Nicole finds new ways to teach

Nicole, a yoga teacher, realizes that the words she uses in yoga class can be reshaped to assist her own body and her students’ bodies. With new language, she can help bodies move in more beneficial ways and can empower a mind body connection.

Ilana loves her pelvis after a Franklin Method Workshop

Ilana realizes the capacity of her body and all bodies for movement beyond what she thought there could be!

Eric Franklin at Pilates on Tour, Phoenix

How do you actually create a change in the body? How do you convert knowledge into an experience and a transformation in your body? Often we know information but it doesn’t transfer into improvement in our bodies.

At Pilates on Tour in Phoenix this April, Eric presented 3 outstanding workshops- pelvis, spine and neck and shoulders where this was obvious in the dramatic transformations and excitement from all who participated.

Most of the participants are Pilates professionals and movement educators and related to Eric’s teaching methods immediately. In most cases this presented a completely new way of looking at the body, it’s function and how you create a change.

Eric’s directness and humorous teaching style created a warm and supportive environment where those present can really re-evaluate the way they themselves understand the body, function, and what they have learned.  When you learn from your own experience, and questioning what you ‘know’ the insights and awareness is profound on many levels.

Here, Eric explains the incredible design of the discs in the spine workshop.

Discs are good at carrying weight- they are designed to convert compressive force into tensile. When this is happening efficiently in our body, we experience a happy, buoyant, supportive spine  What discs don’t like is imbalanced use- or bad posture over a long period of time. For the discs to be nourished they need full movement in all possibilities, and to be used in a balanced way. You become efficient by understanding the function and then more importantly embodying this function and then you become the creator for your spine, body and life :)

Dance Medicine Conference in Monte Carlo

by Eric Franklin

This April, I taught two workshops at the Dance Medicine Conference in Monte Carlo. It was part of the Monaco Dance Forum which brings together Dance Companies from all over the world, especially youth ballets, which were brilliant. My students were mostly dancers from Les Ballets de Monte Carlo.

I started with a general introduction to Franklin Method mental imagery. The dancers experienced easeful, expressive port de bras and how relaxed shoulders improves hip flexibility and many techniques to improve alignment without increasing tension. I then introduced the function of the pelvis and worked on the plié with the principal dancer of the company, Asier Uriagereka. He was astonished at how much his plié improved.

Another dancer complained of constant gripping in his thighs, using the Franklin Method bone rhythms he discovered how effortless it can be to perform a plié.

The dancers had many questions and are thrilled to pursue Franklin Method to transform their health and technique. To be continued…!

Krissy’s first Franklin Method experience

Krissy is a yoga teacher and is already aware of her body. After her Franklin Method class she is experiencing her body and shoulders far more relaxed and liberated.

Franklin Method teacher training- Lydia shares

Lydia talks about her transformative experiences with taking the Franklin Method teacher training, her body and dance.

Kim’s plie increased immediately with Franklin Method

Eric taught his first workshop for a college dance festival at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point. The audience was a mix between students, teachers and faculty. The students grasped the core concept from the very beginning: Embodying function improves function. We discussed the importance of efficient force absorption and generation for good dance technique and experienced the nature of the spinal spring for jumping. It seemed as if the dancers were about to bounce off the ceiling!

Lydia shares her new insights with her pelvis

Lydia is experiencing her pelvis in a whole new way after learning about it in the Franklin Method teacher training. “Such a different sensation to what I was taught in ballet class”. It’s so liberating and effortless to move now!

Article in Pilates Style Magazine

Click here to read pdf

Katie feels empowered after Franklin Method

Victor’s experience with Franklin Method

Victor is a dancer at Juilliard. He has been stuggling with tension and tightness in his hips. Since 2 weeks of Franklin Method, his whole body has transformed!

Hanna-Lee’s life as a dancer has changed after Franklin Method

Hanna-Lee has ben dancing for 21 years. She experienced her first Franklin Method class at Dance New Amsterdam (DNA) in NYC with Laura Hames and feels like her whole life has changed.

Upcoming workshops in NYC in December with Eric and Morten

WORKSHOPS FOR ALL

Franklin Method: Torso Dynamics for a Liberated Upper Back

With Eric Franklin & Morten Dither  $120
December 6, 2009 10 AM – 1 PM

The ribcage involves itself in our breath but also serves as a mediator between spine and upper limb movement. In the first part of the workshop we will discover the dynamic movement of the ribcage and its  50+ joints in breathing and spinal movement. The organic, ligamentous and muscular involvement will be explained through imagery and simple movement.

In the second part of the workshop we will explore the bone rhythms of shoulder girdle and upper limb we will experience how to successfully integrate this movement into the ribcage, spine and core of the body. This will result in greater ease of movement, improved coordination and a natural sense of core stability.

• Understand and embody the dynamic relation of ribcage, shoulder girdle and arm to produce
• Not all arm movement are equally fit to produce power! Learn what  a “Neutral” or closed pack arm lift is.
• Experience the ease of motion and freedom possible of the ribcage, shoulder girdle and arm in breathing and movement.

 

Move Your Body Well–The Franklin Ball & Band Fest

With Eric Franklin & Morten Dither  $120
December 6, 2009 2-5 PM

In this class we will learn the unique Franklin-Method approach to conditioning with imagery, balls and bands and learn exercises that will create an immediate sense of strength and flexibility. With the help of balls we will improve our balance, alignment and coordination and increase the flexibility of the shoulder, back and hip-joint. The band exercises presented in this class will improve dynamic and static strength, trunk strength, extent flexibility, dynamic flexibility as well as motor and perceptual timing. Imagery is used with every exercise to increase the efficiency by which the nervous system directs the movement helping to achieve maximum strength and flexibility gains during the conditioning routines.

Learn:

• How to make your workout fun.
• How to use dynamic Imagery in a work out routine to modulate tension level, movement quality and muscle recruitment.
• How to use Franklin Balls and Bands to tone the whole body.

To register click here

Franklin Method debuts at the Cirque du Soleil show ‘O’

Last week, we had the pleasure to work with 90 Cirque du Soleil cast members over two days at their home in the Bellagio theatre Las Vegas. We watched them perform in the show which was breathtaking and their talent unbelievable~ diving from 100 feet up, swinging from the high trapeze and a school of synchronized swimmers all perfectly pointed and dynamic. The show was beautifully packaged in stunning scenery, moving floors, a huge 18 foot deep pool, and moving music and theatrical expression.

Thanks to director, Luke, the full cast of 90 acrobats, divers, trapeeze artists and syncronized swimmers in the cast of ‘O’ had the opportunity to experience an intense 4 hour workshop in the Franklin Method where they learned about their bodies and how to take care of them. It was astonishing, despite their incredible skills, that they lacked basic know-how and awareness of the function of thier bodies and how to take care of them. Eric started by asking them how they would like to end their career~ either by them deciding to do something different, or by injury. Obviously they all wanted the first, but despite that, they all expressed aches, pains and injuries in many of their body parts- especially spine, pelvis and knees.

We looked at the pelvis and spine and embodied it’s function, so that they can actually start to use it as it’s designed rather than wearing it out due to mis-use. Even though the performers can do incredible feats with their bodies, the fundamental understanding of movement and simple awareness was very compromised. It was a new perspective to be able to achieve the same movements with less stress and resistance.

In each session, we opened the second half of the workshop with teaching them how to balance their cortices. Both times, the artists were immediately more able to concentrate and be present in their bodies. they expressed feeling more centered, relaxed and present. There was a huge shift in the energy of the whole room, and they were able to stay far more present for the second section of the workshop.

These performers do 478 shows per year, and so their schedule is incredibly intense. Even this workshop was long for them to give their time to, but the response was so positive and full of appreciation and insights. It was an honor to work with these incredible people, and we look forward to doing more work with them.

One of their favorite parts was rolling on the Franklin balls and releasing tension all over their bodies. As they are able to give back to themselves rather than always being ‘outward’ and performing for others, they said that they started to feel the magic in their own movements again, rather than being lost in the spectacle of a magical show.

Musical spine

The spine is a keyboard playing beatiful music. As you move, every joint, tendon and muscle produces wonderful sounds . It is the music that moves you from within.

c. Eric Franklin September 2009

Year One Franklin Method Graduates

Eric and Morten just completed the year one Franklin Method teacher training in Boulder, Colorado. As usual, all the participants are excited and thrilled to get out and start teaching this work. Hear some of they had to say about the experience!

John. Chiropractor, Colorado.

“My pilates class has transformed with the Franklin Method”

Diane Miller, dancer teacher, pilates teacher
“I been searching for 40 years, and now… I have finally found it!!”

“I have gone from being dis-functional and aging to growing younger again!”

Master class at Colorado University

Eric taught a master class for the students of the dance program at Colorado University. The overwhelming response was one of completely new experiences. “I have never felt anything like it” was the phrase that we heard over and over again. “My leg felt so light and effortless, and my movement was much more balanced and co-ordinated.”

The most exciting part of this workshop was that the dancers felt empowered to really become their own teachers and take responsibility for their progression. Dancers are particularly good at ‘beating up on themselves’ in their minds (negative self-talk), and everyone experienced how this created a negative result in movement potential. If you can maintain a more positive inner diolgue, then the result is more confidence, ease of motion, enjoyment and more self expression, which in turn equals better technique.

Hear what these 3 dancers had to say:

Jan Dunn shares her experience teaching Franklin Method

Franklin Method at the Inner Idea conference 2009

What an image! 80+ movers, shakers and teachers experiencing their new movement possibilities and ways of thinking. When you experience your movement potential improve instantly before your eyes, it’s quite a big leap to recognize that was inside of you all the time, just waiting to be expressed and tapped into!

That was the over all response from the attendees of Eric’s 3 workshops~ ready to take the leap! For most people it was their first experience of Franklin Method, and to watch Eric present this profound information with simplicity and humor was inspiring and transformative. When you have the opportunity to experience first hand that simply changing your mind, changes your entire movement experience, it is life changing. There a a few people who said that their lives had changed in this hour and half workshop!

Magnificent laughter that flowed from the huge ballroom and the classes were over capacity due to word getting around that Eric’s workshops must be experienced first hand! You are not just learning anatomy in a fun and experiential way, but you are really being given the tools to become your own teacher and start being your potential. By looking at the design and function of the body- that is inside of us all, we can start to come closer to this magnificent design. When we use our body’s how they have been designed, they are obviously going to work better!

The question is, are you images and thoughts supporting this design or hindering it? We all experience thoughts that do not support our ‘highest good or potential’, so what are we going to do with that? In such a short time, we experienced the ability within to turn that around- and this is really truly mind-body!

Hear what some of the participant had to say:

Improve your plie NOW! Pelvis… pelvic floor… why do you need to know?

Do you want more ease in your plie? More freedom in your hips and lower back? To jump higher? To feel like you are working with your body, rather than fighting it? More flexibility? More strength?…

We will explore the dynamic anatomy of the pelvis, as well as how the pelvic floor supports (or fights) our movement. If you can see the movement that is happening within your body more clearly, and embody that function, then you will instantly see improvements in all aspects of your movement, co-ordination and flow. Most dancers are not aware of how the body moves, and if you can’t see it well, you can’t use it well.

Learn some of the theraband exercises for instant improvement in strength, flexibility and movement ease.

Experience an instant transformation in your movement that you can apply to all dance and movement forms.

Where: 280 Broadway, 2nd Floor (entrance on Chambers), New York, NY 10007
Phone: 212.625.8369- Call NOW to register!

When: Saturday October 10 & Sunday October 11: 11am – 2pm

Workshop fees: Members: $95 Non members: $135