Mark Bonder

MY STORY

How Synchronicities Led Me to Become a Musician, a Movement Teacher, and a Healer

HOW IT ALL BEGAN…

I’ve always been a pretty lucky guy – in that I was encouraged to do things that I really enjoyed doing. I began making music at a very young age. From there, everything was just a natural flow, one step to the next, and always following what it was that I really wanted to do!

I never would have imagined it would lead me to doing what I do today. And if you’d told me when I was in my 20s that I’d be teaching movement and dance in my 50s, I would have thought you were crazy!

AS A MUSICIAN

It seems I’ve always been a musician. I started learning to play piano and read music at the age of 4 before I was even in grade school! By 6th grade, I was arranging music for band instruments, and I would later become music director for several large bands and projects.

I was fortunate to be taught by teachers who encouraged me to play by ear, as well as from the written page. One of my teachers had me improvising off of lead-sheets at the age of 10, playing left-hand bass and chords. It was only later that I realized how unusual that was!

Fast forward to today, my professional music career that kicked off in the mid-1980s has seen me wearing many hats. From musically directing diverse projects to performing studio work, I’ve shared the stage and toured with some of the music industry’s most celebrated artists.

Once I began to discover the energy in my hands, my whole world began to change!

AS A HEALER

I was always good at giving backrubs and massages. But at age 18, I discovered I could hover my hands over someone and feel exactly where they needed to be touched! Once I began to discover the energy in my hands, my whole world began to change!

When I was 23, I was on tour playing music in the Florida Keys and I discovered a book in a little shop in Key West. In this book was the first description I’d ever seen of the human energy system. I was fascinated! I began to experiment with using this energy while massaging people, and whole worlds began to reveal themselves to me.

Later, when I was 29, I took my first workshop in Qigong, and that’s when everything exploded. Suddenly I could feel and affect people at a distance, and could create real change in people’s bodies – while barely even touching them!

“Shall We Dance?” I’m like . . “Um . . I don’t know . . shall we?”

AS A MOVEMENT FACILITATOR

My journey with Qigong and Music eventually led me to an amazing place called Esalen, a hot-spring retreat nestled on a cliff between the mountains and the sea in Big Sur, California. One day while I was there, I had planned to wake up for a 7:30am Yoga class before breakfast. When I woke up, my clock read 7:25! Knowing it was a 10-minute walk across the campus to get to the yoga class, I decided to see what was next on the schedule

It said: 7:45am – Shall We Dance?

I was like, “I don’t know . . shall we?!”

I took a peek inside, and saw some people free-flowing around the room. “Oh, I can do THIS!” I said, and I dropped into the flow. I had no idea what I was in for! By the end of that class, I had been transported to another dimension and back. I didn’t know it at the time, but I had dropped in to my first 5Rhythms class! Within a month after returning, 5Rhythms became a regular practice for me, and I dove deep into the world of workshops and trainings.

Life has a way of showing you where to go if you can learn how to listen… I became a Certified 5Rhythms® Teacher in April 2011, and have taught classes to students from all over the World, both virtually and in person ever since.

How Would You Like to Work Together Today?

Booking For Events

Over the years, my understanding of energy and the way it moves has only deepened. In its essence, everything is energy and moves like the most brilliantly choreographed dance. I feel very fortunate to be able to share this work with others and to give them a taste of the true magic that lives within them. From there, everything was just a natural flow, one step to the next, and always following what it was that I really wanted to do!

Whether it’s making music live on stage with a band, teaching someone how to deepen their own craft, creating new tracks in the studio, doing amazing body-energy work, or just being with someone who needs someone to be with, it’s truly my pleasure to be doing the things that I do.

I get to really interact, and be with, people who are interested in uplifting themselves. Whether it’s in support of another musician creating a new project, being present with someone telling their story and offering authentic reflection, or using my hands to help them reshape their body and mind, I get huge joy and satisfaction from being with people as they align themselves with who they really are.

How Would You Like to Work Together Today?

Booking