Foster a reliable relationship of care with your body and your mind.
Hi, I’m Annie Bray (she/her).
I’m a Somatic Practitioner, Registered Massage Therapist, mentor and teacher.
In my holistic approach to both massage therapy and mentorship, we slow things down and open up a dialogue.
We find ways to create a reliable relationship of care with our bodies. We work towards discerning our true needs and desires.
We reclaim the sensual intelligence our culture neglects. And grow our capacity to feel pleasure, human connection and creative flow.
Services
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Massage Therapy
Trauma-informed, somatically oriented massage to support recovery and wellbeing. Restorative care through an evidence-informed lens.
In person in Ottawa, Canada.
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Mentorship & Coaching
Reliable support for helping professionals Prevent burnout and deepen career satisfaction by incorporating principals of somatics, mindfulness and trauma-informed care.
In person and online.
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Soft Skills For Hard Times
A professional development newsletter for massage therapists that explores the intersections of trauma, burnout, mindfulness, somatics and more…
Coming Soon
I’ve been working with bodies for 25 years.
Over the course of my career, I’ve trained and practiced in massage therapy, acupressure, Chinese medicine, meditation, yoga and trauma-informed somatic coaching. I’ve held private sessions, classes, workshops and retreats.
Read more about my credentials and study here.
I’m a student of anti-oppression
I believe our wellness is interdependent. I want all bodies to be able to go through life feeling safe, seen, and held. I’m committed to studying anti-oppression, dismantling dominant cultural stories, and holding influence and privilege responsibly in relation to the collective.
This is Somatic Practice
When you come home to your right-now body
and listen to what is being whispered...
When you try to learn the language of your senses,
even if it seems incoherent at first...
When you begin to explore the ways that
you are part of a body, a family, a culture, an ecosystem, a universe...
You are doing the somatic practice that is yours alone to do.
My Story
I work with people who care deeply.
Bodies who feel it all.
I’ve been deeply concerned for the planet and it’s inhabitants since about fourth grade.
This was 1985. How did I even find out?
Besides David Suzuki, my childhood hero, very few people wanted to talk about this stuff back then. My 8 year old concern about famine, nuclear war and the greenhouse effect was considered very strange. Certainly not to be brought up at the dinner table.
So I held it in. My fear. My rage. My shock.
It felt like a lot.
Maybe this is why, after high school, I ran away to Cortes, a remote island off the rainforest coast of British Columbia.
Laying alone on the forest floor, I had my first glimpses of embodiment.
A feeling of peace. Safety. Subtle wordless glee.
At times I thought I should stay on the island forever. Or go live in a monastery.
Instead I came back to civilization. Ever since, I’ve been drawn to healing. Particularly healing in relationship, with other people and with the earth.
For as long as I can remember I’ve been trying to figure out how to live in the modern world in a body that wasn’t built for it, on a planet that needs us to plug back in to her care.
My Studies
I’ve devoted much of my life to the question:
How can we be well as individual and collective bodies, living through challenge and change?
Here’s a look at my training and education:
2019-Present: Training, mentorship and peer supervision with Carmen Spagnola
2021-2022: Level 1 + 2 Rebloom Advanced Coaching Training with Rachael Maddox
2020: Somatic mentorship course with Patti Ellidge
2016: Facilitator Training of The Work That Reconnects with Joanna Macy
2009-2017: 1:1 mentorship, group training and retreats- Socially engaged Buddhism, Yoga and Meditation with Michael Stone
2010-2012: 2200-hour Massage Therapy Program at the International Academy of Health Studies in Ottawa
2004-2008: Program coordinator for mindfulness based programming for youth with serious mental illness at Laing House in Halifax, NS
2002-2003: 750-hour training in Chinese Medicine, Five Element Theory & Jin Shin Do Acupressure at the Canadian Acupressure College in Victoria, BC
1999-2017: Ongoing and advanced Yoga teacher training
Nothing can eliminate all of our responsibilities.
Through practice though, we can build our capacity and discernment. We can face our challenges and responsibilities and we can to orient towards meaning, joy and connection.
Deep down we usually don’t want to bypass life’s challenges or the need for healing and justice. And yet, we don’t have to let the weight of those challenges crush us.
I want us to slow down, yet stay mobilized. To interrupt patterns of isolation and exhaustion.
Some things I believe in…
Consent
Establishing consent dissolves hierarchies and builds trust. It supports an ongoing dialogue between your body, your discerning mind, and your deep inner wisdom. And, it celebrates clear communication.
Body Neutrality
All bodies are inherently worthy of belonging, care, love and support. I believe that being alive, in a body, is the only criteria that should determine your access to the things you need.
Liberation
The oppressive systems we currently live in have a real impact on our whole selves.. That’s why I’m a student of anti-racism, intersectional feminism, engaged Buddhism, and climate justice.
Boundaries
Boundaries are key to relational work. All of my 1:1 mentorship work begins by articulating clear, consensual boundaries that can hold the container for warmth, safety, deep care and growth.
Collective Care
Our wellness is interdependent. This goes beyond human life and includes all of life. I believe in caring for each other and showing up however we can to support life, dignity and liberation for all beings.