About Me

1. Allen BA, LMT, CMLDT, CMBPR, CYT, CCEOLC has practiced and taught meditation, massage therapy and yoga in New York City, St. Louis, and Salt Lake City, before returning to Buffalo to raise her children and be close to family. Practicing for 25 years she developed her therapeutic style through a desire to release tension and trauma from her own body, in order to be a clearer channel of authentic and present centered awareness for her family, massage patients, yoga students and friends. She realized early in her career her career individuals looking for relief, rehabilitation, decreased stress and relaxation, needed to learn the skills of mindfulness to bring them into a more aligned inner balance and harmony. As her skills developed she began to teach her massage therapy patients how to bring their bodies and minds into harmony using mindfulness and conscious embodiment techniques like hatha yoga.

Her education is broad, with a BA in education she taught elementary school (1st&3rd) before moving to NYC to go to the Swedish Institute, College of Health Science in Manhattan, and was licensed by NYS as a massage therapist in 1993. While living in Manhattan she studied under meditation master Swami Chidvilasananda, and legendary hatha yoga teacher Dharma Mitra. Inspired by them and many others along the way she values continuing education. Reiki healing formed the foundation of energetic boundaries shortly after she received her massage license she received her first two initiations. After ongoing practice of Reiki in 1996 she became a teaching Reiki Master. She received her Craniosacral Therapy certification that year as well and in 1999 she completed over 200 hours of yoga teacher training with John Friend.

In 2004-2005 she participated in a year long yoga teacher training with Mitchel Bleier, Sianna Sherman, Sue Elkind and Naime Jezzeny. This training incorporated Sanskrit with Jonathan Geen Ph.D., Rajanaka Tantra philosophy with Douglass Brooks Ph.D., and Ayurveda with Sonam Targee, Rochester NY. She worked for years with Hospice Buffalo as a full time massage therapist and perused her certification in contemplative end of life care through Rigpa, Spiritual Care.Org. which she continued to develop through her experience and relationships while at Hospice Buffalo. Annie holds certification in mindfulness based pain relief, with Fadel Zeidan Ph.D. and currently works with professionals in the healthcare industry providing Mindfulness Trainings for radical self care. Most recently, she received certification in manual lymph drainage, the Vodder Method, a gentle but powerful technique used to encourage lymph flow in the body and boost overall health through immune function. She has an office in the Complete Wellness Arts and Sciences Center on Kensington Avenue between Century and Eggert, where she sees individuals for adaptive massage (chronic pain, chronic illness) manual lymph drainage, deeper postural bodywork, private yoga sessions.  Energy medicine sessions are also available for individuals suffering from  difficult pain, and are aware of some "issues in the tissues". Finally, combining self massage partner massage and yoga she has also developed a 10 week program for couples suffering from infertility.

Over the years Annie has come to understand this: simple commitment to self care is essential and exercise like yoga, or tai chi or qi-gong practiced regularly, with mindful awareness of conscious embodiment, deepens the relationship between our body and our breath, in the present moment. A natural byproduct of this type of regular practice is radiant health, mental clarity and joyful living born out of skillful action. What ever brings you to read these words is providing you with signposts along the way. Step into the flow, ELEVATE your experience.