ABOUT
BMCA
The Body-Mind Centering® Association (BMCA) is an international non-profit membership organization dedicated to the practice, education, and development of Body-Mind Centering®, a somatic movement education and therapy approach developed by Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen.
The BMCA supports the BMC® community through professional development, continued education, publications and events.
Professional BMCA members are certified by one or more of SBMC Licensed Organizations and are authorized to use the trademark.
Our History
BMCA began in 1985 from an initiative by Ellen Barlow, Linda Tumbarello and Sara Vogeler. It has grown into a professional membership organization as well as a conduit for communication and dialogue for the community of people interested in Body-Mind Centering®.
BMCA:
provides support, standards, and visibility for professional members,
provides an online community space to all of its members,
offers online gatherings as opportunities for continuing education, sharing somatic research, and learning together,
publishes the annual journal Currents in print and digital format,
publishes a quarterly newsletter ConCurrents.
BMCA Values
The following values, grounded in principles of Body-Mind Centering®, help guide all aspects of our organization:
Responsiveness with the current world, acknowledging our history;
Consensus building and collective decision-making;
Staying in relationship - meeting each person where they are and remembering each others’ aliveness and humanity;
Collaboration and competence - sharing work and resources;
Sustainability and self-care;
Participation in the circle/community - remembering the concentric and converging circles, past and present, local and global, that support us and which we support in return;
Supporting each others’ visibility, voice, and right to belong;
Self-awareness, ability and willingness to reflect, to give and receive feedback - utilizing the perceptual-response cycle;
Clear and responsive boundaries;
Transparency and accountability;
Service to and stewardship of the whole.
Professional Member Resources
Somatic Movement Educators (SME), Practitioners, Infant Developmental Movement Educators (IDME), and Teacher Training graduates who are certified through an organization licensed by the School for Body-Mind Centering® are eligible to join as BMCA Professional Members.
Professional Members agree to follow the BMCA Code of Ethics, guidelines for good standing, and mark usage guidelines, pay an annual membership fee (that includes use of the marks fee for that period of time), and sign a sub-license agreement with BMCA for use of the marks (depending on country): Body-Mind Centering®, Body-Mind Centering™, BMC®, BMC™.
BMCA Professional Members in good standing are authorized to:
Use the Marks: Promote and describe their work using the Body-Mind Centering® and BMC® marks (in accordance with mark usage guidelines).
Assist or Teach: Participate in BMC® training programs offered by SBMC-licensed organizations as a teacher or assistant (subject to additional requirements).
Be included in the BMCA Professional Member Locator.
Share their BMC®-related events on the BMCA Professional Members Event List.
Meet our Board and Staff
BMCA is run by volunteer members on the Board of Directors, committees and project-specific working groups. To help keep the organization operating, we have the support of a small part-time staff and several contractors who provide specialized professional services (bookkeeping, accounting, editing, graphic design).
More information coming soon; see current positions held here.
BODY-MIND CENTERING®
Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen created Body-Mind Centering® (BMC®) as an approach to movement exploration and embodiment.
It is based on experiential learning and uses movement, touch, and voice to explore anatomy, kinesiology, physiology, embryology, and developmental movement.
She founded the School for Body-Mind Centering® (SBMC) in 1973. School programs are now offered by more than fifteen Licensed Organizations in Europe, North America, South America, Australia, and Asia. These programs hold the history, breadth, and depth of the BMC® approach and offer a systematic study of the BMC® material.
Courses and programs may be taken for personal interest or professional development. Completion of a program leads to certification as a Somatic Movement Educator, Body-Mind Centering® Practitioner, or an Infant Developmental Movement Educator, depending on the program taken.
Through her online series, Bonnie continues to share her ongoing explorations and new insights into movement, the body, and consciousness.
The Body-Mind Centering® Association (BMCA) is an international not-for-profit membership organization that supports the BMC® community through professional development, continued education, publications and events. Professional BMCA members are certified by one or more of SBMC Licensed Organizations and are authorized to use the trademark.
More information about the School for Body-Mind Centering® Licensed Organizations and Programs can be found on bodymindcentering.com. More information about Bonnie’s workshops, books, and videos can be found on bonniebainbridgecohen.com.
Contact
Membership-related Inquires (including eligibility, benefits, or membership process)
members@bmcassociation.org
Janna Meiring, Development and Communications Coordinator
janna@bmcassociation.org
BMCA Board of Directors
board@bmcassociation.org
Volunteering with the BMCA
Long and short-term projects are waiting for you.
Please, let us know of your interest, and we will be happy to connect!
We are a U.S.-based not-for-profit, tax-exempt membership organization.
Donations are welcome and tax-deductible to the extent allowable by law.
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