WAYS TO WORK WITH HARMONY
Each of my offerings has a slightly different form and focus. 
What resonates with you? 

BodyRide
Dynamic Interactive Bodywork 

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BodyRide is bodywork designed to open your body, balance your mind, and deepen your connectedness. Explore non-verbal communication tools based on mutual support and open-hearted listening. This bodywork awakens energy flow and leaves both the giver and receiver in an energized yet relaxed state of grace.  

Dynamic Interactive Bodywork, 'BodyRide', integrates sophisticated bodywork, partner movement, somatic education, insight meditation, relationship exploration, energy clearing, and much more. A session is an intuitive unfolding of movement, touch, sounding, speaking, and pausing that safely invites you to go deeply into your healing process while being fully received and embraced at every level. I am a companion to you in the fullest sense, meeting you with my presence not just emotionally or mentally, but physically, with my whole body as well. How I touch and move with you invites you to safely and deeply connect with yourself, while receiving witness and support.

We set the stage, then I hold the space by inviting and encouraging your process as I witness and accompany you. You determine the direction, pacing, focus, and depth of healing that occurs. I resonate with you empathically and support you intuitively, much as your wise and loving grandmother would receive you unconditionally; holding, listening to and being with you. Accepting you completely and wanting only for you to feel deeply loved and supported right now, just as you are.

As I interact with you with whole body listening,your body instinctively responds to mine. You receive non-erotic full body contact--a nourishing touch that you likely haven't received since infancy, if then. My body literally 'dances' with yours as it takes you in, meets, and responds to your body's communications. This 'whole- body listening' is a rare and powerful way to invite you into your own experience. It allows me to be as close and supportive as possible to you without imposing anything on you. You get to take yourself in with full support.

It is my experience, and that of those with whom I work, that when one's body is met in this way by another body, it releases it's habitual contractive fear of being dominated or abandoned.

Recipients of this work experience a profoundly deep feeling of absolute safety and pleasurable well-being. Their nervous systems experience deep as they sense it is safe to unconditionally trust.


“We interact with others because we want to feel more deeply connected to ourselves.” -harmony gates

"Deep contact in dance, you met me on levels that facilitated me to drop in more profoundly to my own full body experience of being held, attuned to, connected with, and responded to in a way that peels away layers of feeling separated from the flow of life and humanity.
All the ingredients that co-regulate the nervous system of the receiver, and help heal early attachment wounds."  --John Grey PhD Therapist

"You are a Powerful woman with very unusual knowledge. You facilitated a postural change in me that transformed my whole self-image. You are on the cut-ting edge of the cutting edge."
   ---John Kottage

“Harmony brings you into her world of movement and connection in this amazingly strong, gentle way...Her groundedness and relaxation are contagious” -- Ingrid Good; Berkeley Artist
"The work you do is a beautiful cross pollination of contact dance, compressive massage, joint mobilization, stretching, nurturance and gentle guided movement to facilitate release of the most deeply held physical tension in my body.  I love the intuition you have developed that allowed the pace of the session to be slow and the moments of pause that you brought while we were engaged in a  movement so that subtle shifts occurred naturally.  I also love the contact with you and your body.  I felt completely held in that sacred way that I experience when someone is being fully present with me.  The floor was our third partner in this unique dance massage.  Through my contact with it, I felt massaged from nearly a 360 degree perspective!  My exposure to contact dance has been very limited, so I am clear that even if I knew nothing about contact dance, as long as am open to a much fuller body contact with a therapist, I would have received the same degree of benefit." 
 --Lynda Gaylan  

RADICAL ALIVENESS
Integrative Body-Centered Coaching

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As a coaching client, you receive a custom blend of all of my skills and wisdom and most importantly, my laser Presence.

Together we invite transformation; of your self-image; of how you relate with yourself, how you relate with others, and how you relate to life. 

We work in person, by phone, by Skype, in classes and workshops, and if desired,  at local dance venues.  We can also work with video feedback.

                        GO DEEP, TRANSFORM, COME ALIVE

Experience, Integrate, and Practice Skills that will help you:

  • Amplify awareness of the moment's beauty, goodness & possibilities
  • Increase everyday creative flow, freedom & spontaneity
  • Grow in deeper self-acceptance, trust, love, confidence and POWER
  • Experience more gratitude, joy, satisfaction and love for LIFE
  • Enrich your relationships, listening skills & powers of self-expression
  • Increase strength, flexibility and ease in your body, & grace in your movement


EXPERIENCE REAL CONNECTION

“Harmony possesses a rare ability to be present, real, and clear in relationship. In her work, she refrains from the subtle projections, evaluations, assumptions and expectations that usually permeate the communications and relationships we have with each other, and that influence our self-perceptions. Harmony created a spaciousness wherein I was able to have a truly authentic experience of my self, while connecting deeply with her. The time I spent in touch with her, and in her presence, allowed me to realize that I don’t need to look anywhere except inside myself for acceptance, direction, and truth.“

--Brett Weinstein, RE Agent, Berkeley

INCLUDE YOURSELF
Contact Improv private & semi-private lessons  

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FIND your CENTER
TRUST your CORE
MOVE with EASE
PARTNER with mutual COMFORT

People come to dance for many reasons. Some are looking for social connection and community, some are looking for outlets for self-expression, some are seeking avenues to experience the exhileration and joy of moving freely and authentically with others of like mind and body.

If you are interested in Contact Improv, but feel anxious or intimidated about the form,  I'm your girl. To avoid injuries,  emotional or physical, it is very important to learn with a seasoned person, rather than another beginner.  I provide a safe, private, focused environment where you can learn the basics at your own pace, with fun, ease, and support. Depending on your personal learning style, we  work more from structure, or more from flow. Both will be integrated into your contact improv moving skills. 

Contact improv is all about close physical partner dances that are fun, pressure free, and yet  feel deeply connecting.  I specialize in teahing how to invite and sustain those connected dances.
 
I've been teaching CI for over 10 years, and have danced with thousands of partners, most of them beginners. 

 

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
Couples CI Sessions

ENHANCE your DANCE, AND your RELATIONSHIP!

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Couples have benefited greatly with my approach that focuses on connecting through contact. I impart' the 'essence' of contact dance; the kinesthetic bond that informs the improvisational movement with another. My approach is simple, safe and semi-structured.  This has proven to be a very powerful way to uncover any unconscious patterns that limit expression of genuine, open intimacy, and to resolve and move beyond them.  It's truly amazing how simple, direct and effective this method is for expanding one's capacity for, and comfortability with intimacy. Not to mention how fun and delightful it is to rediscover the pleasure of moving and relating in mutual support. 
"You also taught me
on a cellular level
what I knew intellectually
and that is that
I am sensual by nature
and withholding that
so as not to make others uncomfortable
is not serving any of us except to deeper forms of bondage
You taught me that I can explore the expansion
of my sesuality and desire
with out being oblidged to be outright sexual

that each moment is a choice
to show up and
I can show up
with yes
maybe
not now
and any combination
and or rearranged
and changed choice"

--Grace






"Harmony meets us where we're at and gently and easily steers us toward the intended learning goal. We learn to listen to each others' movement, and to choose conscious responses to it. Her classes have us progress in our learning in a steady, congruent manner. My partner, who is in much pain every day from old shrapnel, is opening to his body and a new dimension of being in his body gently and in cooperation as opposed to his old approach of pushing his body harshly beyond its zone of genuine well-feeling. I see Harmony's work as integrating a positive body awareness into the psycho-spiritual health of the human being. Her work also helps us to get and stay in touch with our bodies' natural tendency for well-being, and integrates the body's pleasure in a way that's easy to accept despite our cultural heritage of pleasurephobia."

--Nora Hoffman
"Reach in, Reach out, Be Touched"

DANCE JAZZ
Free-Style Partner Dance
classes, workshops & events

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Would you have more fun dancing if you could connect with others easily, enjoyably, and consistently on the dance floor? 
learn to:
  • irresistibly invite engagement
  • say "yes!" to every moment of every dance
  • AND stay true to yourself and your dance

The key to instant rapport is making others feel fully seen in our presence. When we see and respond to others, they see and respond to us. When we honor people with our full attention and regard, they engage with us with ease. 

These classes and workshops gently and safely invite you to explore and experiment with new ways of relating to yourself and to others. I invite curiosity and discovery, both individually and as a group body, of new options for self-expression, partnering, and group engagement using touch, movement, voice and play. I model options for expression and connection through my personal example, and by directly engaging you. I welcome your whole self, and encourage you to expand while being easy, being playful, and having fun.
"I most certainly got everything that I hoped for in your class – practice on how to connect with others on the dance floor, while being conscious of my connection with myself, more consciousness in general in particular when moving, new ways to move, greater self-acceptance of myself and my body, fun, laughter, and a chance to meet people. I am so glad I met you and have gotten to know you better. 
-Elaine Miller, 'Shall We Dance' student
"Dancing with you made me feel like a perfect dancer and a perfect person"
--anonymous--
“The most powerful experience I've taken away from my sessions with Harmony is learning to connect with others while remaining connected to myself.” --Patrick Numair; Marin, CA

“I came to this class wanting to explore staying centered while relating to others. This class continues to meet my needs and exceed my expectations. I love moving with Harmony and will definitely keep coming.” 
--E.M. Oakland

FloorPlay Wonderland 
Interactive Bodywork Salon
& Adult Kinesthetic Playground

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Community Building through Embodied Partner Play


Enhance Self-Awareness, Body fitness and Social Skills, while Playing in Conscious Community 

A focused, learning space to discover and practice a new paradigm for social relating- and a new form of  'Dynamic Interactive Bodywork'. 

Dynamic, collaborative, embodied floor dance, movement play, and interactive bodywork
for all ages, genders, and ability levels.

We move and play while welcoming everyone to feel, respond and be available to everyone else. 

The environment includes
  • Personal, one-on-one introduction to the practice of Dynamic Interactive Bodywork
  • Simple, incremental, playful exercises and explorations in pairs, trios and as a whole group
  • 'Open moving' with continued facilitation toward 'connecting play' 
  • Training available for individuals interested in becoming affiliated practitioners
  • Dynamic Interactive Bodywork sessions (by appointment)

GO TO FloorPlay Wonderland WebSite

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Join us in  this fun play space for adults; a space that allows and encourages us to be our whole selves, expressing and connecting with our spontaneous energy, and active bodies.

BEING SEEN BEING 
'Presence as Performance'

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A practice of espressing with supportive witnesses

People blossom in miraculous ways when they feel fully seen and heard-and when they act exactly the way they feel.

Finding the "Inner Speaker"-our real self, warm, intimate, honest, the voice we use to speak truly to our loved ones, is a satisfying and transforming process that helps us know ourselves better, work through difficulties we have connecting with others, get clearer on what we believe, and find a stronger voice to express those beliefs in all areas of our lives.

Finding the Silence, a 'Being Seen Being' piece









































"When I'm being most myself on stage, I can actually feel the audience being touched by me."  
--a corporate trainer.

"Exploring expression in front of a group allows me to connect my heart to my theories, and to discover why the things I speak and write about are important to me." -- a novelist. 

"I started out terrified to show my real self. It's a natural fear for those of us who have suffered some crushing event. But when I talked about what had 'crushed' me to a supportive group who just listened and didn't try to 'fix' me, I got through it in just a few minutes. Now I can open up and talk about what excites me in life."

"It wasn't about the outside but about looking inward," he says. "It's finding the spark that gets me going in the morning, finding what drives me through the day, and what helps me to move beyond obstacles and detours to focus on the goal."