Mara Nicandro NMT – Holistic Neuromuscular Massage Therapy for Vital Wellness

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←Previous: 2024 Wellness: Core Tune-Up™ and Movement Mojo™

Does your jaw glide or grip?
That side-to-side mov

Does your jaw glide or grip?
That side-to-side movement should feel smooth and natural—but for a lot of people, it doesn’t.
When one side dominates or the medial pterygoid starts overcompensating, your neck tightens, your balance shifts, and it can start a whole chain reaction through your body.

In this video, I’m using the bite wheel to retrain that movement.
Not just to release tension—but to restore function.
Because real relief comes when the jaw, neck, and body can move together with control again.

This kind of work is subtle but powerful. And if you’ve been clenching, bracing, or just feeling “off,” your jaw might be doing more than you think.

#TMJrelief #JawFunction #BiteWheel #MedialPterygoid #ClenchingJaw #NeckTension #PostureReset #NeuromuscularTherapy #BodyBalance #FunctionalMovement #SomaticAwareness #ChicagoBodywork

If you’ve ever felt off-balance, dizzy, or like

If you’ve ever felt off-balance, dizzy, or like your body’s not responding the way it should when standing up — your suboccipitals might be involved.

These small but powerful muscles at the base of your skull help guide head movement, stabilize posture, and coordinate your eyes with your body's movements.
But when they’re overloaded — from stress, forward head posture, or head injuries — they can throw off your balance, cause neck tightness, eye strain, or even dizziness and headaches.

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Want to test this connection yourself?

Try a simple single leg stance:

Stand near a wall or chair for safety.

Shift your weight to one foot and lift the other slightly.

Close your eyes.

If you feel unsteady or wobbly — it may not be just your glutes.
Your suboccipitals help your brain orient your head in space.
When they’re overworking or not firing properly, balance can falter — even if your legs and core are strong.

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Here’s a great example of how powerful this connection can be:

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#Repost @neurokinetictherapy
My client complained of poor balance and difficulty transitioning from sitting to standing. She had fallen and hit her head when those symptoms began. I tested her balance and indeed she fell over on several of the tests.
NKT testing found the suboccipitals (SO) overworking on the side where she hit her head and the longus colli underworking. Released the SO and activated the longus colli.
When we were done her balance testing was much better and so was transitioning from sitting to standing.
#nkt #neurokinetictherapy #concussion #balance #dizziness #transitioning #suboccipitals #longuscolli

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#PostureReset #FunctionalHealing #BalanceAwareness #SuboccipitalHealth #NeurokineticTherapy #BodyAwareness #MoveInBalance

The Muscle You Didn’t Know Was Working Overtime

The Muscle You Didn’t Know Was Working Overtime

Most people think about their core, glutes, or shoulders during lifting and Pilates —

but rarely think about the SCM, the slender muscle from your ear to your collarbone.

The SCM (sternocleidomastoid) often works quietly behind the scenes — and sometimes, it works way too hard.

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Here’s what you might not know:

The SCM helps turn and stabilize your head.

But when your core, hips, or shoulders aren’t doing their job, your neck — especially the SCM — steps in.

That tension can quietly affect your breathing, balance, posture, and even joint control during movement.

In Pilates, lifting, or yoga, if you feel like your body’s straining, your neck might be trying to hold everything together.

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Compensation builds over time — your body adapting to move, breathe, and stay upright the best way it can.

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Signs your SCM may be compensating:

Neck tightness after upper body or core work

Jaw tension after planking or lifting

Forward head during rows, lunges, or overhead work

Headaches after workouts

Lingering shoulder mobility issues? The SCM might be part of the story.

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Quick Tip Before You Move:

Before upper body work, take a moment to check in:

Is your neck already bracing?

Are your jaw or shoulders tensing before you even start?

That’s a cue to reconnect with your breath, core, and alignment — and let your neck support you, not lead.

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Chronic neck tension doesn’t just stay in the muscles.

It can activate your stress response, restrict deep breathing, and slow lymphatic flow — making recovery harder.

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The good news?

When you restore balance, your SCM can return to what it was designed for:

Smooth, supported, efficient movement.

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Train smarter.

Breathe deeper.

Move in harmony.

#FunctionalHealing #SCMawareness #ProtectYourNeck #BreathAndBalance #PostureMatters #BodyAwareness #CompensationPatterns #PilatesLife #LiftingWithAlignment

If you’ve been fighting neck tension lately, you

If you’ve been fighting neck tension lately, you’re not alone.

Your body might be doing exactly what it needs to survive — but it doesn’t have to stay stuck in protection and compensation mode.

Your neck isn't just about posture.
It’s home to the phrenic nerve, vagus nerve, major lymph nodes, and brain drainage pathways — all essential for breathing, balance, healing, and daily energy.

Your neck is like a busy highway intersection — when traffic flows smoothly, everything works.
But when muscles in your shoulders, core, hips, knees, or feet aren't fully supporting you, your neck compensates — tightening, gripping, and doing extra work to keep you upright.

Over time, this can quietly strain your breathing, posture, balance, brain drainage, and even cause knee, hip, or jaw issues.

And it doesn't just show up when you're in pain —
It can sneak into how you lift weights, move through Pilates, run, or even walk.
When your neck is stabilizing for you, movement feels harder than it should — and recovery feels slower.

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Sometimes, compensation starts even higher — with jaw clenching and subtle shifts in the way the tongue and TMJ (temporomandibular joint) support the head and neck.
When the palate, jaw, and tongue aren’t working in harmony, it can add more tension into the neck — affecting breathing, stability, and making everyday movement feel harder.

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>"Real strength is balance.
When muscles work together in harmony, your body restores its natural homeostasis — and healing begins."

It’s not just about releasing tension.
It’s about restoring your body’s natural movement, breathing, and ease.

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**Protect your neck.

Protect your foundation.
Protect your future movement and vitality.**

#ProtectYourNeck #FunctionalHealing #BodyAwareness #BreathAndBalance #LymphaticHealth #NeuromuscularTherapy #PostureMatters #MoveSmarterNotHarder #SomaticTherapy #JawHealth

What if your knee pain isn’t really about your k

What if your knee pain isn’t really about your knee?
It’s something I see often—pain in one area that’s actually being driven by patterns elsewhere in the body.

A recent client came in with right knee pain… but we uncovered a bigger story involving her jaw, core, and feet.

She’d been clenching her jaw, leaning into her heels, and overusing the muscles around her knee. Her body had learned to compensate—but that compensation was causing pain.

We worked on decompressing her jaw, releasing tension in her abdomen to support core activation, and reawakening muscles around her hip, knee, and ankle. Afterward, she felt more balanced—but unfamiliar. That’s a sign her nervous system was already adjusting.

This kind of compensation often shows up when your body’s natural alignment—what I call your “stack”—gets disrupted. Instead of moving in flow from the ground up, the body starts building around tension. My work helps it return to a place where movement feels supported again.

Sometimes feeling “off” is your body asking for support.
Not to push harder—but to move smarter.

#BodyAwareness #FunctionalMovement #JawHealth #NeuromuscularTherapy #ChronicPainRelief #FootFunction #CoreConnection #PostureMatters #MindBodyHealing #HolisticHealthCare

Most people don’t realize they’re clenching th

Most people don’t realize they’re clenching their jaw—until tension shows up in their neck, posture, or even how they breathe.

In this video, I’m using the bite wheel to retrain a small but essential motion:
Letting the jaw glide forward without clenching.

This movement reactivates the lateral pterygoid, a deep jaw muscle that often gets shut down when the masseter takes over. When that balance is off, your body starts compensating—through your neck, shoulders, and even your core.

I help clients retrain jaw alignment to reduce these compensation patterns—especially when tension has become so normal, it’s hard to feel what’s off.

Why it matters:
This imbalance doesn’t just cause jaw pain—it can affect your range of motion, lead to headaches, disrupt sleep, and even limit your athletic performance. Small shifts like this can create noticeable relief and better body awareness.

The goal?
No tension. No bracing. Just smooth jaw motion with a relaxed tongue and throat.
A subtle reset your whole system can feel.

#TMJrelief #JawTension #BiteWheel #FunctionalMovement #NeuromuscularTherapy #JawHealth #BodyAwareness #HolisticHealing #PostureMatters #MindBodyConnection

Evening tension check:
Is your jaw clenched?
Notic

Evening tension check:
Is your jaw clenched?
Notice your hips too.

Your jaw and pelvis are more connected than most people realize.
If one is holding, the other often follows.

These two regions are linked through:
• Fascia
• Postural & protective reflexes
• Nervous system patterns

So if you’ve been treating hip pain without relief—or wearing a bite guard but still waking up tight. It may be time to look at how your body is stacking and compensating.

Soften the jaw. Breathe into your core.
That’s how we begin to reset.

#JawPelvisConnection
#FunctionalMovement
#HolisticBodywork
#NeuromuscularTherapy
#BreathAndAlignment
#ChronicTensionRelief
#MindBodyAwareness
#SomaticHealing
#PostureMatters
#SustainableHealth

✨ Evening reflection for those still carrying th

✨ Evening reflection for those still carrying the invisible weight of past injuries ✨

Whiplash and concussion can affect so much more than your neck or head.

Even after the initial injury fades, your nervous system may still be in protection mode—tightening muscles, limiting movement, and creating compensation patterns that don’t always make sense… until you look deeper.

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Here’s what’s really happening:

A sudden impact doesn’t just strain muscles—it can disrupt:

• Cervical spine alignment
• Cranial nerve feedback
• Proprioception (your body’s sense of where it is in space)
• Balance and coordination via the visual and vestibular systems
• Lymphatic drainage, contributing to lingering inflammation and congestion

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Your body adapts to keep you upright—clenching the jaw, guarding the ribs, locking the neck, shifting your walk.

These protective reflexes can linger for years, keeping you in a low-grade inflammatory state and reinforcing chronic tension patterns.

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But even in the early, acute phase—before these patterns become deeply wired—there’s an opportunity to help the body reset.

Gentle, integrative techniques like:

• Manual lymphatic drainage
• Hands-on neuromuscular bodywork
• Breath retraining

can reduce inflammation, calm the nervous system, and prevent these patterns from becoming chronic.

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While chiropractic and acupuncture offer valuable support, my approach complements these therapies by addressing the underlying movement patterns, compensations, and nervous system responses that often go unaddressed.

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By combining Neurokinetic Therapy, neuromuscular bodywork, breath retraining, and lymphatic drainage, I help guide your body back into balance—restoring coordination, reducing tension, and supporting long-term healing.

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It’s not just about feeling better today.
It’s about helping your body stay better—for the long run.

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#EveningReflection #WhiplashRecovery #ConcussionSupport #AcutePainSupport #ChronicTensionRelief #LymphaticHealth #NeuromuscularBodywork #BreathAndBalance #JawClenchingRelief #FunctionalHealing #NervousSystemReset #Sustainablehealth

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