Elif Gokce

Elif Gokce

Creative Movement Teacher - Artist

Elif Gökçe is an interdisciplinary expert who views movement not merely as a physical practice but as a multilayered arena for bodily awareness, nervous system regulation, sensory integrity, and creative...

Fatma Nur Bilgin

Fatma Nur Bilgin

Somatic Body Practitioner - Holistic Movement Guide

Fatma Nur Bilgin is a movement specialist with over 20 years of experience in body-focused practices. Working in both clinical and creative fields, she combines anatomical knowledge with emotional awareness,...

Elif Gökçe is an interdisciplinary expert who views movement not merely as a physical practice but as a multilayered arena for bodily awareness, nervous system regulation, sensory integrity, and creative expression. For her, the body is both a scientific and artistic field of inquiry. This perspective, combined with her diverse training, has enabled her to develop an internationally recognized, comprehensive approach.

Training and Accreditations

Elif is a Yoga Alliance RYT 500 certified yoga instructor and a member of Yoga Alliance. She is also a member of the American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) and continues her academic journey in dance therapy. She has deepened this process through training in Laban movement analysis, examining bodily movement in both its functional and expressive dimensions.

International Trainings

Elif's expertise is strengthened by the training she has received on a global scale:

  • Anatomy Trains with Tom Myers – “When the Body Speaks”

It focuses on fascial continuity, autonomic nervous system balance, and bodily resiliency.

  • Introduction to Laban Movement Analysis

It focuses on developing expressive capacity by analyzing the shape, space, effort and expression dimensions of movement.

  • In Bali : She expanded her physical creativity and freedom of expression with contemporary dance, ecstatic dance and aerial yoga training.
  • In Thailand (currently): He incorporates Far Eastern movement systems into his practice with Tai Chi, Jiu Jitsu and Muay Thai training, and explores the body's strength, balance and centering capacity.

Pilates and Pole Dance

Elif has developed expertise in functional anatomy and movement mechanics through Pilates modules. She is certified as a pole dance instructor and, in 2022, strengthened her creative experience by performing both solo and group performances. She views pole dance not only as a technical discipline but also as a tool for self-confidence, expression, and physical courage.

Psychology and Somatic Foundations

Elif supported body-mind integrity not only with movement but also with training in psychology:

  • Johns Hopkins University – Psychological First Aid
  • Yale University – Introduction to Psychology

This background, combined with clinical observations in one-on-one sessions and group classes, paves the way for her to work more deeply with participants.

Art and Aesthetics

Art is an integral part of Elif's work. Her art education, international photography exhibitions, and the 2015 Young Artist Award bring her aesthetic perspective to bear on her relationship with the body. This background in photography and visual arts has helped her prioritize creative expression and aesthetic sensitivity in her movement pedagogy. Furthermore, the basic makeup and skincare training she received has allowed her to explore the aesthetic dimension of the body from a different perspective.

One of her most notable projects during this period was the four-year-long "Through Women's Eyes" project, comprised solely of female photographers. Within this project, female photographers produced male nudes, focusing on the aesthetic potential of the body, regardless of gender. The project was featured in exhibitions in Turkey and Europe and stood out as a significant artistic contribution that transformed Elif's perspective on the body.

Technology and Digital Production

Elif develops her body-focused work not only in the field but also in the digital world. She works professionally in web design, application development, digital product, and project management, developing projects that integrate somatic science with technological innovations. In this regard, she has established an innovative production line that combines movement and design with digital solutions.

Deep Touch Mentorship®

Deep Touch Mentorship®, developed by Elif, is a consulting and mentoring service that offers compassionate guidance to individuals in their physical, mental, and creative processes. This program moves beyond the norm and is entirely needs-focused, supporting participants in both their personal and professional journeys.

Today

Elif Gökçe continues her work through one-on-one sessions, group classes, workshops, and digital projects. Her approach is contemporary, integrating fascia-focused anatomy, Laban movement analysis, nervous system regulation, art, and technology. She offers participants a safe, functional, and aesthetic movement practice, inviting them to creative expression and physical transformation.

Fatma Nur Bilgin is a movement specialist with over 20 years of experience in body-focused practices. Working in both clinical and creative fields, she combines anatomical knowledge with emotional awareness, aiming to reorganize individuals' relationships with their bodies at functional, sensory, and expressive levels. Having begun her education at Celal Bayar University's Faculty of Education, Bilgin has integrated her pedagogical training with the field of body awareness, bringing a heightened sensitivity and methodological clarity to the teaching-learning process.

Since 2007, she has specialized in a multidisciplinary approach, including Pilates, the craniosacral approach, Gyrotonic®, the Dorn–Breuss approach, and fascia-focused studies. Since 2015, she has participated in UK-based fascia dissection and advanced anatomy programs, incorporating the three-dimensional continuity of tissues into her practice. She completed a three-year specialist training with Ariel Giarretto in Somatic Experiencing (SE); then, with Dr. Raja Selvam's Integral Somatic Psychology (ISP) modules, she deepened her competence in the nervous system and emotion regulation axis. This process, supported by expertise in Gestalt training and regression, has brought a wide range of applications to the bridge between bodily experience and emotion.

Dance is an important area of ​​research in movement practice. Through contemporary dance techniques, improvisation, and composition, as well as approaches informed by Body-Mind Centering (BMC) and Feldenkrais, Bilgin develops a practice that emphasizes movement as not only a technical skill but also a tool for nervous system regulation and self-expression. Through groundwork and floorwork-focused research, she strengthens themes of confidence, rootedness, and spatial awareness, and expands the body's expressive capacity through the selective use of pole and contemporary movement elements.

Academic and International Education Line

  • Pilates advanced training courses: Pilates Academy International (Comprehensive), Balanced Body and Stott Pilates advanced training lines.
  • Working with master instructors: Michael King, Elizabeth Larkam, Alan Herdman, Anna Maria Vitali, Alexander Bohlander, Prof. Karen Clippinger, Nora St. John.
  • Fascia and anatomy: Anatomy Trains UK's introductory course "Anatomy in Three Dimensions™"; intensive training in cadaver dissections with a focus on fascia with Julian Baker; studies focusing on archetypal postures and functional biomechanics with Phillip Beach.
  • Clinical/applied topics: Osteoporosis, scoliosis, post-amputation pilates programming; special conditions of the spine; pain management (concept studies under the umbrella of The British School of Osteopathy).
  • Equipment and protocols: V2 Max Plus™ Reformer, Cadillac, Stability Barre™, Mini Stability Ball™, Athletic Conditioning series; Arcus (McEntire Pilates) and Orbit workouts; prenatal/postnatal programs.
  • Craniosacral and Dorn–Breuss approaches: Complementary methods in spinal health and neurovegetative balance with advanced practitioner training.
  • Somatic axis: Somatic Experiencing (SE) introductory and intermediate modules; Integral Somatic Psychology (ISP) modules; bodily integration of affect with nervous system-based approaches.

Nervous System and Fascia Perspective

Bilgin's work is grounded in fascial continuity. Experience in dissection laboratories has provided practical insights into the tissue's tension lines, shear layers, and sensory richness. This perspective allows for the simplification and application of parameters such as breathing, alignment, load transfer, joint centering, elastic recall, and proprioceptive awareness for participants of all levels. The nervous system focus developed through Somatic Experiencing and ISP structures the principles of safe progression through arousal regulation, threshold recognition, and resource augmentation.

Teaching Approach

  • Assessment and planning: Posture and movement analysis, breathing and core function evaluation, personalized scaling of movement repertoire.
  • Progression: Stabilization-mobilization balance, strength-elasticity relationship, load dosing and continuity.
  • Learning design: Pedagogical clarity; structured retention with clear cues, visual-tactile feedback, and homework assignments.
  • Bridging: Bidirectional flow between clinical findings and creative movement; simultaneous development of expressive capacity with functional goals.

Training and Workshop Experience

Working with diverse needs, Bilgin has developed comprehensive curricula: exercise for vertigo, scoliosis, osteoporosis, and oncology; pregnancy and the postpartum period; post-amputation programming; adapted movement for visual and hearing impairments; and workshops focusing on balance, proprioception, breathing, and posture. In her work, she offers practical solutions that increase neuromuscular awareness using small equipment (mini balls, foam rollers, rings/circles, etc.). Between 2010 and 2016, she conducted a series of regular workshops, developing simple protocols that participants can implement in their daily lives.

Dance and Creative Practices

Her work, inspired by contemporary dance technique, improvisation, and composition; DS/DM methodology; and the BMC and Feldenkrais approaches, opens space for the expression of emotional flow through movement. Floorwork and ground-related research reinforce themes of trust and rootedness. Bilgin blends this knowledge with clinical principles to design hybrid course structures that support both nervous system regulation and aesthetic/expressive capacity.

Selected Educational Chronology (Summary)

  • Somatic axis: Somatic Experiencing – Beginning/Intermediate modules (Ariel Giarretto); ISP – Beginning/Intermediate modules (Dr. Raja Selvam).
  • Fascia and anatomy: “The Fascial Human” dissections with Julian Baker; Anatomy Trains UK; clinical anatomy-kinesiology-posture analysis studies.
  • Pilates specialization: Balanced Body, Stott Pilates symposia (osteoporosis, scoliosis, athletic conditioning, prenatal); special conditions of the spine with Alan Herdman; scoliosis programming with Anna Maria Vitali; contemporary pilates applications focusing on fascia with Elizabeth Larkam; method progressions with Michael King; advanced anatomy-practice sessions with Nora St. John and Prof. Karen Clippinger.
  • Craniosacral and Dorn–Breuss: Multi-level practitioner training; protocols focusing on the spine and neurovegetative balance.
  • Gyrotonic®: Foundation and level I modules; equipment-specific motion design.

Today's Focus

Fatma Nur Bilgin continues her academic work within the Dance-Movement master's program based in Heidelberg, establishing a learning environment that redefines the physical and emotional layers of movement through individual processes, small group programs, and workshops. Her work is based on the principles of safe progression, neurologically friendly dosing, sustainable practice, and measurable progress.