Interview with Laura Hames, Franklin Method Educator and BodyTalk Practitioner

Laura, you are certified as both a Franklin Method instructor and a BodyTalk practitioner. Can you explain some of the key principles of the Franklin Method? How would you describe this method to someone unfamiliar with it?

The Franklin Method teaches people to use imagery to improve their body, mind, health and life. It looks at the anatomical function and design of the body and uses these principles to create efficient and healthy movement. When we have a clear understanding and image of how the body functions on the inside, we can experience instantaneous improvement in our strength, flexibility, coordination, balance and stability. In many exercise systems we work against the body simply because we follow cues that don’t conform to function. In the Franklin Method, we pay attention to function and work with the body rather than against it, which allows us to reach our full potential. It’s a true mind-body experience.

What was your movement history before you studied the Franklin Method? What did it offer that you had not found elsewhere?

I was a dancer. I started dancing when I was four, and later I earned a degree in dance and performing arts in London. I studied all sorts of different dance forms, but I never felt strong or stable or flexible; it was a constant struggle to do it right. Then I studied Pilates and became a Pilates instructor, which was when I was introduced to the Franklin Method. I felt Pilates made me stronger, but it didn’t help me dance better. Today I continue to dance, but I no longer teach Pilates, as I have found that the Franklin Method has opened up far more possibilities for me in the world of movement. My understanding of movement is no longer based on there being correct positions. Instead it is really about embodying the dynamic interaction that is happening in the body—with all of the bones, joints, muscles and organs in a continuous flow—and about recognizing that really there are no positions, that there is never a moment of holding anything. Moments of stillness are simply balanced forces. This new way of experiencing movement, alignment and posture is based on trusting the body’s wisdom rather than feeling that I need to control it. This has opened up a whole new movement experience. It’s freeing beyond words.

In working with your own students of the Franklin Method, what are the primary benefits that you see for those you train? Are there particular stumbling blocks that you encounter? Do these tend to be more mental or physical?

In a Franklin Method class or workshop, participants experience instant improvement in their strength, alignment, posture and movement. And it’s easy; it’s not a struggle. Paradoxically, that can be the obstacle, because we’re programmed to believe that movement needs to be difficult, and what we do is create internal resistances so that we can fight against them, which gives us the illusion of being strong and working hard. In fact we are stronger when we free ourselves of our internal resistances. It’s the difference between driving a car with the brake on and driving it without the brake on. You’re not just teaching people another movement form that they can put their patterns into; you’re actually asking them to look at their habits and patterns and ask themselves if this is the best or most efficient thing they could be doing. Our movement patterns are an expression of who we think we are and of our life experience, and our thoughts are engrained in our nervous system. So when we have an experience of a new, more efficient way of being that does not conform to our patterns, it can present the exciting challenge of actually changing not only our physical body but also the way we look at ourselves and the world. That entails letting go of limiting beliefs.

Are you offering Franklin Method workshops in the coming months? Where will these be happening?

I teach at a dance school in New York—Dance New Amsterdam (or DNA)—and I travel around the country giving workshops. Details are listed on my website, franklinmovement.com.

Your other specialty is BodyTalk. What is that? Can you describe a BodyTalk session?

BodyTalk is a healthcare system that works with the body’s ability to heal itself. The body functions and heals itself through communication networks, so basically all of the parts need to be able to communicate with all of the other parts all of the time. BodyTalk finds the areas where this communication has been compromised due to stress. Stressors can be emotional, physical, environmental or hereditary and build up over a lifetime. When we experience a symptom, it is just an accumulation of these communication breakdowns—the body can no longer do its job of healing itself. The BodyTalk practitioner uses a simple form of muscle testing to establish the body’s priorities for healing and then uses a gently tapping technique over the brain and heart to reestablish the communication lines and enable healing to occur.

Is this a relatively new mode of healing? Are there many BodyTalk practitioners?

Yes, it is about 10 years old. It was first developed by Dr. John Veltheim, a chiropractor, acupuncturist and Reiki master. There are about 2,000 BodyTalkers worldwide.

What got you excited about BodyTalk? Can I assume that you experienced it as a client before becoming a practitioner? How did you benefit personally from your sessions?

Yes, my first experience of BodyTalk was as a client. After my first session, I felt I could breathe for the first time and had an amazing feeling of connection and energy in my body. After five or six sessions, I started to notice dramatic changes in my health, physical body, energy level, mental clarity and relationships with other people. I was even aware of paradigm shifts in my perceptions about the world and what is possible. I don’t have asthma anymore. I used to lose my voice about once every 6 weeks and I don’t do that anymore. Aches and pains that I took to be normal have disappeared. My way of looking at health has changed, and I’m no longer afraid of getting sick or injuring myself.

As a practitioner, what do you find most rewarding about offering BodyTalk to your clients? What principles guide you as you work?

The most important or profound thing is empowering the individual to recognize that all the feeling they’re having is coming from within them. As a BodyTalk practitioner, I’m not really doing anything to the person; it’s more that I’m helping the person make connections and trust the body’s healing potential. When I do BodyTalk, I’m also balancing myself, and the connection between the right and left brain, which is healing for me. So a session actually gives me energy rather than draining me of energy. My role is to get out of the way and allow us both to listen to the wisdom of the body, which creates many ah-ha moments.

Do you combine the Franklin Method with BodyTalk in the same sessions? Or do they not mix?

They’re both about awareness, and simply the fact that I practice both means that each supports the other. So, for example, the fact that I have embodied my own function on many levels gives me a clearer image of my client’s body during a BodyTalk session. This means the client can have a more profound experience. When I am teaching the Franklin Method, holding the awareness of all the levels we are working on—not just the physical—creates the space for people to embrace a new experience and feel comfortable letting go of their old patterns.

If readers are interested in Franklin Method workshops or BodyTalk sessions, how can they contact you?

They can e-mail me at laurahames@me.com or call me at (917) 653-8916. They can also visit bodytalkspace.com or franklinmovement.com.