The following Franklin Method ® classes are the being taught in Los Angeles and Orange County. If you are interested in learning more or scheduling a workshop, please contact me at  tracie@tune-into-yourself.com

Freedom in Movement, an Introductory class in the Franklin Method

Your Powerful Core: the Pelvis

Have you ever noticed the correlation between how well you can sense, feel, and picture movement and how good it feels to move?  This is the mind-body-movement connection that brings profound changes and experiences in our everyday lives.  This workshop will focus on building that connection in your most precious center: your Pelvis. It is your core, your base, your center of gravity and it supports your entire spine and upper body. A healthy pelvis needs to be strong, stable, flexible, and balanced. However, how it is possible for your pelvis to be all of these qualities together when your spine sits on your sacrum and your sacrum is wedged between your two pelvic halves.  By utilizing the arch and keystone design (as seen in arches all over the world) - this design provides for the transfer of gravity and tension from the spine, to the pelvic halves, and then to the legs for ease in standing and walking.  By understanding how the pelvis is designed for movement, you can easily develop movement patterns that allow for flexible and spontaneous movement. This in turn allows for a stronger pelvic floor which leads to healthier support for the internal organs and breathing.  This class uses the Franklin Method approach which incorporates imagery, metaphor, anatomy, movement, mental training, verbal and touch cues to increase mind and body awareness. Movements are fun and easy, yet when combined with the power of the mind, are powerfully transforming.

How attuned are you to your pelvis?  

Join us at this workshop:

• Eliminate tension patterns that produce bracing and popping in the hips
• Relive lower back tension by expanding full movement potential of the sacrum
• Increase flexibility and strength of your pelvic floor

Experience the power of imagery, touch and movement exercises to lengthen and balance shoulder and neck musculature. Learn how to melt away tension and associated mental anxiety. Release holding patterns in the upper body by activating the pelvic floor foundation and becoming aware of organic causes of tightness and muscular rigidity. Learn the experiential anatomy of the shoulder girdle and benefit from an increased awareness into the function and interaction of joints and muscles. Exercise
with small rolling balls to experience smooth joint action, increased circulation and balanced posture. This serves as a wholesome foundation for a liberated shoulder girdle and a relaxed, mobile neck. A unique evolutionary invention, our shoulder girdle allows us to maintain our arms above our heads for a fairly long period of time without tiring. The counterbalancing effect of the shoulder blade is especially helpful in arm elevation. Anyone attempting to reach for the coffee container on the top
shelf needs to be able to lift their arms effortlessly without disturbing their centers or increasing tension in the shoulders, back and torso. If it weren't for our tree-picking progenitors, we probably wouldn't have shoulders constructed to do so.

Join us at this workshop and:

• Learn imagery that melts away shoulder and neck tension
• Understand the evolutionary background of shoulder girdle anatomy
• Experience the balance and poise of centered head on a liberated spine

Imagery for a Healthy, Flexible and Aligned Spine

The spine is a masterpiece of design containing over one hundred joints and associated muscles and ligaments. Complex design requires conscious maintenance. This workshop will increase your body awareness by drawing your attention to how the spine is designed and how that determines which movements are possible. When you understand the joints and have a felt experience of that design, your spine can move more freely. Not only will this workshop empower you to overcome back and disc pain, but it will also improve your flexibility to deepen any movement practice such as yoga and pilates. Particular focus will be place on the facet joints, spinal discs, and ligaments of the spine. Discover how when you embody the function of your body, your function improves. Healthy movement and function creates a healthy spine!Join us at this workshop and:

• Exercises to strengthen the intervertebral discs, joints and muscles
• How the ligaments and discs interact to strengthen the spine
• Understand which cues in Pilates, Yoga and dance support optimal spinal function
• How the spinal joints maneuver to create ease of motion and stability
• What imagery is most useful when exercising the spine
• How we can transform our body image to create a healthier spine

How to Love your Feet

Your feet carry you in life EVERY DAY - what can you do to love and take care of them? The feet are designed to provide a strong, stable foundation and spring into action to propel you forward. The ability to do both requires the foot to be a bit of chameleon – quickly switching from foundation to spring in each footstep.  In this workshop, you’ll learn how to open up the full range of movement potential in your feet This, in turn, will open the door to loving how it feels to stand, walk, run, jump, and dance. In addition, healthy, flexible, movable feet will be able to absorb the force from gravity instead of it traveling up to the ankles, knees, hips, and spine.   

Join us at this workshop and:

• Gain insight into the functional anatomy of the foot
• Learn imagery exercises for creating strong, flexible and agile feet
• Practice Theraband exercises to strengthen the muscles of the foot and ankle
• Learn imagery and self-touch exercises to improve the efficiency of the bones, tendons, muscles and joints for walking and jumping

Psoas Integration: Liberating your Lower Back

Through its many connections, the iliopsoas is a key muscle in creating good spinal and pelvic
alignment, correct muscle balance and ease of movement in the spine and hip joint. Furthermore,
psoas and pelvic floor function are closely interrelated. Experiencing your Psoas is foundational for all of your movements. This workshop will combine both theory and practical work and promises to release your back, free your neck, and relax your shoulders.

Join us at this workshop and:

• Enjoy full flexibility in your hip joints and spine
• Improve your ability to balance
• Feel more grounded and stable
• Create more ease of movement in walking, running and sitting
  
  

Know your Knees

Did you know that understanding how your body creates movement can change how you use your body? This workshop will focus on teaching you about the design and function of the largest joint in the body: the knee. Your knees need to be both strong and flexible at the same time. However, the structure of the knee is like a car with uneven wheels riding on a moving surface. In this workshop, we will break down how movement is produced for standing, sitting, walking, and running and how what you know influences how much tension you use to produce these movements. By eliminating excess tension in the knee, you can re-pattern your movement habits for healthier joints. Additionally, because the knee is also reliant on ankle and hip joint alignment, we will also look briefly at these joints. This class uses the Franklin Method approach which incorporates imagery, anatomy, movement, mental training, verbal and touch cues to increase mind and body awareness. Movements are fun and easy, yet when combined with the power of the mind, are powerfully transforming.

Join us at this workshop:

• Improve the health and movement of your legs and knee
• Prevent injury by reducing tension in the knee 
• Walk, run, and jump with better balance and coordination