Laura Hames Franklin I can easily say has changed my life many times over already.
Change
From the moment I met her, change, change, change… Change leading to direction, focus, growth and finding my true self and finding myself in others…
Me in Grand Central Station June 2010
I met Laura last summer while I was in New York City attending the American Ballet Theatre’s summer intensive. A friend told me I should contact Laura Hames Franklin to get a BodyTalk session. I tried and after several missed attempts found out my only chance was an Introduction to BodyTalk and Franklin Method class she was teaching that night in Brooklyn. So after class that day I hopped on a subway to go somewhere I’d never been, to experience something I’d never experienced, all by myself. This was a wild leap of faith that was quite unlike me. [BodyTalk is a healthcare system that helps put a person's body back in balance to heal, grow and become even more healthful.] I had a brief BodyTalk session that night and a brief introduction to the Franklin Method as well. After the workshop finished Laura asked me if I could stay a bit longer and she show me some more Franklin Method work. She told me two things that night – to get one of Eric Franklin’s books and that I should become a Franklin Method teacher because my body took to the method well.
I left her apartment that night completely changed.
After going back to the west coast (where I lived) I soon felt a strong desire to move to New York City and have more BodyTalk sessions.
A Barnes & Noble in Manhattan
Following (almost blindly) Laura’s advice I went to Barnes and Noble and purchased one of Eric Franklin’s books, Conditioning for Dancers. I also kept Laura Hames Franklin in the back of my mind. One night in a definite low point I emailed Laura to schedule a distance BodyTalk session with her. That session lead to several more phone conversations. One of which (actually occurred on my birthday) announced the fact that I had bought my plane ticket to New York City (an act I did against my parents’ wishes) and I would be in the city at the end of January. She then told me again to register for the level 1 Franklin Method teacher training in Boulder, Colorado. This registration happened a month later because despite my complete lack of funds (I was moving to New York City with not a whole lot of money in my bank account) Laura found a way for me to do workstudy to pay for my training.
NYC after I moved - January 2011
Two days after I got into New York Laura invited me over to her house, a place I have since then spent many, many, many hours. She graciously welcomed me into her life.
I have gotten many BodyTalk sessions from her in the past year. Each session and each time I spend time with her seems to change my life and perspective a little, little bit more.
Laura Hames Franklin is a large part of the reason I am the person I am today.
