Movement Is Medicine — Dance with Bronwyn Ayla

Bronwyn Ayla
Apr 14
3 min read

Updated: May 4

Movement Is Medicine

Come pulse, dive, swing, and spiral into integration and aliveness.

I work with movement as a sacred practice — a way of returning the body to itself, the self to its destiny. Through the empowering art of dance, there is an opportunity to refine who we are and to nourish the lives we are actually here to live.

This question is at the heart of my work: How does dance move us through our lives into our truest selves?

I encourage that investigation through movement practice — living into the inquiry of truth, and the freedom to move and act in accordance with who we are meant to be. Join me in this constant discovery of the genius of our bodies.

How I Teach

My approach interweaves three lineages of movement, anchored by twenty-five years of clinical and somatic study.

Axis Syllabus

A practice of harnessing the forces of the world around us while diving into the discovery of our own unique shape and expression. The Axis Syllabus is a body of research drawn from biomechanics, anatomy, physics, physiology, anthropology, and an expansive collection of empirical knowledge about how the human body actually moves. It is supported by a global matrix of master movers who continuously refine and exchange the work.

I am a certified Axis Syllabus teacher.

Contact Improvisation

A dance of connection. Contact Improv shows us how we are as relational beings. It is an investigation of the embodied self in dialogue with another body — improvised, present, awake. It is the practice of meeting your environment and responding to it from the inside, not the outside.

Sacred Ritual Dance

Come to the circle. Come to the fire. Bring your prayers.

Your dance is holy and your body is wise. Sacred ritual dance reconnects us to source — within and without — and empowers us to commune with our own souls. Dance, in this register, is the ritual of bringing ourselves back to ourselves.

How to Practice With Me

There are four ways to do this work with me.

Ongoing Classes — Movement Is Medicine

Regular Axis Syllabus and Contact Improvisation classes. Times and locations vary by season; I currently teach both in-person (San Francisco Bay Area, when I am there) and online for the global community.

See upcoming classes (https://www.bronwynayla.com/events)

One-on-One Movement Sessions

For people who want individualized attention or who are working with a specific therapeutic question — injury rehabilitation, somatic integration, returning to the body after a long absence. These sessions combine movement, bodywork, and clinical insight from my acupuncture practice.

Book a 1:1 session (https://www.bronwynayla.com/online-sessions)

Workshops, Retreats, and Festivals

I lead intensives and ceremonial dance experiences several times a year, both as standalone retreats and as embodiment work within Mystery School immersives. I have been a featured movement facilitator at retreats and festivals in the United States, Europe, and Asia.

See upcoming retreats (https://www.bronwynayla.com/retreats)

Bringing the Work to Your Group

For organizations, retreats, and gatherings that want to weave movement practice into their existing container — yoga teacher trainings, somatic professional groups, leadership offsites, healing-arts conferences — I am available to teach as a featured guest facilitator.

Inquire about booking (https://www.bronwynayla.com/contact)

About This Work

I am devoted to dance as a sacred practice that encourages the full embodiment of ourselves in our lives. My approach interweaves Axis Syllabus, Contact Improvisation, mindfulness, and somatic awareness. I draw on extensive training in anatomy, developmental movement, Chinese medicine, Body-Mind Centering, circus arts, body psychotherapy, yoga, and Continuum.

Inherent in my philosophy is the inseparable relationship between healing and dance. The marriage of the two becomes a vehicle for the empowerment of self and the nourishment of destiny.

I run Holistic Medical Arts in Berkeley, where I treat patients with a combination of acupuncture, plant medicine, ritual, Rosen Method bodywork, Reiki, and nutrition. I am a Certified Axis Syllabus Teacher.

Read more about me (https://www.bronwynayla.com/about-bronwyn)

Stay Connected

Receive news of upcoming classes, workshops, and retreats — plus seasonal teachings, dance playlists, and reflections from the field. Every moon.

Subscribe to the newsletter (https://www.bronwynayla.com/sanctuary)

Want to move together? You can book a 1:1 online movement session and we'll work with whatever your body is asking for that day.