Hayley Shannon is a dancer and somatic practitioner with diverse roots that include Celtic. She is a devotee of the body and soul, and believes that our wild (i.e. natural) embodiment is a portal to transform separation into wholeness and restore a reciprocal with Earth.

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Dance has been a sanctuary for Hayley since she was seven years old in Ann Arbor, Michigan. After getting her degree in Modern Dance & Psychology she moved west to Seattle, WA and spent much of her 20's teaching, choreographing & performing in powerful social justice oriented dance works. She adored the ritual of dancing, but she felt stuck in cycles of depression, anxiety and numbness that had plagued her since she was a child...

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A yearning for personal healing led her to Corfu, Greece to study dance/movement therapy and breathwork with Dr. Danielle Fraenkel in 2016. Her life was forever-changed from experiencing the profound power of authentic embodiment to heal.

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Back in the states she heard a message loud and clear that said: "share this!!" So she began offering Dance Healing to create spaces for adults to reconnect with their embodied wholeness. She was blown away by the response from the community and knew she was on the right path.

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Recognizing that she had a significant block in her voice and witnessing a similar pattern in many of her clients, Hayley was called to deepen her training. She migrated to northern California to study somatic expressive arts therapy with the legendary Anna Halprin and Daria Halprin at Tamalpa Institute from 2018-21. Tamalpa emphasizes how art, nature, voice & ritual are essential ingredients to holistic wellness.

 

During that time, the world transitioned online and Hayley followed another soul calling to relocate to a very special island in the Salish Sea known as Orcas Island, WA. While birthing her business and finding deeper layers of healing through griefwork, she went on to apprentice Daria Halprin and other incredible Tamalpa Institute faculty for their international somatic expressive arts therapy online training program from 2023-24.

 

Hayley is honored to lead transformative embodiment programs for individuals and groups around the world both in person and online. She has taught in many diverse communities including homeless shelters, orphanages, retreats, festivals, conferences, schools and temples.

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She is a passionate student of nature, breath, ritual, griefwork and qigong and she continuously refines her offerings by listening to the wild call of her body and soul, within the constellation of the whole.

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Hayley is deeply grateful to live on this sacred land with her Beloved rootsy community.

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If my offerings interest you, I would love to meet you!