Customer Reviews
Disappointed - By: M. Howell, 02 Apr 2008 
I found this book difficult to follow. Some exercises seem badly explained. I gained nothing from reading it.
Impressive, helpful - By: Dendera, 11 Jul 2006 
I have read this book through once & can honestly say I will be referring to it over & again. It will not be sold on at a car boot sale in a few months along with many other impressively titled texts, instead I know I will refer to it again & again.
In a western, industrial culture that shrouds the pelvic area of the body with mystery and/or shame, there is a lot of excessive medicalisation or, on the flipside, an abundance of exotic & untranslated terminology, euphemism & side-talking going on in physiotherapy, antenatal, yoga, Pilates, & other forms of body work classes & sessions in relation to just what parts of the body we are talking about. Terms like "the bandhas" are not always mentallly present to the Westerner (we have to translate before we can visualise before we can engage); & terms like "the core muscles" don't say much to many people not already involved in fitness. Or the most useless phrase yet used "the smile muscles" -- still don't know what that particular speaker was talking about.
But Franklin by-passes the nonsense. He credits & gives respect to the Eastern philosophies & their terms, he introduces & explains the Western medical terms -- but then he gets on to discuss, with humour & clarity, just what parts of the body we are dealing with. How to feel those muscles & to work them.
The basis of his method is a unique set of visualisation exercises -- solidly grounded in human physiology & how the body reallly works -- that you can adapt for your own use. The muscles follow the mind. Visualisation is the key to proper alignment, muscle recruitment & movement.
Insightful, amusing, clear and, most importantly, very very helpful.
