Who We Are
We are an internationally established platform offering embodiment education, training, and spaces for movement- and body-based soul-work. Evolving from founder Stefana Serafina’s work with freeing the intelligence of the body through intuitive movement, the Deep Body Institute is an emergent and growing collective of deep-body practitioners, embodiment experts, therapists, artists, & educators, passionately advocating for a deep-bodied social change.
Below, please meet:
Founder
Stefana Serafina
Founder, Lead Teacher, Mentor
Stefana Serafina, M.A., is an embodiment educator, writer, & mentor. The Deep Body Movement Method, which defines our work, was developed by Stefana's during her years of working–since 2009– with communities in California, Europe, and Central America.
Stefana’s teachings and facilitation, which is a signature blend of movement journeys and expressive arts approaches, earth and nature-centric body practices, myth & ancient story, embodied archetypal psyche, and ritual dance, have been called "life-changing and life-giving", "penetrating and rekindling", a "masterful invitation to the timeless remembrance of who we are''.
See more about Stefana's credentials and the story that lead her to creating the DBI.
The Deep Body Collective
Our Deep Body Collective is an emergent and growing collective of embodiment experts, trained Deep Body practitioners, therapists, artists, soul workers and change makers.
Core Faculty
Michelle Maree Hardeman-Guptill MA, LMFT is a licensed psychotherapist, a transformational coach, a trauma specialist and a mentor for practitioners who understand the value of being trauma-informed whenever working with someone's mind or body. She brings all of the wisdom that she has gathered over 20 years into a container of safety, occasional cussing, a splash of sass and total reverence for your unique experiences.
Michelle has ancestral roots in Ireland and Denmark. She currently lives on the Miwok and Pomo lands of Northern California.
Her work supports people to create a bridge between the wisdom of their body and the power of their mind. This dance between the mind and body leads us to awareness, insight, regulation and expression.
In Michelle's words:
“The work with the deep body initially terrified me, and eventually became a driving force in my reconnection to the magical world inside my own body. Stefana ignited a passion for me to help others create that bridge between the mind and the body so that our world can return to a place of balance, aliveness, connection and intimacy."
Carmen da Silva Wells is a creative coach and embodiment facilitator dedicated to guiding individuals and groups toward more aliveness, impact and fulfilment. Carmen strives to embody the spirit of love, curiosity and service in all aspects of her life. She is passionate about weaving together wild wisdom and purposeful creation, in service of a more collaborative, conscious and creative world. In her women's circles, coaching, Wonderwalks and training sessions, she holds space for people to explore their life’s questions, navigate their edges, and cultivate a spirit of playful and courageous expression.
Carmen's exposure early in life with different cultures, inspired her to study organisational anthropology and behavior change and pursue a career in international development.
Her ancestral roots reach from Brazil and Norway to Canada and England. She has planted herself in Amsterdam, where she considers herself a local and lives with her two children.
In Carmen's words:“I believe creativity has the power to awaken, empower, heal, and transform. Creative expression is a crucial part of holistic well-being. For each of us and for our planet. Deep Body Movement is a powerful approach towards igniting our creativity. It helps finding clarity, new perspectives and connection. It’s time to follow our deeper body’s invitation to slow down and listen. To our own bodies, to the stories of our ancestors living within us and to the impulse of life communicating what is important in this moment of the unfolding story."
Katya Vila, MFA, is an artist and a weaver of body, myth, music, dance, poetry, & the stars. She has taught expressive arts and movement workshops in high schools, yoga studios, medical universities, music festivals and online since 2015.
After years of studying music, writing, and astrology, she discovered Deep Body Movement in 2017, trained with founder Stefana Serafina, and became certified as a Deep Body® Practitioner in 2020. She has since supported Stefana and the Deep Body Institute as a project and community manager and core teaching assistant.
As a Deep Body Practitioner, Katy has created and taught numerous courses on embodied astrology, and offers transformative embodiment mentorships focused on emotional, creative, and authentic expression.
Katy is of Mexican-American heritage, with ancestral roots in Poland, Ireland, Spain and Britain. Working with the Deep Body Institute has allowed her to connect with indigenous and ancestral wisdom of movement and dance, and brought her home to her own body and the Earth.