“Continuing Ed” is our regular look at workshops, programs and other methods of bodywork that can enhance your skills as a Pilates teacher.

Image courtesy of Center of Balance, a U.S. Franklin Method certification center.By Nicole Rogers

The Franklin Method is experiencing increased popularity with Pilates Instructors due to its concentration on imagery, anatomy and movement. Pilates is, in many ways, a moving meditation, and the Franklin Method provides excellent tools for focusing the mind and body together.

Eric Franklin, a dancer, educator, university lecturer and author from Germany, developed his educational program as a professional dancer and movement educator, teaching his first Franklin Method workshops as early as 1984. His technique explores and enhances the benefits of the mind–body connection by emphasizing three core principles:

• Dynamic Imagery, a multi sensory and kinesthetic way of using the brain to affect movement and function.
• Experiential Anatomy, which gives you direct physical awareness of your body’s function and design.
• Reconditioning Movement, which integrates dynamic imagery with experiential anatomy to produce optimum function.
  

We talked to Donna Luder, owner and director of Pacific Movement Center in Monterey, Calif., who is certified in Pilates, Gyrotonics and the Franklin Method, to get her point of view on how the Franklin Method has enhanced her Pilates teaching skills.