Customer Reviews

Relax Your Neck, Liberate Your Shoulders: The Ultimate Exercise Program for Tension Relief

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Eric Franklin, a dancer and choreographer, has been teaching imaging techniques for years to dancers and others. Imaging is basically using visualization to relax the body. Sounds hokey? It isn't - it truly works!

I bought this book as I was having chronic shoulder tension and felt I wanted to try something new. The imaging techniques presented are simple - and you can do them any time, anywhere - with your mind being the only equipment needed!

Franklin goes into detail about how your shoulders and neck work - and has many different ways to aid your tension. Although visualization can be difficult for some people, his exercises make it simple and you are bound to find a few gems here to assist you in releasing your upper body stress.

There are pictures throughout - not the greatest artwork, but they convey what you are working on clearly enough. I found the language to be precise and easy to grasp. After using this book for a few weeks, I have been having less stress in my shoulder and am feeling much freer. I use a few of the techniques with my yoga students as well.

This book is entertaining, informative, intellegent, helpful, challenging and instructive on how to reduce tension and increase relaxation. Eric Franklin uses his words and pictures to easily teach us how to reduce neck and shoulder pain within a few minutes and sometimes just by using our imagination.

You don't have to go to a gym to do his exercises; all you need is the time and enough space to sit, stand or lie down.

This book is truly one that you will want to refer to on a regular basis to continue your journey of relaxation in your daily life.

The author uses visualization throughout the book, which only works if you are able to tap into this technique (e.g. "imagine two winking eyes on your collarbones......". I tried, I really did, but I just couldn't get my mind to cooperate, and finally gave up in frustration. However, if you are able to visualize, then you might find this book very useful.

Due to the fact that Eric Franklin is Swiss, and he didn't have much of an editor, both this book and the Pelvic Power book lack consistency, clear descriptions of exercises, and has typos. He's a genius, but these books sell him short. I've gleaned some information from both, but my critical nature gets caught up in the errors and inconsistencies (captions with the wrong pictures, pictures showing other exercises that are on later pages, mis-spellings, etc.). Wish he would have had a better editor!

Some of the information seems a bit far fetched but when I started doing the exercises it really helps with neck and shoulder tightness and pain.

These exercises target alignment and flexibility of smaller stabilizing muscles. Most of us do not benefit from yoga or other types of classes very much because we make the shell of the movement but the guts of the movement are distorted, compensated and out of alignment because of chronic muscle shortening. In a large class, no instructor can give constant individual attention and many do not have the specific knowledge. These exercises, sometimes deceptively simple appearing, are intended to isolate just the movement needed. The value of actually doing the exercises is immense. While visualizations are used as one technique, these are actual movements.

As for the writing, as others have pointed out, English is a second language for the author, so instructions sometimes are less informative than the author realizes, but trying the exercise usually clarifies things. Still worth 5 stars because of the life-changing potential of getting release in these areas.

I recommend reading the book first, then reread taking the time to do each exercise. The visualizations and the drawings enhance each other with the exercise. Overall, I have found these exercises more helpful than Feldenkrais ATM. This is a perfect book for anyone who needs to do less without efforting. The exercises are very effective and the discussion of anatomy is not that difficult. Eric Franklin lists Mabel Todd's: The Thinking Body as a reference. It, too, is full of body mechanics, although it may not be for everyone.

I have found this book to be quite frustrating with all the medical names for parts of the shoulders and neck, which one would need to have had training in physiology to locate,let alone be able to visualize images. The pictures were confusing. Might be useful for a trained practitioner to teach a client and to point out or demonstrate the technique, but I GIVE UP..!