear feedback from clients, the more bought in I am to the effectiveness of this method.

If this sparked your interested and you would be interested in trying myofascial release in one of your massage sessions, please let me know!

Openings in this weekend’s R&R classes

We have a handful of openings still in this weekend’s R&R classes. These classes are a great introduction to somatic work, and we are now offering both an intermediate and beginner level class. Claim your spot now before it fills up!

• Friday, April 25 - Intermediate Class - 6-8 PM - $32 - taught by Allie

• Saturday, April 26 - Beginner Class - 9-10:30 AM - $24 - taught by Callie

Allie’s Launched Two Online Courses!!

Allie has been hard at work behind the scenes developing content for two new online courses, making somatic work accessible to those beyond the Brownsburg, IN area.

She has completed the first round of Healthy Helpers, which launched in March. Healthy Helpers is designed for therapists and other helping professionals that are at risk for experiencing secondary/vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and burnout from chronic and repeated exposure to others' trauma. This 6-week program is designed to help you develop more capacity for doing your role without the after-effects in your own mind & body. We received great feedback from those who participated this round!

And just last week she launched the beta round of The Emotional Resilience Roadmap! This is an expansion of our in-studio class Feel to Heal. In this 12 week course you can learn nervous system techniques for moving through big or difficult emotions, and gain the resilience to face life with all of its ups and downs with ease. Once this beta round is complete, this new course will be available to the general public.

Allie has been working tirelessly to create top-notch programs to offer you all, and I just wanted to give her a quick shout out (as she won’t do it herself)! Be on the lookout for future information about these courses, and congratulate her on this big accomplishment! Studio A is growing and thriving, thanks to you all!

Thanks for reading! I hope you have a great week!

~Callie