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Balanced Bodyworks - Equine & Canine Wellness

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Niagara Falls, ON
Balanced Bodyworks - Equine & Canine Wellness

Integrative Canine & Equine Bodywork, and Reiki. Supplier for G's Organics, Adored Beast, North Hound Life and Doterra Wellness Products.

07/27/2025

It’s not always about obedience or stillness.
A regulated dog may show:

- Soft eyes and relaxed jaw
- Gentle tail wagging, not frantic
- Deep sighs and stretches
- Sniffing, blinking, or shaking it off

These are somatic signs that the vagus nerve is doing its job helping the body recover from stress and return to a state of rest.

If your dog rarely shows these signs, or seems stuck in a fight/flight pattern, it may be time to support their nervous system directly. We specialize in helping dogs return to safety in their bodies through bodywork and regulation-based therapies.

07/23/2025

Hot weather. Long daylight hours. More visitors. More noise.
For many dogs; especially those with trauma, anxiety, or high drive summer can be overwhelming.

When dogs live in a constant state of alert, their vagus nerve has trouble staying engaged. That means poor rest, heightened sensitivity, and trouble bouncing back from stimulation.

During an integrative canine session we don’t just look at the behaviour, we look underneath it. Our nervous-system-based work helps:

Calm hypersensitive dogs
Support trauma recovery
Rebuild emotional safety in the body

Summer can still be soft, grounded, and healing—for both you and your animals.

07/15/2025

Some dogs can’t seem to “cool down,” even after the sun sets. Panting, pacing, or clinginess are often seen as heat-related—but they can also point to nervous system overload.

The vagus nerve helps the body process and recover from stress. When it’s underactive or overstimulated, your dog may stay stuck in a loop of arousal—even in safe environments.

Our work helps regulate the vagus nerve and calm the body from the inside out. Using soft tissue release and craniosacral techniques, we gently guide the system back to balance—bringing relief to dogs who can’t seem to settle.

If your dog seems “on edge,” we’d love to support their summer wellness.

07/09/2025

Summer can bring more than just physical heat—it can trigger internal stress for our dogs. Changes in routine, increased heat exposure, fireworks, and overstimulation can all challenge their nervous systems.

One of the most overlooked ways to support your dog through summer stress is by supporting their vagus nerve. This critical nerve helps regulate the parasympathetic nervous system—rest, digestion, and emotional regulation.

At Balanced Bodyworks, we offer techniques that help down-regulate a dog’s system, including craniosacral therapy, fascial release, and acupressure. When dogs feel safer and more regulated in their bodies, you’ll often notice:

Calmer behaviour
Better digestion
Less reactivity
Deeper rest

If your dog has been “off,” it may not be the heat alone—it might be their system asking for support.

06/29/2025

Even when a horse appears physically well, they may still carry tension that doesn’t show up on a vet exam or in their movement.

You might notice changes in behaviour—withdrawal, hypersensitivity, or a loss of softness and engagement. These are often signs the nervous system or energetic body is still holding on to unprocessed strain, particularly after birth or stress.

Energetic and emotional tension can sit in the fascia and tissues long after the physical recovery is “done.” If we don’t address those layers, the horse may not fully come back into comfort or balance.

The work I do includes reading these subtler layers and helping release what the body hasn’t let go of yet. That’s where we often see the biggest shifts—not just in posture, but in behaviour, confidence, and softness.

06/25/2025

Postpartum rehabilitation for mares is often rushed or skipped entirely. But just like people, horses need time to reintegrate physically, emotionally, and neurologically after birth.

Ligaments, fascia, and muscles all shift during pregnancy and foaling. Without proper recovery, mares may develop subtle compensation patterns that lead to tension, shortened stride, reluctance to move forward, or behaviour that seems resistant under saddle.

It’s not about pushing them to “get back to work.” It’s about supporting a system that’s still adjusting.

Integrative bodywork helps ease postural strain, improve movement quality, and give the nervous system the support it needs to recalibrate. Recovery isn’t linear, but when it’s respected, it creates a much stronger, more stable foundation for long-term health.

06/15/2025

Postpartum care isn’t just physical—it’s neurological.

A dysregulated nervous system can easily be mistaken for behavioural issues—especially after a mare has foaled or an animal has experienced physical or emotional stress.

When the body stays in a sympathetic (fight-or-flight) state, it doesn't fully return to rest and recovery. You may see signs like irritability, tightness through the jaw or neck, refusal to bend, or general hypersensitivity. These aren’t training problems. They’re nervous system problems.

When the nervous system can’t shift into parasympathetic mode, healing slows, muscles guard, and tension builds over time.

This is a core part of what I assess and support through integrative bodywork. By helping the body feel safe and grounded, we give it the conditions needed to start releasing that tension—not just physically, but systemically. This is especially important in postpartum mares and animals recovering from trauma or chronic stress.

06/09/2025

Pelvic and sacral health plays a critical role in how horses move, rest, and recover—especially after foaling or physical strain.

When the pelvis is out of alignment or the sacrum is restricted, you may notice your horse having difficulty bending, engaging the hind end, or showing discomfort when moving or being groomed. These signs can show up weeks or months after a birth or injury.

Many owners focus only on muscular conditioning during recovery, but the foundation of balance often starts deeper—in the structure and posture of the pelvis.

Integrative bodywork can gently support this area and help the body find natural balance again. Supporting this region allows for smoother movement, better posture, and improved overall comfort.

05/26/2025

When we think about helping our animals heal, we often start with the most visible layer: the physical body. We focus on symptoms like tension, stiffness, inflammation, or pain. And while that’s important, it’s rarely the whole picture.

Horses and dogs, just like humans, carry stories and stress in their bodies. Behind the physical discomfort, there are often deeper emotional and energetic imprints—left by past trauma, changes in herd dynamics, separation anxiety, fear, or overstimulation.

Only once the body begins to feel safe can deeper healing unfold.
The nervous system starts to relax.
Stored emotional patterns can begin to shift.

This is why energy-based and somatic therapies are so powerful. Reiki, bodywork, craniosacral therapy, and other subtle modalities often reach the places traditional care can’t. They help bring the entire system back into balance, not just the outer symptoms.

When we honour all layers of the animal’s being—body, heart, and energy we open the door to lasting, whole-body healing. It’s not about fixing them. It’s about supporting the conditions for their body to remember safety.

05/21/2025

It’s easy to feel discouraged when you’re doing all the right things and still not seeing instant results with your animal.

But healing, especially deep, root-level healing, doesn’t always look the way we expect. It’s not always quick, and it’s often not linear.

Their nervous system needs to feel safe before it can release stored tension. Their digestive system may need time to reset after stress or inflammation. Their tissues and organs require space and time to regenerate.

Some days will bring small but beautiful signs of progress—a softer expression, a deeper breath, a moment of engagement. Other days may feel quiet, still, or even like a step backward. These aren’t failures. They are part of the rhythm of restoration.

We can’t force healing. What we can do is consistently offer the right conditions: calm, safety, nourishment, gentle support, and patience. In this way, we become a partner in their healing journey..not a fixer, but a witness and guide.

05/15/2025

For horses and dogs, healing isn’t just about addressing symptoms. It's about creating the conditions where the body feels safe enough to repair, unwind, and integrate.

That means:

- A low-stress, predictable environment
- Access to clean, nourishing food
- Time to move and time to rest
- Therapies that support their nervous system—like Reiki, acupressure, or energy work
- Being surrounded by calm, emotionally regulated humans

When these pieces are in place, the body shifts out of survival mode and into restoration. This is where deep, lasting healing begins—not from a single session, but from a steady foundation built over time.

05/10/2025

Healing doesn’t follow a straight line—especially for our animals.

We often want to see progress right away when our horses or dogs are in discomfort. But healing isn’t linear, it doesn’t happen in a straight upward curve. Some days may bring visible improvements, and others may feel like we’re backtracking.

This is completely normal.

Animals, like humans, have their own internal rhythms. They process healing in ways we can’t always observe—quietly, instinctively, and often without showing outward signs until the shift is fully integrated.

Your role is to be the steady presence. To offer structure, rest, nourishment, and therapies that speak to the whole being—body, mind, and energy.

It’s not about controlling the outcome. It’s about trusting the process.

Address

655 Wright Street
Niagara Falls, ON
L3B2K8

Opening Hours

Monday	11am - 6pm
Tuesday	11am - 6pm
Wednesday	11am - 6pm
Thursday	1pm - 8pm
Friday	1pm - 8pm
Saturday	11am - 4pm
Sunday	9am - 3pm

Website

https://balancedbodyworks.ca/

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