Meet Lauren Harmon

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Harmon.

Hi Lauren, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
My first sentence as a kid was “Let’s go pet the ponies.” Horses have been part of my life from the very beginning. I grew up in the show jumping world and was always interested in how we could help the horses feel their best.

This desire was amplified by tragedy. When I was 17, my beloved horse, Carmella, was injured and it resulted in the loss of her life. She was my best friend and I wanted to do something in my life that would honor her. Originally, I thought this would be by becoming an equine veterinarian, but life took me in a different direction. In my sophomore year of college, I injured my back in my sleep and walking became very challenging for a time I thought I would never ride again.

This led me on a journey of healing myself from a whole-body perspective. Rolfing ® Structural Integration was at the center of this journey and when I learned that it could apply to horses, I knew that being an Advanced Rolfer™ was my path. It is a type of bodywork that helps the body reconnect and reorganize through that fascia throughout the entire body. This led me to start Instill Harmony where I offer somatic bodywork sessions for horses blending many modalities of facilitating healing.

During this time, I also found my way back in the saddle reteaching my body how to ride and realizing that riding is another form of bodywork. The bodywork is in motion for both horse and rider. It can be a moment of cocreating healing for both parties. From this, I created Embodied Equestrian. It’s where together the horse and person receive mentoring and bodywork in motion to empower them to know how to support one another and have the most enjoyable experience possible.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been a road of perseverance, courage, and a lot of heart! The time with the horses and cultivating this beautiful community of people who want to grow and thrive with their horses has been a dream. The struggles have been more behind the scenes.

The short version of the story is that for about the last 20 years, my health has been a major focus. Injuring my back ended up being a symptom of something much greater. It was really hard to get doctors to take me seriously and help me, so I had to become my own best advocate and researcher. I ended up having Mono, getting an infection in my small intestine that took at least 10 years to heal (SIBO), needing heart surgery for WPWS, and learning that hypermobile Ehler Danlos, POTS, and Mast Cell Activation were part of my experience.

And then in the last year after going to so many OB/GYNS, I was finally able to get a doctor to believe me that the pain and challenges during my cycle weren’t “normal.” I ended up having stage 4 endometriosis for which I just received excision surgery in October. The surgery has already made a huge difference and I am so excited to get back to being with the horses!

I learned so much from all of this. There has been so much grief and pain but at the same time so much beauty. I have met so many amazing and talented humans who have helped me along the way. It led to me having even more empathy for all those that I get to share time with and continues to show me new ways in which to help and advocate for others. I try to stay in the mindset that this happened for me and that it allows me to be even better at living my purpose of helping others remember that they are awesome!

It is always a priority for me that I know I am showing up for my clients and taking exquisite care of myself so if I ever felt like I wasn’t up to the task at hand I would reschedule so that I could give them my very best.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My official title would be something along the lines of Certified Advanced Rolfer ™, Craniosacral and Acupressure practitioner. I believe we are all so much more than our titles and my work is the embodiment of me. I combine my passions for holistic well-being and horses with the hope of helping horses and humans feel their best from a heart-centered place.

I specialize in helping the body come back to a thriving baseline via the fascia. Fascia and the extracellular matrix are part of our bodies that influence our whole experience. It is constantly reorganizing within us. It changes shape with every movement and thought we have. Its role is to help keep us safe and adaptable so that we can continue to move throughout our lives. This can lead to patterns in our bodies that although served initially aren’t helping us anymore and so my job is to help show the body that it has other options for thriving. This can be on an emotional, physical, or spiritual level. When this powerful network within us is thriving, it amplifies the well-being of everything else.

I am known for the work seeming very quiet, gentle, and intuitive listening while being deeply profound. When working with the horses I always say when I first meet a client that at times it will seem like I am just standing next to the horse but that a lot is happening. The horses reflect this in their responses and shifts throughout the session. I hope that I am also known for my kindness and for empowering others.

I am so proud to be a part of so many horses’ and humans’ journeys together. That is the absolute best part. When they are both loving their experience and learning new things together.

I am so thrilled that fascia has entered the conversation in the human and equine world and is being given attention now, I am proud that I have been an advocate for engaging with the fascial connections within the body long before it became a buzz word, and I am very grateful to have been able to be at the forefront of this work with the horses.

I owe so much to Dr. Ida Rolf and the amazing teachers I have had through her institute and Jospeh Freeman of the Equine Natural Movement School for instilling this foundation and understanding in me. I am very grateful to all of my amazing teachers and guides especially the horses.

Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the COVID-19 crisis?
I think my biggest takeaway during Covid is that when we truly show up for each other from a place of love so much magic can happen and that is how we heal as a community and individual.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.instillharmony.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/instillharmony/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Instillharmony

Image Credits
Candace Lostroh at In The Wild and Wonder https://inthewildandwonder.com/