As I start this piece, I’m wondering what the best way is to describe Aly Breggin. And truly the only way to describe Aly is that she’s a petite little rockabilly nymph that at 40 has the most flawless skin I’ve ever seen and has the strength of a thousand men.
I was excited to get on Aly’s table as her expertise is around sports massage and she specializes in myofascial, trigger point therapy, and neuromuscular therapy. As someone who’s more athletic in her 30’s than she ever was as a teenager or in her 20’s, I feel the pain of hitting the gym, dancing, and strength training 4 to 6 times a week. My body does not recover or bounce back the way it used to. And the aches and pains, braces, and sore muscles are much more present than ever. Stay tuned – we will be doing a series of “Athletes” blogposts in the coming months!
Aly embodies being a tough hard-bodied martial artist and avid gym go-er with the loving gentleness that is required for therapeutic bodywork. She’s obviously passionate about healthy living: both mind and body. As mentioned in many previous blogposts, the first part of any session at Ohana Wellness is time for you, as a client, to get to know your practitioner and for them to get to know you. Aly even took the time to probe on how I’m stretching my problem areas – going as far as showing me how to do a hip flexor stretch for my hyper-mobile joints! Right on the floor.
As I started to get ready to climb on the table, she reminded me that: “This is your body, your session, your time.” This is important for all of us who are taking intentional time for self-care: we can be as present as we want to be to really get the maximum out of our time with any practitioner. She encouraged open communication about the intensity of the pressure on my body; if certain areas were triggering other responses throughout the body (spoiler alert: totally happened!); or if certain areas are too sensitive or tender for our time together. No matter whose table I get on, Ohana Wellness always solidifies this for me: you are safe here.
As someone who is always looking for deeper, more intense pressure, Aly was a dream. My body is often described as a convoluted map of speed bumps. Aly was diligent, deliberate, and dedicated to undoing balls of tension that had been there conceivably for days, months, and even years. I mentioned earlier that she’s got the strength of a thousand men. I’m 5’9 and easily 50 lbs heavier than Aly is. But, this woman uses her entire body to put the exact amount of pressure to release the tissue and allow things to flow in areas that are often neglected (hello hips!).
She has this uncanny ability to inflict the “hurt-so-good” kind of pain while simultaneously reminding you to breathe into it, to relax, and let your body release the tension in a loving way. She’ll work on your neck and you’ll feel it radiate all the way down your shoulder blade – as if your body is reminding you that it’s always complexly and beautifully interwoven and interconnected.
Aly never rushed through our session, she was focused on making sure the areas she felt (and I validated) that needed extra attention, received it. At the end of our time, she made sure that I was relaxed, warm, and tension-free. She ended in the favorite way of all Ohana Wellness practitioners – hands gently holding the head, then the feet, and down your legs. No matter the intensity of my time with Aly, I got off the table feeling cared for and that night I never slept better.
I know I’ll be seeing Aly again as I continue my journey in getting stronger, more athletic, and more active in my life. She’s encouraging of this but also knows the importance of listening to our bodies. Once again, I’m amazed at the consistency of my experience at Ohana, even after nearly 7 years of being a patron– the sheer diversity of the therapists that Saya employs is truly awe-inspiring.
Need a gentle, relaxing massage? Go to Ohana Wellness.
Need deep-tissue work? Go to Ohana Wellness.
Need pain management? Go to Ohana Wellness.
Need sports recovery? Go to Ohana Wellness.
Need help managing chronic illness? Go to Ohana Wellness.
Need to recover from an injury or major surgery? Go to Ohana Wellness.
The list goes on.
If you’re looking for that deep-tissue work to help release those tightly wrapped muscles, Aly is your girl.
Schedule time with Aly HERE.
