An eco-feminist pedagogy of pleasure—

Over the last 30+ years of teaching embodiment, Constance Clare-Newman has developed a trauma- sensitive, neuroscience-informed, approach to embodiment practices that focus on wholeness of being.

Grounded in her own deep study of embodiment practices, dance, improvisation, meditation, breathwork, trauma work, contemplative traditions, deep ecology, social justice work and addiction recovery, Constance facilitates a path to wholeness.

She has been studying and teaching movement practices her whole life, as a horse trainer and dressage trainer, as a modern dancer and as an Alexander Technique teacher since 2001. She is a co-founder of Desert Movement Arts, an intergenerational collective based in Coachella Valley, CA. Constance has taught in performing arts departments of Academy of Art University, University of Redlands, and ACT in San Francisco.

In 2001, Constance completed a three-year Alexander training program in San Francisco with Frank Ottiwell, (1800 hours of study) and has continued her study with master teachers over the world. She is most influenced by Bob Britton, Jerry Sontag, Yehuda Kuperman, Anne Bluethenthal, Tommy Thompson, Pedro de Alcantara, and Jessica Wolf.

Constance has explored many forms of dance, including serious study of Hawkins, Cunningham, Corvino techniques. She danced with Westwind, an international folk-dance ensemble, and spent time with Irish step and ceili dance. More recently improvisation has been a focus and she has collaborated with other improvisors in a WhatsApp project inspired by Remy Charlip’s AirMail Dances.

Constance is especially interested in transcending familiar movement vocabularies and engaging in deeper presence and flow of somatic explorations. Atypical movement arising from imaginative and contemplative practices can access rich inner wisdom.

Constance currently works extensively with on-line courses.

She is the creator of video and audio resources and the author of articles for AmSAT Journal, ATI Communique, Topline Ink Equestrian Journal and various websites.

Embody Wholeness has several components.  Foremost is a pedagogy of pleasure. The cultural norm of working hard at improvement is relinquished for a slow-pace of enjoyment and feelings of pleasure that facilitate healing, creativity and unity of self. Nature-based play makes way for co-evolving with the natural world and deepening our relationship with self and environment. Breath awareness and exploration restores and rejuvenates. Sustainability for self, community and environment is prioritized for dynamic balance of human and non-human life.

Especially in this era of disconnection, and the fractured cultures we live in, connecting and learning from the desert, the dunes, the meadow, the mountain, and the water bring us closer to wholeness.

Bridging dance, mindful movement, functional anatomy, play, sensory awareness, spiritual practice and eco-connection, participants access ease internally and externally, engage creatively and come home to a sense of wholeness.

Constance has a private practice in Cape Cod, Massachusetts in the summers and in Palm Springs, CA in the winters and travels to give specialized workshops for performers and equestrians.

Core Values

For the Media-Click here

A word from Constance:

When I started taking lessons in the Alexander Technique to help with my chronic back pain and my performance quality, I had no idea that it would reach so far into my life and make me feel better on so many levels. I was astonished to experience that I had control of my pain and that by using the principles of the Technique I could change the quality of my movement to such a profound degree.

As I progressed in lessons, I began to realize all that was possible, from improving my dance technique to changing my daily "rushing around" mode, from calming down in lines and traffic to enhancing my meditation practice. As I began to realize how profound embodied wholeness can be, I asked my teachers and other students, why don't more people know about this? The common answer was "people don't want to take the kind of responsibility that this work encourages," but I've never quite believed that. Now I know that while this work is not for everyone, many people are willing to do the deep work to change and improve their lives. It may be something to do with the difficulty of describing somatics (because of its experiential nature,) or that it has been mostly used in the insular worlds of the performing arts. Whatever the reason, it is my mission to bring the benefits of the Technique to as many as possible. Schedule a lesson and see for yourself!

All welcome, those seeking greater embodied freedom. This includes all races, colors, religions, sexes, gender identities or expressions, sexual orientations, national origins, genetics, body types, abilities (visible and invisible), ages, immigrant statuses and economic statuses.

Mistakes such as biases, prejudices, stereotypes will inevitably be made, because I am human. However, I am committed to the work: the ongoing process of being called in, uncovering layers, deepening understanding, and enacting positive change. I commit to promoting equity and reducing and repairing harm when it happens.