Welcome!
Whether you are beginning your journey or rediscovering your artistry after years of pushing, your body holds the key to creative freedom.
This is where the old tools stop working. And where mBODYed begins.
You don’t need fixing.
You need a body you can trust, and an art that feels like yours.
What is mBODYed?
mBODYed is not just a company—it is a movement. We serve musicians, educators, and performers who long to reconnect with the innate intelligence of their bodies and the resilience of their nervous systems. Our work is rooted in trauma-informed, science-based, and artistically grounded education that restores the link between creativity and well-being.
Instead of treating performance as something to fix or force, mBODYed offers a return to belonging—belonging to yourself, your body, and your artistry. Founded by Shawn L. Copeland, mBODYed envisions a cultural shift in the performing arts where health and artistry are inseparable, and where somatic education transforms how we create, teach, and perform.
Our Approach
What makes mBODYed different is our integration of trauma-informed pedagogy, neuroscience, and somatic practice. We don’t ask you to fix yourself—we invite you to listen more deeply, notice the patterns that once served but now constrain, and cultivate new ways of moving, breathing, and being.
Through this process, musicians rediscover balance, expand the capacity of their breath, and step into artistry with renewed authenticity and resilience. More than physical change, this is about reclaiming agency: learning to trust the body’s intelligence and reinhabiting creativity without strain or self-judgment.
Whether you are at the beginning of your career or rediscovering artistry after years of pushing, mBODYed offers a path toward sustainable performance, grounded presence, and a deeper sense of belonging to yourself and your art.
What we do
Coaching — Personalized somatic coaching for musicians, educators, and performers—sessions that release tension, restore nervous system balance, and expand creative flow.
Community Courses — Short, accessible trainings in somatic breath practices, movement mapping, and nervous system regulation. These courses introduce foundational tools for artistry, resilience, and sustainable performance.
Becoming mBODYed Cohorts — Immersive somatic education programs for musicians and artists seeking deep study, personal transformation, and certification pathways. Explore trauma-informed approaches to breathing, posture, and creative freedom.
Institutional Partnerships — Retreats, residencies, and consulting in somatic education for universities and arts organizations. We help build humane, embodied cultures that support performance, teaching, and community well-being.
Try this now: notice your shoulders. Soften the space between them. Breathe into that space.
Sense any change?
We offer safety, steady pace, and embodied learning at your own pace.
You Might Be Here Because
If any of these resonate with you, you’re not broken.
Your body is asking for something new.
Where would you like to begin?
Not just what we teach, but how you learn it.
Because artistry isn’t meant to hurt, and teaching isn’t meant to hollow you out.
Not Sure?
I didn’t come to this work injured.
I came to it curious—and almost too late.
In 1997, I took a free Alexander Technique class at a music festival. One simple movement changed how I sat, stood, breathed—and eventually how I taught.
I wasn’t in pain. But I was working against myself.
Alexander Technique and Body Mapping taught me that ease isn’t passive. It’s a practice. And that transformation doesn’t start with trying harder. It starts with permission.
This work gave me presence, patience, and peace. Now I help others reclaim theirs.
Not Sure Where to Begin?
Testimonials and Stories
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![Older man with white hair and glasses smiling while holding a cello.]()
“I can think of no one more qualified than Shawn Copeland to teach the principles and application of Body-Mapping. His understanding is clear, thorough, and steadily evolving, and he is a brilliant, sensitive, and imaginative teacher.”
— William Conable, Master Teacher of the Alexander Technique, Founder of Body Mapping
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![Woman in blue top holding a violin and bow, standing next to a piano, against a dark green wall.]()
“My mBODYed work has translated into profoundly impactful teaching moments and deeply fulfilling performances- what a transformative gift for my body and soul!!”
— Dr. Kirsten Yon - Associate Professor of Violin, University of Houston
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“Using the techniques I have learned through Becoming mBODYed Teacher-Training, I had an incredibly successful performance with none of the tension and finger misfires that normally occur in my right hand. I am looking forward to the day that I can say that I am no longer affected by focal dystonia.”
— Member of Cohort 3 - mBODYed Learning Teacher Training
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Your work has been so important to me and my teaching. I haven’t had any injuries in my studio since I started teaching 16 years ago.
-Dr. Amanda Heim, Saxophone, Gettysburg College
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![A woman with short brown hair and earrings, wearing a black blazer, smiling and holding a violin close to her chest against a gray gradient background.]()
“Shawn changed the way I think about my vibrato mechanics on the violin. I struggled for years with bicep tendon pain in my left arm, but Shawn’s guidance led me to discover something I’d never heard from a violin teacher before and I continue to pass this along to my students.”
— Marjorie Bagley, Professor of Music (Violin), University of North Carolina at Greensboro
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![A young man with glasses, wearing a gray sweater and a white collared shirt, holding a bassoon, standing indoors with a wooden panel background and a purple screen.]()
“Dr. Copeland brings nuance to every element of his teachings and performance. Having attended several of his recitals, masterclasses, and private lessons, I believe him to be a well-rounded pedagogue, constantly seeking to encourage self-awareness in his audience.”
— Shawn Bellias, University of Southern Mississippi
