Integrated Bodywork By Jennifer

I love the opportunity to educate about things that can support neck posture and reduce neck pain. I won’t call her out, but I came across this pillow this past weekend and it might be one of the worst I’ve seen. 🤪 But the truth is that I guarantee there’s a lot of people that have something that looks very similar.

Since we ideally sleep on pillows for up to eight hours a night, they can play a big role in our sleep quality and impact on our neck as well as how that affects other areas of our body. So I generally like to promote pillows that give support typically in the form of a curvature on the edge of the pillow and sometimes with a hole in the middle. There’s 1 million different pillows on the market and quite a few different memory foam versions so it can be a challenge to know where to start. I personally rotate between three different pillows so I know firsthand that one size does not fit all.. however I must say that between my clients and myself, we are generally all a fan of the highly marketed mellow sleep pillow. I like this pillow because not only does it give you support with two different height options, but it also is extremely soft and comfy compared to other harder memory foam options.

So if you’re in the market for a pillow or have suddenly become in the market from this post… I’d highly recommend giving this one try. I’ve put a link in my bio, but it’s sold on their website as well as Amazon.

Wishing everyone a good nights sleep with less neck pain!! 💤😴

https://a.co/d/01tV8IJW

*️⃣Temporary Location Change!! *️⃣

Well Surprise!! August has brought me a fun obstacle! I was welcomed this week with an unexpected construction 👷🏻project starting in the space directly above me! Needless to say it’s going to be a lot of noise for the next two months. So I was left frantically finding a new space.

But the universe provided for me 🙏🏻💕and I was fortunate to quickly find a wonderful space in the same Eastbrook Properties complex.
So for the rest of August and possibly September, I will be temporarily relocated! This building is just west of my current building but tucked back with the Eastbrook Collaborative offices and also in the same building as the Eastbrook Yoga Studio. The new address will be:
1508 NW Vivion Rd Suite 202

I will try to contact everyone directly before their appointment, but if you have any troubles finding me, please call or text me before your appointment and I will try to direct you in or meet you in the parking lot.

I appreciate everyone’s understanding during this unexpected staycation from my office. I certainly value having an overall relaxing experience during a massage and I strive to do my best to give that to my clients. Please let me know if you ever have any recommendations of anything I can improve within my power!
( Some things are just unexpected)!

Sidenote: Just a reminder that my schedule is booking out 3-4 weeks in advance so please plan ahead when booking. And please join the waitlist online if you would like to be notified of last minute cancellations!

Temporary Location Change for IBBJ Click here for an update from Integrated Bodywork By Jennifer!

*️⃣Temporary Location Change!! *️⃣

Well Surprise!! August has brought me a fun obstacle! I was welcomed Monday morning with an unexpected construction 👷🏻project starting in the space directly above me! Needless to say it’s going to be a lot of noise for the next two months. So I was left frantically finding a new space.

But the universe provided for me 🙏🏻💕and I was fortunate to find a wonderful space in the same Eastbrook Properties complex.

So for the month of August and possibly September, I will be temporarily relocated!

1508 NW Vivion Rd Suite 202

I will try to contact everyone directly, but please note that I will have a new address and a building just up the hill. And I have provided a video of how to get to the space once you enter the building. If you have any troubles finding me, please call or text me before your appointment and I will try to direct you in or meet you in the parking lot.

I appreciate everyone’s understanding during this unexpected staycation from my office.
I have no doubt this place will be just as relaxing.

🍋

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1FtMRHpgQZ/?mibextid=wwXIfr

At 75, Richard Gere said something that should be heard not only by those who are afraid of growing older.

Because aging is not just wrinkles.
Not just gray hair.
Not just a number on a document.

It is the moment when you finally begin to understand that life does not have to be chased all the time.

It has to be lived.

Yes, the body changes.
The face is no longer the same as it was in youth.
Movements become slower.
The mirror tells the truth more honestly than before.

But there is something time cannot take away.

The heart.

Because the heart does not age the way the body does.

It remembers the first love.
The first dreams.
The first pain.
The first loss.
The first joy that made you want to embrace the entire world.

The soul has no age.

It stays where we first learned how to truly feel.

And perhaps with the years comes the most important understanding:

every age is the right age.

20 gives courage.
30 gives strength to build.
40 gives honesty with yourself.
50 gives depth.
60 gives wisdom.
70 gives a calm that no longer needs to prove anything to anyone.

Every stage of life brings its own gift.

And growing older is not a defeat.

It is a privilege.

Because not everyone gets to see their gray hair.
Not everyone gets to watch their children grow.
Not everyone gets the chance to greet another spring.
Not everyone wakes up in the morning and can simply say: “I am still here.”

Too often, we fight against time.

We hide wrinkles.
We feel ashamed of age.
We compare ourselves to old photographs.
We try to look as if the years have not touched us.

But maybe the real victory is not in still looking young on the outside.

It is in not growing old on the inside.

Keeping curiosity.
Not losing tenderness.
Still being amazed.
Laughing sincerely.
Loving without fear.
Being grateful for simple things.
Seeing beauty even in quiet days.

Because the secret is not to look young.

The secret is to have a soul that is alive.

Until the very last day.

Then every year stops feeling like a loss.

And becomes a gift.

Do not be afraid of age.

Be afraid of passing through life without ever truly feeling it.

Because growing older does not mean fading away.
Sometimes it means finally beginning to shine from within. 💕

Just a Quick Reminder:

Per my email notification last month, my new pricing is now effective and is updated on my website and booking app as of May 1st, 2026.

New OFFICE rates will be:
* All 30 Min Massage Services - $60
-30 Min Reiki and Flowtrition - $40
-All 60 Miin Services - $100
-All 90 Min Services - $150
-All 2 Hour Services. - $200

-IN HOME *Client Table Required -3 Hours of massage time minimum (multiple clients).
-90 Minute Massage -$175
-2 Hour Massage - $225
*Travel Fee may apply for mileage outside KC Metro.

*Massage Gift Certificates that were purchased prior to the price change will be honored at the previous rate.

I am so grateful that each of you value professional bodywork and for invest in your long-term wellness. It's truly an honor that you choose ME to support your overall well-being, and I look forward to continuing to work together.

With appreciation,
Jennifer

Mother's Day Gift Certificates Available!

New Pricing Effective May 1st Click here for an update from Integrated Bodywork By Jennifer!

✨ Updates at Integrated Bodywork by Jennifer

Beginning May 1, 2026, I’ll be introducing updated pricing to continue providing you with high-quality, personalized care and to support the growth of my services.

New Rates:
•30-Minute Reiki or Flowtrition Session – $40
•30-Minute Massage – $60
•60-Minute Massage – $100
•75-Minute Massage – $125
•90-Minute Massage – $150
•120-Minute Massage – $200

As always, my add-on services such as Gua-Sha, cupping and hot stones are always included in the service price. Just let me know in advance or in the notes when booking if you would like to add one of those on.

I’m deeply grateful for your continued support and trust—it truly means everything. My goal remains the same: to help you feel your best in a space that’s calming, intentional, and restorative.

📅 Currently my schedule is booked through middle of May so please plan in advance for scheduling or you can always join my waitlist on my website that will automatically notify you of any cancellations!

📞 502-931-0643🌐 www.integratedbodyworkbyjennifer.com

Thank you for being part of this journey 💛

To My Loyal IBBJ Clients,
I am so incredibly grateful for your continued trust in my bodywork services. Watching my practice grow through your referrals, loyalty, and commitment to your health means more than I can say.

To continue offering the highest level of individualized care, experience - and to support my ongoing education and growth within my practice - session rates will be updated beginning May 1st, 2026.

New office rates will be:
* All 30 Min Massage Services - $60
-30 Min Reiki and Flowtrition - $40
-All 60 Miin Services - $100
-All 90 Min Services - $150
-All 2 Hour Services. - $200

-IN HOME *Client Table Required -3 Hours of massage time minimum (multiple clients).
-90 Minute Massage -$175
-2 Hour Massage - $225
*Travel Fee may apply for mileage outside KC Metro.

Appointments booked prior to May 1st, 2026 will be honored at the current rates.

Thank you for valuing professional bodywork and for investing in your long-term wellness. It's truly an honor that you choose ME to support your overall well-being, and I look forward to continuing to work together.

With appreciation,
Jennifer
& Rosie & Winston too!

Purchase Gift Certificates

Thank you for your Support - New Rates Ahead Click here for an update from Integrated Bodywork By Jennifer!

🛑🚗⚠️ So big update! I apologize for this being last minute notice as I was just informed, but probably because I did not pay attention to all the details…😬

So there will be some road closures near my office starting Thursday, February 12th!
If you come from the 635 or the Riverside area ( NW Gateway Ave Exit or Waukomis Rd) you will NOT be able to travel down Vivion to my office during the daytime for the next month. This means you will need to either go around to Briarcliff Parkway >169 North and up to Vivion so you can exit and go West to my office or if you are coming from the north down 1-29 you can exit on Vivion West that way!

And… the double whammy is that they are also closing the ramp to 1-29 Northbound from Vivion till November so if you are heading back north from my office you will then need to go west and enter 1-29 from the Gateway Ave Exit.

And I’m sure there might be some other back way routes you can take depending on where you’re coming from but I just wanted to let you know about the main routes available.

Please call me in advance of your appointment if you have any questions! I apologize for this inconvenience!

Excellent Article. Important for both my human and horse clients to understand and the general public!

Massage Therapy can down- regulate and up regulate muscle and fascial tone

The Nervous System Controls Muscle Tone — Not the Muscle Itself

Muscles don’t decide how tight or loose they are.
The brain and spinal cord constantly adjust tension based on incoming sensory information from:
• skin
• fascia
• muscle spindles
• Golgi tendon organs
• joint receptors

Massage and myofascial work change the information coming INTO the nervous system, so the brain changes the commands it sends OUT.

This is how you alter muscle tone.

HOW MASSAGE DOWN-REGULATES (RELAXES) MUSCLES

1. Activating slow, sustained mechanoreceptors

Slow compression, melting pressure, and long fascial holds activate:
• Ruffini endings (respond to stretch + sustained pressure)
• Golgi tendon organs (sense load and reduce contraction)

These receptors inhibit the sympathetic system and drop muscle tone.

2. Reducing protective guarding

When an area feels unsafe or unstable, the nervous system tightens muscles to protect it.
When you use slow, predictable touch, the body interprets this as safety → guarding drops.

3. Improving proprioceptive clarity

If the body has a “blurred map” of an area, it tightens muscles to stabilize it.
Touch improves sensory clarity → unnecessary tension melts.

4. Regulating breathing and vagal tone

Slow, rhythmic touch naturally shifts the horse (or human) into parasympathetic dominance, softening global tone.

HOW MASSAGE UP-REGULATES (ACTIVATES) MUSCLES

1. Using quicker, lighter, stimulating input

Techniques like:
• brisk strokes
• tapotement
• skin drag
• light vibration
• rapid fascial stretch

activate Pacinian corpuscles and muscle spindles, increasing tone and readiness.

2. Increasing proprioceptive awareness

If a muscle isn’t “online,” it often has poor sensory input.
Stimulation wakes up the neuromuscular connection, so the brain recruits it better.

3. Restoring reciprocal inhibition

Tight agonists shut down their antagonists.
If you release an overactive muscle, the underactive muscle naturally activates more easily.

Example:
Release the overworking brachiocephalicus → the thoracic sling activates more efficiently.

4. Improving movement organization

When fascial layers glide better, the nervous system allows more range and activation.

The Key Takeaway

Massage does not strengthen or weaken muscle fibers directly.

Massage changes what the nervous system allows the muscle to do.

You’re not altering the tissue —
✨ you are altering the sensory input so the brain changes motor output.

This is why massage therapists, bodyworkers, and skilled handlers can:
• switch off global tension
• “wake up” weak chains
• balance diagonal patterns
• restore proper neuromuscular sequencing

…and why the effects can be immediate and profound.

https://koperequine.com/25-of-the-most-important-and-interesting-properties-of-equine-muscle/