Every new moment is a home for heart awakening,
a home for healing, a home for peace.


 
With faith in the right direction,
all you have to do is keep walking.
~Buddhist Proverb


Jennifer Coomes BA LMT RYT, owner of The Essence Studio LLC (formerly a holistic healing and movement studio), focuses her work on the art of healing, vitalistic medicine, health, and self awareness through her teachings as well as client-centered bodywork practices that are infused with an eclectic blend of therapeutic massage, energywork, and movement that have been known to awaken and release freedom and healing in the body and spirit.  As part of connecting with her own essence, Jennifer enjoys seeing others tune in to find the laughter, grace, authenticity, integrity, health, wisdom, and love that resides inside, setting the foundation for opening flowing pathways within and with each other.  She brings a depth of awareness, honesty, and compassion to her work, highly influenced by her life experience as well as education and self exploration in psychology, meditation, voice, writing, spirituality, massage and bodywork, dance, choreography, photography, yoga, and naturopathic medicine. 

Jennifer grew up in southern Indiana and graduated with a BA degree in Psychology from DePauw University in Greencastle, IN. She began her career initially in the automotive and sealant industry working with two sister companies where she created and managed internal quality auditing systems and teams, engaging with many levels from production employees to executive management.  After helping to lead the companies to achieve a significant quality certification, she transitioned her career to follow her longtime interest in medicine and wellness, guiding her to move to Arizona in October 2000.  Soon after and along the way, she trained in massage and bodywork with Arizona School of Massage Therapy (2001), Spiritwinds School of Thai Massage (2002), yoga therapy with Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy (2005), and yoga teacher training under the guidance of Mary Bruce (2007).  She also studies Zen Buddhism, meditation, and koans with teachers at Pacific Zen Institute and has taken refuge, pure, and bodhisattava vows in this tradition.  Some of her formative and continuing teachers include Dr. Terri Bonebright, Heath and Nicole Reed, Kim Blumert, Master Lek Chaiya, Cain Carroll,  Dr. John Tarrant, Jeff Martens, Saul David Raye, Rachel Mansfield-Howlett, Ed Loughlin, Mark Stephens, Mary Bruce, Carrie Hensley, and Dr. Jim Sensenig (along with many other wonderful teachers who share wisdom with her everyday).

Currently, Jennifer is a second year student at the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine (SCNM), pursuing her longtime vision of becoming a doctor of wellness.  She has also been teaching part-time as Adjunct Faculty with Maricopa Community Colleges since 2005, sharing courses in massage and bodywork.  Jennifer has practiced massage and bodywork for over eight years and has enjoyed educating in this profession for over seven years.   She found her way into healing practices initially through dance over 17 years ago which evolved into a creative practice of dancing meditation as a way to use the body as an authentic form of healing expression, exploration, and communication.  From there, she began studying yoga formally with teachers in 2002 and meditation in 2004.  Jennifer has been teaching a blend of yoga, meditation, dancing meditation, and tai chi for over five years as a way to help massage students open their bodies for shiatsu practices and in wellness studio environments.   Since starting her private practice in 2002, she has worked within a wide range of environments including physical therapy, corporate businesses (including Intel), sporting/charity events, and alternative healing centers where she has enjoyed sharing bodywork to awaken alignment and movement in the body, calm and center the psycho-somatic (mind-body) connection, and improve overall well-being in the body.  When not working, Jennifer loves to take time to enjoy nature, family, friends, engaging conversation, laughing, writing, photography, and the arts.

Jennifer is a member of the North American Studio Alliance (NAMASTA),
a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) with Yoga Alliance, and was appointed
by the state governor to the Arizona Board of Massage Therapy in December 2008.   She also serves for the SCNM chapter on the board 
for the Naturopathic Society.


Dragonfly, Jennifer's given Zen name
photographer unknown, offered in appreciation and gratitude


What has been shared with her from teachers and mentors:

"Jennifer is a serious meditator who thinks deeply about healing,
and how to do it, and teach it, and live it. 
She's extremely cool and I recommend her highly"
~John Tarrant, PhD Roshi
Director & Senior Faculty of Pacific Zen Institute

"Her knowledge, pleasant disposition, teaching skill, and commitment to excellence have resulted in a program of exceptional quality."
Ed Loughlin, MA RN LMT
Former Therapeutic Massage Program Coordinator
Chandler Gilbert Community College