Professional Certification
Becoming mBODYed
There are many paths to consider to certification in The Alexander Technique. The Professional Certification Track is designed to:
Capitalize on online learning, allowing you to continue in your current teaching or performing positions with little to no interruption to your current career;
Provide you with a mentoring pathway that is educationally centered and trauma-informed;
Ensure that you have the necessary teaching and professional skills for success upon the completion of your certification.
The Professional Certification Track Explained
Becoming mBODYed is a 3-year Training Program. To allow maximum flexibility, each year may be taken separately with individual certifications after each year.
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Year 1
We focus on the foundations of somatics, spending our time developing Integrated Attention and embodying the principles of Body Mapping.
Those enrolled receive:
- UNLIMITED access to 1:1 Coaching (current cohort members usually request 2 coachings per month or more)
- 2, 90-min cohort meetings per month
- Lifetime access to mBODYed training manuals.
- Additionally, all cohort members have free access to all mBODYed Retreats, and any special events or extra trainings offered throughout the year.
Year 1 ends with a certification to teach Body Mapping within your specific field of expertise. Additional training is required to become a Licensed Body Mapping Educator through ABME. This program prepares you for that process.
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Year 2
We focus on the principles of the Alexander Technique, embodying those principles in our performance and our teaching. We develop our awareness of the nervous system, learning to cultivate and maintain safe spaces for teaching and learning. We develop our visual acuity and hands-on teaching skills in all aspects of teaching.
Those enrolled receive:
- UNLIMITED access to 1:1 Coaching (current cohort members usually request 2 coachings per month or more)
- 2, 90-min cohort meetings per month
Year 2 ends with a certification to teach the principles of the Alexander Technique within your specific field of expertise. Additional training (year 3) is required to receive Certification to teach the Alexander Technique.
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Year 3
The final year of training is devoted to your personal development as a teacher of Becoming mBODYed. During this year, much time is spent in 1:1 Coaching, teaching observations and reflections, and developing your personal business skills to ensure your future success. Personal growth is in the Mental Fitness areas of Self-Mapping and Leveraging our Neuroplasticity for Habit Transformation.
Those enrolled receive:
- UNLIMITED access to 1:1 Coaching and Mentoring (current cohort members usually request 2-4 hours of coaching per WEEK or more)
- 2, 90-min cohort meetings per month
Year 3 completes your training in Becoming mBODYed and prepares you for the Sponsorship Process to become a Certified, Teaching Member of Alexander Technique International.
Your Investment Explained
A NOTE FROM SHAWN
“I have devoted my career to the art of teaching and developing my own teaching skills to ensure that not only am I teaching the content that you expect, but I’m also teaching the whole person the skills that they need for success. In the Professional Certification Track, in addition to training in the content and pedagogy of Body Mapping and the Alexander Technique, you also receive personal 1:1 coaching on your teaching skills and professional entrepreneurial skills to ensure your success as a teacher of these modalities. In this program, you will receive all that I have to offer from my years as a full-time performer and professor and all that I am developing in my new career as a somatic educator and coach. It is both thorough and cutting edge!”
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Training Cost: $625/month for 12 months
Minimum Instruction: 5 hours per month, with unlimited coaching
Hourly Rate: Approx. $125/hour, less than private lessons
Price Guarantee: No price increases for 3 years
Program Focus: Somatic Modalities, including Alexander Technique and Body Mapping, grounded in empirical science
Instructor Expertise:
Critically acclaimed clarinetist
Somatic Trauma Educator
PAMA-certified Performing Arts Educator
Inclusion and Belonging expert
19 years of professional teaching experience
Immediate Application: Practical learning to use on stage or in the studio
Investment in You: Personal embodiment before teaching; growth as a performer, teacher, and person
Time Frame: Learning measured by the body and nervous system, not by a clock
Cohort 6- Registration Open
We are now accepting applications for Cohort 6 beginning August 15, 2025. This is not your average online training program, where hundreds of people attend webinars. It is an individualized program designed on a mentor/apprenticing model. Space is limited to ensure small cohorts and adequate 1:1 time.
Apply now to reserve your spot and receive free access to all remaining mBODYed Special Events in 2025.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Regular Cohort Instruction: The Cohort meets for 90 minutes, 2 times per month for content instruction, exploration, and discussion.
Online Instructional Manuals: Content addresses the nervous system, attention, and the complete body of knowledge for Body Mapping balance and breathing.
Coaching: Unlimited access to Shawn Copeland for private coachings in professional development, performance skills, and teaching skill development. Shawn uses a variety of skills in individual coachings which include Alexander Technique, Body Mapping, Somatic Trauma Work, Nervous System Work, PAMA Certified Performing Arts Injury Prevention Work, Leadership Work, and Inclusion and Belonging Work.
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The mBODYed Teacher-Training is for performing artists. Teachers and performers alike, this program will change they way you think about performing and teaching.
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Year 1: This program consists of 10, 90-minute, online training sessions; unlimited private, online lessons; leading to certification to use Body Mapping within your pedagogy.
Year 2 & 3: Class Cohort meetings continue twice a month for 90 minutes. Trainees will learn and incorporate the principles of Alexander Technique and hands-on work both within their pedagogy. Those finishing year 3 will be ready to begin the Sponsoring process with Alexander Technique International. Additionally, trainees will deepen their knowledge of Body Mapping as it applies to all performers outside of their own area of speciality.
All cohort members have unlimited access to private lessons, and free attendance at all mBODYed retreats, workshops, or special events.
Cohort members are expected to read outside of class, and bring their explorations of the material to our sessions.
Attendance at (at least) one mBODYed retreat is required to learn and develop your hands on skills for Alexander Technique teaching.
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Classes meet online via ZOOM.
Cohort 5 begins in September 16, 2024!
Specific class times will be scheduled based on the availability of those registered.
All classes will be recorded for cohort use only.
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Annual Tuition is $7500.
A $500.00 deposit is due upon sign up to reserve your seat.
Generally, cohort members are invoiced for $584 monthly.
You may pay in other installments such as twice, or three times a year. Simply let me know your preference.
You may receive a 10% discount for paying for all three years at once. Please speak to me if you prefer this option.
REFUND POLICY: Refunds will be determined on a case by case basis according to terms in the contract.
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Upon completion of year one, all cohort members will have the option to continue studying for an additional 1-2 years to prepare for the licensure process through the Assocation of Body Mapping Education and sponsoring through Alexander Technique International.
This is a mentoring process where students are expected to direct their own learning with significant guidance and one-on-one interaction with faculty. Specific time for certification will vary from person to person.