MaryAnn Reynolds, MS, LMT, BCTMB

11/18/2025

If you are interested in doing a foundation training in Craniosacral Biodynamics, taught by one of the most seasoned teachers on the continent (Roger Gilchrist/Wellness Institute), IN AUSTIN, please get your application in ASAP. Seminar 1 will be held Dec 9-12.

Email wellnessinstitute@yahoo.com to request an application.

11/14/2025

So glad to see more research on the benefits of massage and the recommendation to embed it in the healthcare system. It would be so amazing if insurance covered it!

While they can be seen as a luxury, massages are often part of healthcare – here’s how they affect physical and mental health

11/08/2025

The Upledger Institute is offering a two-day training for laypersons, teaching applications for treating Alzheimer’s and dementia. It’s online. A 10-minute stillpoint every day can make a difference, reducing agitation and improving memory.

If you know anyone caretaking someone who’s suffering, please let them know. It’s November 15 and 16.

Description:CranioSacral Therapy for Longevity; Applications to the Treatment of Alzheimer's and Dementia is designed to train laypersons, elder care practitioners and healthcare practitioners how to treat a very specific geriatric population with the modality of CranioSacral Therapy. Based on our r...

11/03/2025

I’m taking an online class in how to slow or prevent Alzheimer’s Nov 6-9. Taught by Michael Morgan, long time researcher and instructor for the Upledger Institute. It builds on some Upledger classes I’ve already taken.

I’m excited to learn more about this. I have a client with it and hope I can help slow its progress.

Here’s a TEDx talk by him from 2016. This class will cover the basics and also newer discoveries since then. We now know that cerebrospinal fluid (VIP in craniosacral therapy) cleans the brain while we sleep. Looking forward to learning more.

Michael Morgan's talk begins by looking at what differentiates brains of "normal" patients and those of patients suffering from senile dementia and Alzheimer...

10/20/2025

The Wellness Institute/Roger Gilchrist is offering training in Craniosacral Biodynamics (BCST) in Austin. This is exciting because he’s one of the most experienced teachers on the continent (30+ years, trained as a practitioner and teacher by Franklyn Sills, founder of this modality).

We are fortunate to have him teaching in Austin. This level of training hasn’t been available in Austin or anywhere in Texas since 2019.

Seminar 1 was held in late September, and students were very enthusiastic about the skills they learned over the four days.

Seminar 1 will be offered again December 9-12, so it’s not too late to join. The remaining 9 seminars in this certification-level training will be offered every three months, in February, May, August, and November.

Here’s what some students have to say about it:

“Several factors influenced my decision to choose The Wellness Institute. It's an established institution, and Roger's experience, along with the supporting faculty, was a significant draw. The proximity to my home was also a convenient factor.

“After completing the first seminar, I am confident that all participants will be well-prepared to become excellent practitioners. This is a thorough program that offers a personalized approach and ample opportunities for hands-on practice.” ~ Diana Tono, Norman, OK

***

“I feel so blessed to be learning BCST from Roger Gilchrist. He is a true master. With the help of his co-teacher, James Foulkes, you feel truly seen and heard. The teachings are clear, easy to understand, and grounded. I am excited to continue to learn and practice this work.” ~ Tempera McCarron, Sedona, AZ

***

“I began training with the Wellness Institute after becoming deeply fascinated with BCST through the sessions I received from MaryAnn. The work had such a powerful impact on me that I wanted to learn more about it. When I found out there would be a training in Austin, I was so excited to have that opportunity, especially since there wasn’t another training in town. I read about Roger and picked up his book, and after reading his work and receiving his very thoughtful class communications via email, I knew I wanted to learn from him and from the Wellness Institute.

After completing the first seminar, I couldn’t be happier with my decision. Roger and James [Foulkes, RCST teacher, teaching assistant] did such an excellent job teaching the material and keeping everything engaging. They gave everyone individual attention and created a truly safe space to learn and experience. I reached a level of stillness that has never come so easily before. I feel confident that anyone who takes this course will become a highly skilled practitioner, if that’s the path they choose. I feel very grateful to be learning from such gifted teachers and to be part of this community.” ~ Ariel Matthews, Austin, TX

If you have any questions, please contact me. I can send you an application and answer *most* questions.

Roger is teaching in Prague and Sydney for the next month but is checking email. His email is wellnessinstitute@yahoo.com.

10/11/2025

The Guardian, on bruxism.

Grinding is fun on the dancefloor, but not on your teeth. If you do, you might have sleep bruxism

09/16/2025

If you don’t know what I do or want to know more, I’d love to share some experiences I’ve had as a bodyworker (LMT, CST) offering Craniosacral Biodynamics to clients:

An older woman had lost her husband suddenly. They’d had no children and were constant loving companions. He died during heart surgery in what was supposed to be a simple procedure.

Her shock and grief were intense and unrelenting. After months, a doctor told her she was on track for broken heart syndrome, where one partner follows the other in death, unable to recover from the loss.

Somehow she found me, and I worked with her, tuning gently with my hands into certain biorhythms and inviting them to reset into patterns of health and resilience. She was stunned to sense for herself that her grief had lessened in intensity.

~~~

I have a client who is also an old friend. She has Alzheimer’s disease. She comes for sessions twice a month. She’s seen her late parents and her older sister decline from Alzheimer’s, so she’s familiar with how it progresses. She says these Craniosacral Biodynamics sessions bring her into a much-desired peaceful, sometimes even transcendent state, that helps balance times of distress.

~~~

A few years ago, I worked with a woman who had had a lot of strains to her spine from practicing ballet and gymnastics earlier in life. I tuned into her vertebrae, inviting them to become aligned. I could sense them moving under my fingertips. We may have done a dozen sessions until she was satisfied with how her back felt. I haven’t seen her since.

~~~

Several people have come to me for help with migraines. My first request came when a woman felt one was going to start. That session prevented it from starting.

I’ve also worked with a client who had a migraine every week. We did weekly sessions over several months, which lessened the frequency from weekly to once every couple of months.

I’ve also worked with a client who came in with a migraine and left without one.

I don’t know exactly how this works, except that our bodies are polyrhythmic — our atoms, cells, fluids, and organs are dancing to various rhythms all the time, though at such a subtle level we are usually unaware.

Craniosacral Biodynamics practice involves sensing these rhythms, and when they are struggling (from stress, fatigue, injury, illness, etc.), we encourage them to pause and reset, because the biological intelligence that is constantly coordinating our 30 trillion cells and various systems knows how to optimize into healthier patterns, which takes rapport and respect from practitioners.

~~~

Does any of this sound like work you want to learn how to do? I’m posting this now because a professional training in Craniosacral Biodynamics starts in Austin next week, and there’s still room in the class. The skills involved in the examples cited above are just some of the skills taught in this training.

If so, please contact me today or tomorrow. Text or call 512-507-4184 or email me at mareynolds27@gmail.com.

09/04/2025

Do you have sleep apnea or know someone who does? How about TMJ issues from clenching and/or grinding your teeth? Make sure you/they watch this video.

My friend Alli Moore, DPT, shares her journey with sleep apnea, working with a myofunctional therapist, learning from them, resolving her own sleep apnea, and bringing these skills to others.

She can also help with airway issues that cause TMJ issues due to clenching an grinding in order to breathe better.

Highly recommend!

08/31/2025

Client education is one of the most important parts of working as a licensed massage therapist and craniosacral therapist.

In massage we manually manipulate tissue systems with pressure and techniques to muscle & muscle fascia watching how the body responds and releases but what if it does not respond or release and what if the restriction is not in the muscle or muscle fascia? Massage may not be the solution.

In Craniosacral we connect to all the tissue systems (muscle, bone, organ, tendon, nervous systems, whole body fascia etc…) by gently palpating through all the fascia following the craniosacral rhythm. CST also addresses “emotional entanglements” in the affected tissue system which may not be muscle or muscle fascia. A slowing down and listening to both the body and mind is helpful for bringing about nervous system and full body homeostasis.

When the client feels safe in their body, the mind calms and able to focus on releasing mentally and physically that which no longer serves to integrate lasting changes in the tissue systems. Pushing and pressure activates the sympathetic nervous system and CAN lead the client to “brace” and become rigid leaving massage difficult to administer and the client CAN become emotionally dysregulated.

Craniosacral Therapy IS a full body/ all tissues modality that has been taught since 1985 through the Upledger Insititute and is the gold standard for bodywork when all else fails.

08/25/2025

The first seminar of the upcoming training in Austin in Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy, taught by the Wellness Institute, will start September 23-26 at the Hilton Southpark Hotel.

That is the first of 10 four-day seminars that comprise a foundation training in BCST that is internationally recognized.

I’m excited to announce that there are only a few spaces left four weeks out, and we expect the class to fill by the start date.

If you are interested in participating in this training, please request an application by calling 719-256-1111 or emailing wellnessinstitute@yahoo.com.

More information, including dates of all the Austin seminars and descriptions are available at wellnessinstitute.net.

08/19/2025

One of the perks of being a bodyworker is trading sessions with other practitioners. Lauren Tietz, formerly of Austin, and I traded today in Santa Fe. She’s been there for a year now. If you are visiting Santa Fe, look her up! My back issue from driving and camping is GONE!

08/17/2025

I listened to, and then bought a hard copy, of the book Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health. The amount of information in it is astounding, hence the need for a hard copy because my brain can’t remember everything….it’s a great reference book.

The premise is that poor metabolism is the underlying cause of most of the main modern illnesses.

The author is an MD, president of her class at Stanford Medical School. She was on track to become an ENT surgeon when she realized that “-itis” was the main issue of every surgery she performed. Inflammation. And because modern medicine is siloed, no one was looking at the root cause of disease.

She quit that track and started researching metabolism. Good metabolism = good energy.

She mentioned something called thylakoids, which I’d never heard of, so I looked it up and found this article. They are part of green plants that capture sunlight and turn it into energy. And when you eat these plants, you feel more satiated, reduce cravings, stabilize blood sugar, and metabolize fat better, helping you absorb more nutrients.

So…TLDR, to eat more salads, smoothies, juices, and soups with spinach, kale, chard, collards, parsley, seaweed, and other green vegetables!

At WellCentric Health, we’re committed to more than just guiding you on how to optimize your health and quality of life. We want you to understand the “whys” and “hows” behind our recommendations. This understanding fosters motivation, responsibility, and a sense of empowerment over your h...