Balanced Body Therapy incorporates several modalities to identify & resolve the root cause of what is holding your body back from being pain free & fully mobile. Vertigo & head injuries, carpel tunnel, range of motion, digestive or sleep issues, alignment of the spine and hips, etc. Some of the basics of each modality provided at Balanced Body Therapy are:
Manual Osteopathy: a gentle, non-invasive, holistic approach to restoring balance and mobility to all aspects of the body. Includes structural alignment of the hips, spine and other joints gently and painlessly, mobilization of the organs, Cranial Osteopathy (corrective craniosacral work) and fascial manipulation. Massage Therapy (Osteopathic Massage): helps improve circulation and reduce overall tension, wonderful for general aches and pains, relaxation. Typically includes aspects of osteopathic work relevant to your specific needs. Movement Therapy/Hanna Somatics: muscles do not hold tension without signals being sent from the brain. Hanna Somatic Movements allow you to sense the tension your muscles are holding onto and teaches you how to release this tension. The movements are painless and often the hidden element that's been missing from your treatments. Equine and Canine Hanna Somatics: mobile work is provided for working with horses and dogs! Lameness, general health, lead issues, and more are addressed with these treatments
09/24/2025
Let’s get real: Calgary’s grind culture glorifies “hustle.”
But here’s the mic drop → your nervous system doesn’t adapt when you’re training.
It adapts when you REST.
Manual osteopathy + Hanna Somatics tap into parasympathetic mode (rest + digest), which is where your body rebuilds, heals, and resets.
If you’re:
🐎 An equestrian chasing smoother rides
🏋️ An athlete grinding for PRs
💼 A human juggling stress + family + work
…your edge won’t come from more grind. It’ll come from smarter rest.
09/19/2025
Ever notice your jaw clicks, your teeth clench, or your face feels tight? 👄
That tension doesn’t stay in your jaw — it ripples down to your neck, shoulders, even your hips. Your jaw and pelvis are neurologically linked. When one locks up, the other follows.
Manual osteopathy + somatic release of the jaw = game changer.
💡 Hack: Drop your tongue from the roof of your mouth and exhale slowly. Feel your shoulders drop? Your jaw has been holding more than words.
09/17/2025
🚨 Here’s the thing about pain nobody tells you:
It’s not just in your muscles. It’s in your memory.
Your brain stores movement patterns like playlists.
If you’ve been stressed, injured, or riding crooked in the saddle for months → your body memorizes it. Then it plays the track on repeat (a.k.a. tension, pain, restriction).
Manual osteopathy + Hanna Somatics don’t “fix” you. They teach your brain a new song. One where your fascia slides, your breath expands, and your nervous system chills out.
Hanna Somatics is about microscopic movements that trick your brain into letting go of tension it’s been holding for YEARS.
It’s not glamorous.
You won’t sweat buckets.
But suddenly your hips are freer, your shoulders drop, and your breath is easier.
➡️ That’s called pandiculation. And it’s like hitting CTRL+ALT+DEL for your nervous system.
Calgary — it’s time to join the micro-movement revolution.
09/10/2025
09/10/2025
INCREDIBLE!!!!
09/10/2025
Ever feel like stress “sits in your gut”? 👀 That’s not a metaphor.
Manual osteopathy works with organ mobility (yep, your organs MOVE).
When your liver, diaphragm, or intestines are restricted, they send stress signals to your nervous system → cue anxiety, tension, even pain in your back and shoulders.
This is why you can do all the stretching and foam rolling in the world, but still feel stuck. Sometimes it’s not the muscle — it’s the organ underneath.
💡 Fascinating fact: The vagus nerve runs right through your diaphragm. Freeing it up is like hitting reset on your whole body.
09/08/2025
👉 Concussion recovery isn’t about “pushing through” (that’s old-school). It’s about rewiring your nervous system at a speed that your brain can handle.
One of the biggest hacks? Slow. It. Down.
Your fascia, brain, and body thrive on small, mindful movements (think Hanna Somatics).
Less strain, more gain. The nervous system loves predictability — give it gentle, repeatable cues and it responds with healing.
💡 Try this today: Lie down, close your eyes, and move your head slowly to the side 1% slower than you think you should.
Notice what changes. Notice any shifts. Notice any tension releasing.
That’s your brain rewiring in real time.
📍 Concussion warriors — this is your reminder: your healing needing time is not weakness. It’s strategy.
09/05/2025
Nutrition and recovery are not just extras—they’re performance tools.
This September, treat yourself like the athlete you already are: hydrate, fuel smart, stretch, and recover.
✨ Bonus hack: A scoop of creatine isn’t just for gym bros—it supports riders’ and gym rats alike with endurance, muscle repair, and overall strength in AND out of the saddle.
09/03/2025
We demand so much of our horses: power, speed, focus, agility. But here’s the truth → their ability to perform is directly tied to your body. 🧠 + 🏋️♀️
When your hips are locked, your fascia is stuck, or your nervous system is on red alert, your horse adjusts—and not in a good way. That stiffness in your seat, that delay in your cue, that imbalance in your posture… it creates extra work for your horse.
💡 Nervous system hack: Try this before your next ride → Exhale longer than you inhale. (Breathe in for 4, out for 6–8.) It calms your system, lowers tension in your fascia, and helps your horse feel a softer you in the saddle.
Invest in your recovery the same way you invest in your horse’s. You’re not “just the rider.” You’re an athlete.
09/02/2025
Address
600, 8888 Country Hills Boulevard NW Calgary, AB T3R0K4
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Our story begins in the spring of 2013 when Michelle first brought Manual Osteopathy to Cochrane. Being the first to offer this modality in town, she’s kept her rates lower than you’d find in Calgary. After studying Hanna Somatics Movement Therapy, a modality that teaches people how to release their own tension and can re-balance the hips/spine and improve
mobility, Michelle needed a space to teach group classes. This is what opened the doors to the clinic studio she’s occupied for the past 2.5 years.
Michelle’s desire is to continually be working herself out of a job, to always require new patients as other patient’s dysfunctions are resolved.
Balanced Body Therapy incorporates several Manual Physical Therapy modalities to identify & resolve the root cause of what is holding your body back from being pain free & fully mobile. From head to toe, there's something for you! Vertigo & head injuries, carpel tunnel, range of motion, digestive or sleep issues, alignment of the spine and hips, etc.
Some of the basics of each modality provided at Balanced Body Therapy are:
Manual Osteopathy: a gentle, non-invasive, holistic approach to restoring balance and mobility to all aspects of the body. Includes structural alignment of the hips, spine and other joints gently and painlessly, mobilization of the organs, Cranial Osteopathy (corrective craniosacral work) and fascial manipulation.
Massage Therapy (Osteopathic Massage): helps improve circulation and reduce overall tension, wonderful for general aches and pains, relaxation. Typically includes aspects of osteopathic work relevant to your specific needs.
Movement Therapy/Hanna Somatics: muscles do not hold tension without signals being sent from the brain. Hanna Somatic Movements allow you to sense the tension your muscles are holding onto and teaches you how to release this tension. The movements are painless and often the hidden element that's been missing from your treatments.
Equine and Canine Hanna Somatics: mobile work is provided for working with horses and dogs! Lameness, general health, lead issues, and more are addressed with these treatments. Results are often seen within a single treatment however, at least one followup is strongly advised for optimum results. For before and after pictures and more information, go to the “Balanced Body Therapy - Equine and Canine” page.
One and Two Day Clinics/Workshops: to immerse yourself in knowledge and give yourself and your group (students, employees, etc) a strong foundation of movements to explore, contact Balanced Body Therapy to organize your customized clinic/workshop!
