Put the psyche in motion and it will heal itself.

- Gabrielle Roth (founder of the 5Rhythms®)
You were born to dance! At five months of age you were able to bop to the beat. Of course, this natural inclination may have since been suppressed, either consciously or not. But deep down your body, emotions, and spirit still long to move, still long to feel the freedom and joy of unstructured, non-linear, don't-care-how-it-looks-or-what-anybody-else-thinks movement.
Dancing is a natural human instinct. We've been doing it for a very long time. One and a half million years to be precise. 

We have danced to attract a mate. We have danced as celebration, as prayer. We have danced to prepare for war and the hunt. We have danced for physical healing. And we have danced our traumas and emotional pain.

Around the same time that Descartes said, "I think, therefore I am," dance became less a daily-life-inspired, human-condition expression, and became entertainment. Then, depending on the culture, gender, or moral atmosphere of the time, we developed ideas about the "right way" to dance.
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This evolutionary move away from our natural connection to the rhythm of life, our bodies, and bodily expression, and toward overvaluing the thinking brain, has left us disconnected from our bodies, leaving dance as something that happens only on special occasions or as observers as we watch the professionals - the "good" dancers.

Authentic, conscious dance and movement sets us free. It allows us to return to our bodies, connect with them, and allow them to speak, allow them to tell their stories.

Welcome to BodySpeak™!
Want to see what authentic, conscious dance looks like?
The video below from Open Floor International, will give you a taste. (Note: your experience with BodySpeak™ may not look exactly like this, but this will hopefully give you feel for it).
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Twenty years ago I was privileged to dance with the founders of this fine organization, when they were affiliated with the 5Rhythms®. More recently, I received Therapy in Motion training from them through Open Floor International. Please visit their website if you'd like to learn more about their trainings and offerings.   - Shelly
Nature's Way Home™ offers THREE LEVELS OF DANCE/MOVEMENT EXPERIENCE - dance for fun, dance for personal growth, and dance for deep healing - allowing you to explore authentic, embodied movement depending on your level of interest and comfort.
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for fun

Community BodySpeak™
Open Dance*

Authentic Dance/Movement Experience
​On-line via Zoom (for now)
​$35.00

Unstructured, non-linear dance and movement, creating a safe space for you to:
  • Rediscover the joy of uninhibited movement
  • Feel the freedom in expressing yourself exactly as you are in any given moment
  • Let your body express and release pent-up stress and emotions, to whatever degree you are comfortable
  • Feel relaxed and energized, calm and alert, at the same time
  • Feel a welcoming sense of community with other moving bodies
  • Have fun!
* This experience, although it might be therapeutic, is not to be used in lieu of or as therapy.
for personal growth

Community BodySpeak™ with Resource Coaching*

Same as Open Dance, but with a deeper exploration of your body's movement resources. (Pre-requisite: Attending 1 Open Dance)
On-line via Zoom (for now)
$35.00

Full-bodied learning, translating to enhanced life skills such as:
  • staying grounded in the midst of chaos
  • learning to flow with feelings
  • containment versus suppression
  • releasing blocked energy
  • staying connected to self while relating with others
  • tapping into libido, creativity, life-force energy
Special topics might include:
  • Dancing Your Anger
  • Dancing Through Apathy
  • Finding Your Spine
Also, offering special workshops for women only. Learn more.
* This experience, although it might be therapeutic, is not to be used in lieu of or as therapy.
for deep healing

Counseling and Coaching In Motion

Bringing the moving body into your individual counseling or coaching sessions
In-person or on-line
​$125.00-$185.00

​Dance/Movement in the counseling or coaching session is based on the following premises:
  • Thoughts, beliefs, and emotions are made up of energy.
  • The nature of energy is movement.
  • All energy wants to move, it wants to "go home."
  • The only thing stopping the movement or releasing of energy is us.
  • We stop it with our patterns of resistance to it - our judgment and fear of it.
  • Resistance is a subtle felt-experience and cannot be released with the mind. It must happen at the level of the feeling body.
  • Dance/Movement gives suppressed or unconscious energy a "voice," allowing it to transform.
If you want to give birth to your true self, you are going to have to dig deep into that body of yours and let your soul howl.
- Gabrielle Roth

What Is A Community BodySpeak™ Dance Workshop?

Community BodySpeak™ Open Dance workshops offer a safe place for you to TELL THE TRUTH. A safe place for your body to express what it's been holding, all day, all year, maybe for a lifetime. 

There is no judgment on this dance floor. No comparisons. No competition. No "shoulds" or "ought to's."

You don't have to move to the beat. You don't even have to do it standing. You are free to lie on the floor and do your I'm-so-freakin'-tired-dance, if that's what's real in this moment.

This is where we learn that the truth is beautiful. This is where we learn that authentic is beautiful. But this is not a truth manufactured from the neck up. This is not a story called, "I'm mad and this is why." This is a get-down-in-your-body-and-find-an-even-deeper-truth, maybe even the one that the "mad" is protecting.
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What If I Don't Have Rhythm?

If you can drive a car, you have rhythm. If you breathe, you have rhythm. If you've ever had a period, you have rhythm.

Indeed, your rhythm might not look like anybody else's, but it's not supposed to. It's unique to you. And you will find it, or more likely, it will find you, if you let yourself surrender, even just a little, to the dance.
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What If I Don't Like the Music?

It's likely that you won't like every single piece of music played. Music is specially selected for it's tone, texture, and for the intention of the workshop. Workshops will generally begin with something slow and grounded, gradually build in intensity, and slow again by the end of the dance. You might hear ambient/spa-like music, tribal drums, funk, reggae, or rockin' swing. If you don't like the music, you might do your I-don't-like-this-music-dance. Or you can try to brace against the music and do a "bracey" dance. It's entirely up to you. It's your dance. It's your creation.
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What If I'm Out Of Shape?

You are free to move as much or as little as you want to. It's not about keeping up or pushing through. In fact, this might be an opportunity for you to learn how to NOT push through - how to learn to listen to your body and pace yourself accordingly. (See more about pacing yourself below).
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Will I Be Dancing With Another Person?

There will be other people dancing while you are dancing. This creates a wonderful group energy - energy that's contagious and supportive. However, dancing with another is not the focus of BodySpeak™ per se. Most of the time, you will be dancing with yourself, exploring your own body, its inner landscape, and finding pleasure in being in your own experience with yourself.

During some workshops, particularly the Resource Coaching workshops, you might be invited to partner for a specific exploration of embodied relating. This is a chance to learn more about your bodily-held patterns, triggers, and challenges when it come to interpersonal relationships. But, any and all PARTNER DANCING IS PURELY CONSENSUAL. 

You are free to decline participation in any suggested activity and simply continue dancing with yourself.
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What If I Have Feelings That Come Up?

Anytime we reconnect with the body, especially when we do so in such a primal form as dance, we might unlock feelings that have been suppressed in the unconscious mind - the bodymind - for a long time. With BodySpeak™ we do everything we can to help you create enough space in your body-container to hold the energies that might arise, while also helping you learn how to access your body's natural support resources. But please keep in mind that . . . 
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YOUR DANCE, AND WHATEVER HAPPENS DURING YOUR DANCE, IS A MICROCOSM, A REFLECTION, OF THE BIGGER PICTURE OF WHATEVER IS HAPPENING IN YOUR LIFE AND WHATEVER YOU'RE HOLDING INSIDE. 

​So if strong feelings arise, you will need to reach out for support and access whatever resources you typically access when you get "triggered" in daily life. There will be no qualified staff available to help you process feelings during the dance workshop.

If you are not sure if BodySpeak™ Community Dances are right for you, please check with your therapist or other qualified facilitator. You may also contact Shelly if you have any further questions.

Special Note: If you are a client of record, Shelly will be happy to help you process your feelings in the context of a paid session.

Tips For A Great Experience

REMEMBER, YOU CAN'T GET IT WRONG
Just do your thing. Whether your "thing" is sluggish or hyper, jagged or smooth, grumpy or giddy, sloppy or sublime, it doesn't matter. It only matters that you're willing to "show up" and let yourself express whatever's real, whatever's authentic, through your moving body, through your dance.
PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR BREATHING
You don't need to fix your breathing or adjust it in any way. Simply putting your attention on it and remembering to do so throughout your dance will help you stay present and will serve as an anchor - helping you to stay in, connected to, and engaged with your body.
STAY WITH IT
You might get bored or distracted. It happens in life. It happens when we try to meditate. It happens on the dance floor. Just notice it and bring your attention back to your breath, your feet, and your body. Stay with the boredom, if that's what's happening. Dance your bored dance. In time it will likely shift. It usually does.
FEEL YOUR FEET
Feeling your feet will help you stay grounded and connected to your body. Feeling your feet anchors you to the earth and will keep you from floating off into the ethers. Disembodied dancing, while seductive for its "high" is ultimately not safe - physically or emotionally. And it doesn't promote any real kind of learning. You can't learn about being in your body, you can't access resources in your body, if you have escaped your body. I think Gabrielle Roth said it best: ​"The dance is not where we lose ourselves, but where we find ourselves."
PACE YOURSELF
It's possible to stay with the energy of a dance, the feelings and intensity that it inspires, without overextending or overexerting yourself. Experiment with staying with the energy, but backing off the physical movements by 10%, for example. Also, feel free to make use of a chair, the floor, or a wall if you need to. Continue your dance, stay engaged, but know that it's OK to "take a load off" and use these resources as props or support.
REMEMBER, IT'S JUST A DANCE!
It's so easy sometimes to let our over-striving, super-determined selves, push us into turning any kind of personal growth endeavor into serious business. And while the impact and benefits of conscious dance can be powerful, it doesn't have to be serious. Let yourself have some fun. Trying too hard is a major buzz-kill.

Schedule Coming Soon!