Welcome to TEND
Gently restorative bodywork for the ups and downs of everyday life and times of grief, loss, burnout, and life change.
Services Offered
Deeply gentle massage offering grounding, balance, and relief for the body and nervous system in everyday life and through times of overwhelming stress, burnout, grief, and loss.
Gently Restorative Bodywork
Guided Rest & Awareness
Guided practices rooted in science offer rest, self-compassion, and deeper connection to your body, mind, and emotions, so you can better understand and care for yourself in daily life and in times of great stress.
Why does TEND offer this work?
Because acute and ongoing stress has
significant impacts on the body.
Gentle bodywork and rest can help.
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Ongoing stress keeps the nervous system working overtime, and eventually that can leave the body deeply tired. Exhaustion is one of the most common physical effects of grief, is a defining feature of burnout, and is something many people carry simply from the steady weight of everyday life.
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Stress and sleep affect each other in both directions. Both sudden, intense stress and ongoing stress keep the body on alert, making it harder to fall or stay asleep, and poor sleep makes the body more reactive to stress. Sleep problems are among the most common physical effects of grief, are closely tied to burnout, and are part of everyday life for so many people carrying ongoing stress.
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When the body is under stress, breathing becomes shallower, and the heart rate increases as part of the stress response. When stress is ongoing, the body spends more time revved up and less time recovering, which can heighten feelings of anxiety, add to muscle tension, and take a toll on the body over time.
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During grief, loss, burnout, and times of intense or ongoing stress, muscles tense as the body braces to protect itself, and the body can stay guarded. Tension often gathers in the neck, shoulders, jaw, and back, bringing aches, pain, and headaches, but it can show up anywhere, and stress can make existing pain, like an old injury, feel worse.
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Under stress, the body shifts energy away from digestion and toward staying alert. This can show up as an upset stomach, digestive trouble, or changes in appetite.
About Abigail
I created TEND because I’m passionate about supporting people in slowing down, relaxing, and feeling more like themselves again, whether carrying the tensions of everyday life or in times of grief, loss, burnout, or life change. My work eases physical tension and pain by helping the nervous system settle, so the body can let go.
The work at TEND is gentle and down-to-earth, focused on relaxation, awareness, and bringing balance to the body. It’s shaped by years as a massage therapist in high-end spas, training in a wide range of bodywork, yoga, and healing movement techniques, and specialized education in supporting the body during times of stress, grief, and loss, all grounded in a trauma-informed approach.
People come to me at some of the hardest, most depleted points in their lives for supportive bodywork care. That is sacred to me, and it’s why I believe care like this should be accessible, affordable, and approachable. I’m humbled to offer my hands, mind, and heart to this work.
TEND’s Location
@ The Sanctuary in Montford
17 Zillicoa Street, Asheville, NC 28801
There’s plenty of easy parking right along this quaint carriage house and the street in this historic Montford neighborhood.
The Sanctuary is a calm, quiet healing building, and the main floor is just for us during your sessions. Montford Park is a block away, with lovely open outdoor spaces if you’d like a little time outside before or after your appointment.
You’ll find a couple of steps at the front door and a few more steps inside, leading up to the main floor where we’ll work together. The restroom is down a flight of stairs. If stairs are difficult or not possible for you, please let me know when you book so I can check whether the downstairs treatment room is free at the time you’d like. If it isn’t, we’ll find a time that works.
A Touch of Kindness
One thing that makes TEND really unique is the Touch of Kindness, Pay-It-Forward Fund. This fund is kept going by clients and community members who chip in so others can receive care. Anyone can use it toward a session, in whatever amount they need, no questions asked.