Ariana Mullins Bodywork

12/08/2025

❤ Just a little reminder– it's our responsibility to turn inward, see how we're doing and what we need— and then go make it happen. This is how we are able to give our gifts back to our families and communities. ❤

11/08/2025

Today I want to touch on something I have been working out in myself and with my clients through the years. It’s about transformation, and about metabolizing painful experiences into sources of power and wisdom, and deeper presence in our lives.

I believe that we are born into the world with intention and purpose, that it’s not random or accidental. And that the experiences we live are also ultimately there for our higher good, driving us to a deeper knowing and expression of who we are.

I came across this description of birth/ rebirth/ transformation from Dr. Maya Shetreat, and I loved it so much, I have to share it with you.

"Have you ever imagined how a baby feels as it travels through the birth canal to be born? After a comfortable, protected existence, it must feel terrifying, jarring, even painful to be expelled into the chaos of the unknown.

Then the baby emerges into a world so much more vivid and interesting and beautiful than the muffled darkness of the womb. We call this process birth, and we’re told that it happens only once, at the very start of our lives.

But this process doesn’t happen just once. Many times in your life, you may be expelled from your seemingly comfortable existence, often through pain or loss – of a loved one through death or separation, of a job or career, of a key part of your identity, of your health, by experiencing severe illness in yourself or someone you love. And through that pain, you transform.

As with birth, there is no going back to the old you. It is a kind of death of your prior self. But in dying and being reborn, you emerge into a world in which everything becomes clearer, more acute, and filled with possibilities that your old self could never have fathomed.

Rarely would anyone willingly commence such a journey through the birth canal, even if their prior existence wasn’t particularly pleasant. But you don’t always get to choose the moment of your coming to consciousness. More often, it chooses you.

As you go through the transformation, know that you are reawakening to your life’s purpose. Know with all of your heart that you are being held and guided through this process (even when it doesn’t feel that way). And most importantly, know that you will be okay. You are emerging."

I thought this was such a perfect description of the growth processes we go through, over and over again as humans. It particularly reminded me of the journey into motherhood itself– so deeply transformative, and forever changing who we are and how we relate to the world.

Personally, I am in a new phase, of letting my daughter go (off to college in another country) and redefining myself and how I relate to the world in the process. There are other big changes as well, and the theme of death and rebirth has been so present for me this year. I feel like I’m finally breaking through into the new, brighter world.

I just want to say… If you are in a deeply uncomfortable place in your life right now, take heart.

This is part of the human experience.

You are growing and transforming, and you are not alone.

Everyone around you benefits in some way from your personal growth and deeper transformations– but beyond that, YOUR experience in life becomes deeper and more beautiful.

Hang in there. And get the support you need. ❤

05/08/2025

Today I want to share a quick story about helping my client Cailin with shoulder pain and limited range of motion– and explain a little bit about one of my favorite bodywork techniques, called Visceral Manipulation.

First of all, let's talk a little bit about Visceral Manipulation.
This osteopathic technique combines a deep understanding of human anatomy and gentle hands-on therapy to realign and release fascial restrictions in the body. These restrictions can appear anywhere in the body from the neck, shoulder, abdomen, pelvis, individual organs, etc.

Done correctly, Visceral Manipulation can reintroduce normal movement and function to a problem area. Among other things, our skeletal structure is made up of muscles and a connective tissue that forms an outer shell to protect the internal organs. All organs are supposed to slide and glide with each other (you can see some of this in the video above) and when they don’t, adhesions form– which can be felt as pain, tension and a limited range of motion.

This tissue is commonly known as fascia (and peritoneum) that seals and surrounds all organs and structures of the body. The fascia connects everything in your body; it compensates around restrictions and the associated nerves will be triggered, sending pain signals to the brain to let us know there is a problem that requires our attention and correction. However, because the tissues, blood vessels, nervous system, ligaments, organs and fascia are interconnected, a pain in a particular area may be caused from another area.

Using gentle palpation "listening" to the body, practitioners can find the source of the restriction and pain– and it might not be where the patient/ client is having symptoms!

And now, back to our story. 🙂

Cailin had a long history of shoulder pain and injuries, including surgeries and bone spurs. Although the issue coming up again didn't surprise her, it was still really painful and inconvenient. She couldn't raise her right arm much at all, and told me that she had been having to bend her neck over to her right side to wash her hair, since she couldn't reach it.

When someone has a really long history of a joint issue, I think beyond the muscles. My go-to with her this week was to feel how her liver was moving, and whether it was restricted. In the image/ video I posted above, you can see how the liver (the big trianglular shape on the left side of the image under the heart) moves with the breath. When the liver is restricted, it can refer nerve pain in to the right shoulder and limit the shoulder's motion through tight fascia.

I checked Cailin's shoulder range of motion right before and right after mobilizing her liver in different directions. It worked like magic! After I worked with her liver, she could raise her arm all of the way up, and move better in other directions, as well! When I checked in with her the next day, she told me that the movement is still great! She did have some remaining pain (lugging suitcases and children on an adventure had not helped) but I expected that to resolve with a little more time and rest.

For me, using this type of technique is just FUN! It's not painful, and the treatment itself is quick and efficient. Almost every week, I have an experience like this one– a person comes in with a joint issue, and the solution is found by releasing the restrictions in an internal organ.

Some common relationships are:

Right shoulder: liver
Left shoulder: stomach
Neck: liver, stomach, or diaphragm
Hip or knee: kidneys
Pelvic floor: uterus and/or diaphragm

I find this really fascinating and exciting! If you have long-standing problems that don't seem to be improving with standard treatment, including massage and exercises, I would suggest looking for someone who does Visceral Manipulation in your area.

Of course, if you are local to me, send me a note. I love to help!

30/07/2025

15/07/2025

Did I offer peace today?
Did I bring a smile to someone's face?
Did I say words of healing?
Did I let go of my anger and resentment?
Did I forgive?
Did I love?

These are the real questions.

I must trust that the little bit of love that I sow now will bear many fruits, here in this world and the life to come.

—Henri Nouwen

29/06/2025

Today I turned 46. I marvel that I am right here, right now. That it is no accident; that I know all of the right people and am in the right place— even if it doesn’t always feel that way.

I told Amelia a while back that there have been many times when I could have died, but didn’t— so when my life is complete, it will be right on time.

It is comforting to know that I am still right on time, for whatever Life has for me, every day. It is meaningful to me that each one of you is in my life in some way. Thank you for being here with me on this intense adventure of living as a human in this moment. What a huge privilege. 💕

And if you are someone who has allowed me into your inner world to help you or your family heal, I want to thank you from my heart— it brings meaning and joy to my days, and is such an honor.
❤️

21/06/2025

Scheduling heads-up!

I will be out of office from July 3rd- July 7th, and then from the 16th-28th because I have some *very important* traveling and dancing 💃🏻 to do! 😁 So my availability through July will be limited.

There are still a handful of appointments available for next week, so now is the time to grab one!

20/06/2025

Now that school is out, and sports and other extra-curricular activities are done, it's a great time to get your kids some extra help if they are struggling in their bodies!

Common issues I help kids with:
– Digestive Issues
– Learning Challenges
– ADHD
– Anxiety
– Emotional Regulation
– Sleep
– Headaches

I also love supporting TEENS through gentle bodywork!

The issues I work with most in this age group are:
– stress-related issues
– headaches (including complex or migraines)
– anxiety
– sleep issues
– chronic pain
– sports injuries (including concussions)
– hormonal balance and menstrual issues, including painful periods.

If you have a young person who could use some support, I would love to make their (and your) life easier. ❤

17/06/2025

These are stressful times. Please take care of yourself.
❤ Also, it's so much easier to stay well than to get well! ❤

09/06/2025

Has it been a rough season for you lately?

It seems like the majority of the people who have come into my office in the last few weeks have really been struggling. Feeling sad, anxious, stressed, angry, overwhelmed— or some combination of these.

I have had my own set of setbacks and struggles recently, as well. There are personal pains, but also more collective struggles. It feels like the world is on fire.

Life is hard. It is often painful and so sad, and overwhelming and maddening. Don’t get me wrong— it is also beautiful and amazing and such a gift... But it’s completely normal to NOT be loving life sometimes.

My personal belief is that we’re on our own “human development plans,” working our way towards being better humans, learning what we need to learn as we go through these difficult experiences. No one is exempt, even when they look like they are having a way better experience than you are.

Friends, it is appropriate to feel sad, angry, frustrated, and overwhelmed sometimes. I think we are afraid of these feelings because not only are they super unpleasant, but we have also internalized a message that it’s not OK to feel this way, and there might be something wrong with us if we do. Maybe we were taught that it’s a character flaw, a lack of strength, an inherently bad attitude. (I was.) But this is not true! It’s just part of the human experience.

Did you know that blocking negative feelings and even sensations decreases our ability to feel things on the positive side of the spectrum? It’s true!

Feel your feelings. Please, please let yourself feel your feelings. Then you can let them move through you. You can learn from them, and discover truths about yourself and your life.

But also, get some help. Tell someone that you are sad and overwhelmed and disappointed and angry. That you don’t know what to do. That you could use a friend or a day off or... whatever it is. We have needs, it’s not a crime. And it’s more than OK to get professional help, too.

No one else is in charge of taking care of us, as hard as that can be to realize. But people love us and want us to make it through the rough season— do them the honor of letting them know how they can help. Also, give yourself the grace to be a human having a hard time.

You are not alone. You matter. You are deeply loved.
❤

02/06/2025

I love this quote from Albert Einstein. It came to mind as I was recently having a conversation with a client about how we humans have much greater sensitivity than most of us actually use.

For bodyworkers, there is a huge capacity for picking up information through our hands and even whole bodies, sensing all that someone's body has to tell us.

We seem to feel safer using our logical brains to make sense of the world, but we have all of this receptivity that we can develop in order to become highly skilled in what we’re meant to do in the world. Animals live this way all around us, with incredibly developed senses!

We mute our own perceptiveness when we don't understand the information we are picking up.

It seems too wild…

But maybe becoming a little more wild is just what we need!

There is so much intelligence in our bodies, not just our rational minds.

What if we could develop more trust in what we are sensing? That is a huge part of intuition. Trusting our senses, and understanding that we have a lot of information coming in that we just haven't organized in our brains yet, or that we don't know how to verbalize. That doesn't make it less valid.

One of the important aspects of the way I work is in helping people to feel their bodies more. To be able to trust the sensations, to welcome the information, even when it may feel disorienting or confusing at first.

When we can use our whole bodies to help us think, we create that beautiful type of human intelligence, where we are connecting our intuition and rational minds, able to see and respond so much more clearly to what is happening in the moment.

This brings clarity to our lives, and things get much more real. We reclaim parts of ourselves that have been shut down. We come alive and become creative participants in life.
❤

13/05/2025

Maria and I are offering Multi-Hands CranioSacral Therapy sessions this Friday! We still have room for you.

These appointments are really special and powerful. Reach out if you have questions!