Aligned Bodywork, Howell, MI (2026)

01/12/2026

Hypermobility doesn’t always feel “loose.”
For many people, it feels tight, stiff, and uncomfortable.

When joints move easily, muscles often work overtime to create stability, and that effort can lead to chronic tension and fatigue.

That’s why hypermobile bodies often need a different approach to massage:

✨️ Slower, more intentional fascial work
✨️ Less stretching, more stabilization
✨️ Clear joint support and positioning
✨️ Techniques that help calm the nervous system

If you’re hypermobile and massage hasn’t always felt helpful, or relief doesn’t last, you’re not doing anything wrong. Your body just needs to be listened to differently.

What you can do as a client:

✨️ Let your therapist know if stretching or deep pressure feels “too much”.
✨️ Notice how your body feels during & after sessions
✨️ Remember that gentler work can still be effective

There is no “wrong” way your body responds, only information.

Hypermobility-informed massage isn’t about pushing your body further. It’s about helping your muscles stop working overtime.

When your body feels safe, supported, and grounded, it no longer needs to hold so tightly.

01/09/2026

A great post by Two Hearts Bodywork:

"Most of what massage therapy changes doesn’t happen in the muscle first.
It happens in the nervous system.

We’ve been taught to think in terms of pressure:
“deeper is better,”
“break it up,”
“work it out.”

But when you look at the research, there’s very little evidence that massage literally breaks apart tissue the way we imagine. People are not puddy, not clay to be molded. We are composed of living, highly innervated tissues.

What is well supported is the way touch changes how the nervous system processes sensation, safety, and pain. That’s where the real magic happens.

When the nervous system feels safe, tissues soften. When the brain turns down threat, the body lets go. When someone can relax into the work, their system actually allows change.

& here’s where DNIC (diffuse noxious inhibitory controls) comes in.

Pain Inhibits Pain. For some people, firm or intense pressure can trigger the body’s built-in pain-relief systems and create real relief. Not because we’re “smashing knots,” but because the nervous system shifts how it interprets sensation.

So it’s not that deep work is bad, and it’s not that light work is better.

It’s that results come from regulation, not force. From helping the body feel safe enough to change, not trying to overpower it."

01/05/2026

Chronic low back, hip, and pelvic pain isn’t always about tight muscles. Sometimes the restriction is deeper.

I recently worked with a client who's experienced chronic low back and hip pain, along with deep hip and pelvic tightness; despite chiropractic care, physical therapy, and massage.

When we reviewed her intake, she shared a history of multiple laparoscopic abdominal and pelvic surgeries. This was an important clue.

Laparoscopic surgery is often described as “minimally invasive” because the incisions are small and less visible. However, beneath the surface, these procedures still create internal scar tissue and adhesions that disrupt normal fascial glide, binding layers of tissue that are meant to move freely.

Imagine the body as a web. The abdomen and pelvis sit at the center of that web; the hips and low back are connected through it.

Scar tissue in the abdomen or pelvis can act like a tight knot in that web; restricting movement and pulling on surrounding tissues. When tissues can’t glide properly, it can create deep tightness, limited mobility, and chronic pain.

While massage can’t remove scar tissue; it can help improve tissue mobility, calm protective holding patterns, and support healthier fascial movement over time.

One supportive tool I often recommend alongside this work, especially when working with the pelvis and abdomen, is castor oil packing. Castor oil packs can help soften abdominal tissues, increase circulation, and make the area more receptive to gentle fascial and deep belly work, especially when internal adhesions may be involved.

If you’ve tried “everything” and still feel stuck, this may be a missing piece worth exploring.

****

Available Appointments: Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday this week.
https://www.massagebook.com/biz/alignedbodywork

12/29/2025

As this year comes to a close, I want to take a moment to say thank you. Thank you for trusting me with your care, your healing, and your moments of rest. It has truly been an honor to support your wellness throughout this year.

This work means so much to me, and I am deeply grateful for each and every one of you.

As we move into the New Year, I do have a few openings available on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day for anyone who would like to start the year feeling relaxed, grounded, and restored.

Wishing you a peaceful holiday season and a New Year filled with health, balance, and ease. I look forward to continuing our work together in the year ahead. 🤍

Laura

https://www.massagebook.com/biz/alignedbodywork

12/27/2025

A quick seasonal reminder 🤧

From what I’m hearing (and seeing), the flu is hitting hard this year.

Please:
• Wash your hands
• Cover your coughs and sneezes
• And if you’re feeling sick, stay home

Massage is great for a lot of things, but it’s not the place to power through an active illness. Taking care of each other means protecting EVERYONE’S health—mine included.

If you wake up feeling off, feverish, run down, or actively sick, please reach out to reschedule. I’d much rather see you when your body is ready to benefit from the work.

Thank you for helping keep the space safe, healthy, and human. 💛

12/20/2025

Aligned Bodywork will be closed 12/21 - 12/26. Wishing you and yours a cozy holiday! 🤍

12/09/2025

I have a few Wednesday and Thursday appointments available this week!

12/10: 11AM, 1PM or 3PM

12/11: 10AM, 12PM or 4PM

Message me with questions or follow the link below for booking :).

Bit.ly/ABWHowell

12/02/2025

Available Appointments This Week:

Wednesday 12/03 @ 12PM
Thursday 12/04 @ 12PM
Saturday 12/06 @ 10AM to 4PM

For booking, follow the link below or DM me with questions!

Bit.ly/ABWHowell

12/02/2025

⚡️⚡️⚡️

11/26/2025

This is a great post by Musical Breathwork.

I love seeing research like this because it validates what so many people intuitively feel and what I see in my clients every day.

When fascia gets dense from stress, trauma, overthinking, dehydration, or emotional shutdown, it restricts flow and becomes sticky and tight. That tension doesn’t just stay in the muscles; it influences the dura, the spine, and even the flow of cerebrospinal fluid. This is one reason people feel clearer, calmer, lighter, or “more themselves” after massage.

When fascia is hydrated, mobile, and able to glide properly, breath naturally deepens, the nervous system shifts into rest-and-digest, headaches and neck tension ease, and the whole body is able to communicate more freely — physically, emotionally, and energetically.

Massage helps restore that fascial glide, unwind the suboccipitals, and support the health of the entire fascial and neurological system. Your body isn’t separate parts; it’s one intelligent, responsive system. Everything is connected, and touch truly makes a difference.

We’re not just “releasing muscles.” We’re helping the entire fascial web soften so it can transmit breath, emotion, and energy again.

When the fascia melts, the emotional armor melts with it. The body holds the story and touch helps us rewrite it.

11/17/2025

✨ A Little Reminder About Pain & The Body ✨

Over the weekend I had a client who requested that I only work on one area of the body because that is where they felt the most discomfort.

But here’s the thing…

Just because you feel pain in one area doesn’t mean that’s where the problem is coming from. The body is beautifully interconnected.

- Tight hips can create knee pain.
- A restricted low back can irritate the hamstrings.
- Ankle mobility issues can show up as calf tension.

And sometimes the area that hurts is simply the area that’s compensating for something else.

As massage therapists, part of our job is to look beyond the symptom and find the true source of imbalance. That’s how we create real, lasting relief rather than just a temporary fix.

So if you ever walk into a massage session with discomfort in one spot and your therapist recommends working somewhere else too… this is likely the reason why.

Your body works as a team. And treating the whole pattern often leads to the biggest breakthroughs.

If you’ve been dealing with pain that keeps coming back, I’d love to help you find the root cause and help figure out what your body is really trying to tell you.

For booking, follow the link below or feel free to message me with any questions or booking concerns.

Available Appointments:

Current Openings from 10am through 2pm on Thursday 11/20 and Saturday 11/22 from 1pm through 3pm.

Bit.ly/ABWHowell

Aligned Bodywork

01/12/2026

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12/29/2025

12/27/2025

12/20/2025

12/09/2025

12/02/2025

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11/26/2025

11/17/2025

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