Arlyn Deva Alderdice guides people to safely experience a wider range of themselves while more openly feeling, creating and savoring each moment. She creates space for transformation to unravel gently and naturally, allowing healing to ripple into the world. Her work takes many forms: she hosts weekly dance practices, performs music, teaches rhythm, drumming, and gardening, and leads explorations in the wilderness via backpacking. She’s also an embodied life coach, helping people awaken their own willingness to do the work that makes them and their communities thrive.
Arlyn was born and raised in Hotchkiss, CO and currently lives there – mothering, life-coaching, gardening, creating, playing marimba, hiking, drumming, teaching, dancing, working, and playing. Thank goodness for family nearby, fresh food, mountains, and community.
Arlyn is a certified Martha Beck Wayfinder Life Coach. Visit her coaching website. She has completed Tara Mohr’s Coaching Way. She is a SomaSource Leader and has completed extensive dance training with Melissa Michaels of Golden Bridge in Boulder, CO. She is a graduate of Matrix Leadership Institute’s Facilitator Training and earned her B.A. degree in Expressive Arts through Prescott College’s Adult Degree Program.
Arlyn loves playing percussion for the all-female quartet Mama Lingua, which features three part harmonies, guitar, cello and violin. She has been sharing her love of dance as a doorway to embodiment through Movement as Medicine – Experiential Dance Practice events. She also enjoys teaching, leading, and empowering women’s drumming and rhythm gatherings in Western Colorado.
She loves sharing fun polyphonic groove based music through performing and teaching as co-director of the Marimba Project (more info) and the Embodying Rhythm Collective. She is currently practicing beginner’s mind by learning to play the clarinet.
David has been Arlyn’s main drum and marimba teacher and she gives great thanks for his patience and willingness as he helps her to experience music in all styles and genres especially on marimba, frame drums, cajon, and auxiliary percussion.
For Arlyn’s dance practice and understanding of ritual, she thanks Melissa Michaels, Ixeeya Beacher, Amina Knowlan, Neelam, Jeannie Zandi, The Magical Mystical Muse, Cheri Shanti, Gabrielle Roth, Nancy Smith and Frequent Flyers Productions, Terry Sendgraff, Authentic Movement, yoga, satsang, and thousands of years of dancers moving their bodies. Arlyn has in the past been a DJ (both radio and for dance events), a professional choreographer and performer of aerial work, stilt-walking, and improvisational dance. Arlyn enjoys leading movement in a variety of contexts including as part of deep healing, spiritual retreats, outdoor dance parties, community gatherings, and more.
Deep presence can be found in the deep woods as well as a crowded dance floor. Arlyn is also thankful to have sat with the work of many wonderful teachers including Sharon Landrith, Joi Sharp, Neelam, Jeannie Zandi, Arjuna, Michael Regan, Carolyn Myss, Ken Wilber, Byron Katie, Adyashanti, and others.
Arlyn has studied herbalism with Alicia Michaelson of Paonia, CO. Arlyn is also learning a great deal from the plants themselves while gardening, as well as enjoying the rich written works of Michael Moore, Rosemary Gladstar, Tammi Hartung, Machelle Small Wright, and more. The land has been such a blessing for her as she re-patterns herself for health and sustainable living.
Arlyn sends a thank you to Samara Taylor, Amy Williams, Cindy Ziegler, Sofia Diaz, Amy McCarrel, Blythe Massey, Kelly Larson, and all who have come before in the lineage of yoga for your influence on her practice.
Great thanks to David, AC, and to family and friends who have supported this life-journey.
“I pray for the world and for this species to learn to live regeneratively as we walk through these tumultuous times.”