Patrice has been an avid practitioner of dance, somatic movement, bodywork, healing, mindfulness and meditation for over 40 years. Her initial dance training was rooted in Ballet but evolved to modern and contemplative dance, inspired by her mindfulness practices. Studying and performing contemplative dance practice with Barbara Dilley at Naropa University (Boulder CO) was very pivotal in her awakening/explorations of body mind therapies. She was introduced to Tibetan Buddhism at Naropa where she was performing and teaching dance. She became a student of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1977. After his passing in 1987, she became a student of Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche.
Patrice Heber
From dance she studied with Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen of The School for Body-Mind Centering®. Body-Mind Centering (BMC) is an experiential approach to anatomy, physiology, and early motor development. This gave Patrice the knowledge of embodied anatomy and the deep understanding of early developmental movement patterns that shape and influence each person's life journey. She became a Certified Practitioner of BMC and Infant Developmental Movement Education (IDME) in 1989. Body-Mind Centering is the core influence on her work as a Somatic Movement Therapist.
Patrice began studying Hatha yoga while in college in 1972. She is a Certified Yoga Instructor and has been teaching for over 40 years. Currently she teaches a blend of yoga & embodied anatomy in the Hudson Valley, NY. Patrice has also studied Authentic Movement, Cranial-Sacral Therapy, Polarity Therapy, The Feldenkrais Method, Reiki, and is a Certified Qigong Group Leader from Spring Forest Qigong.
When she is not teaching class or in private sessions, Patrice can be found walking in nature or with her hands in the earth of her community garden plot in Kingston, NY. Patrice has an active Contemplative Dance and Authentic Movement practice with dance colleagues. When unable to dance with others (during covid), she enjoys listening to Talking Heads, Steely Dan or Shostakovich and dancing around her living room, sometimes joined by friends via zoom.
Certification
Certified Practitioner of Body-Mind Centering® & Certified in Infant Developmental Movement Education, The School for Body-Mind Centering®
Certified Yoga Instructor
Certified Qigong Group Leader, Spring Forest Qigong
Certified Feldenkrais Awareness Through Movement Teacher, Feldenkrais Guild of NorAmerica
BA Dance and Psychology, Empire State University
Studied and performed Contemplative Dance Practice with Barbara Dilley, Naropa University
Dance Instructor, Naropa University, Boulder CO
Taught Contemplative Dance Practice Workshops, US and Europe
Practitioner of Authentic Movement
Certified Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Instructor
Japanese Language & Literature, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
Chaplain at Vassar Hospital, Poughkeepsie, NY
Meditation Instructor, Eastern Correctional Facility - Maximum Security Prison, Napanoch, NY