Transfer pain permanently into well-being.
We're stressed out and have not time. and, once again, our necks are sore and our shoulders are tense.
What can we do to become more permanently flexible, and to face daily challenges more calmly-without the usual tension, tension that gives us headaches and makes us sore all over?
The exercises developed by Eric Franklin make it possible to become loose and relaxed in a playful way, and to discover increased lightness in both body and soul.
These exercises can be used to target specific problems, but are also very effective in transforming pain into well-being.
Imagery and touch are the keys to this unique approach to eliminating stiffness and pain in the neck and shoulders, with simple and effective exercises that can be done at home, on the job, or while traveling. Experiment with the variety of techniques presented and choose those that work the best.
Sufferers of upper body pain will learn how to detect and eradicate early signs of tension.
Understand the connection between emotional states and tension. Survive stressful sitations calmly and without tensing a muscle. Discover how improving the alignment of the head, neck and shoulders will ease the strain on muscles and joints and promote an aura of confidance and health.

Eric Franklin eaned his BFA from New York University's Tiisch School of the Arts and his BS from the University of Zurich. He is member of the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science, has taught at the Institute for Psychomotor Therapy in Zurich, and has been guest lecturer at the University of Vienna. He is head of the Franklin Method Institute in Uster, Switzerland, and travels worldwide conducting workshops.

Contents

Acknowledgments
Preface: Keping the noodles on the fork
Introduciton
Ideokinesis: Exercising with internal imagery
Thinking patterns
Structure of this book
1 Tension
Tension as interpreted movement
Protection from tension
Time pressures and time robbers
Time abundance
2 Relaxation for beginners
Organs create flexibility
The balance between being and doing
Regeneration-a full-time jpb
Relaxing the shoulders
Arm shaking
70% water
Discrimination and discernment
Shaking the diaphragm
Stretching the diaphragm
Collarbone massage
The swing of the pendulum
Feet and shoulders
Friend tension
3 Refresh your joints
The nature of joints
The shoulder girdle
The shoulder blade
Movement of the shoulder blade
Humeroscapular rhythm (H-rhythm)
The coracoid process
Finger to shoulder blade connections (after Bonnie cohen)
The shoulder joint
4 Muscle harmony
Muscle sliding
The trapezius
Active muscle elogation
The rhomboids
The serratus anterior muscle
The levator scapulae
The triangular or deltoid muscle
Arm rotators
The major and minor pectorals
The latissimus dorsi
5 Organ relaxation
Heart or brain
Soft axes
6 Partnering: The relaxation duet
The wrist joints
Rollup and roll down with the spinous processes
Letting go
Hand on the table
7 Relaxed at your desk, without a care on your chair
Active pelvic floor-relaxed shoulders
Bringing space to the armpits
Bringing space to the shoulders
Standing and sitting
Shopping bags for posture exercises
8 Help for the neck
Neck freedom
The neck starts in the back
Four joints
The muscles of the atlas and the axis
The sternomastoid muscle
Loosening the jaw muscles
Relaxing the tongue
9 Giving oneself up to play
Devotion in daily life
Other books by Eric Franklin
Workshops
Index