5 minutes with Noam Gagnon
With the next installment of our free webinar series Move & Improve: How the Franklin Method® improves Pilates coming up fast, we decided to sit down with the class’ teacher – Franklin Method® Faculty Educator and Pilates Instructor Noam Gagnon – for a chat. To find out more about Noam and his work, check out the website of his wonderful studio in Vancouver, Canada “Beyond Pilates“.
Noam, when did you first start learning the Franklin Method®?
In 2011, following the recommendation of a friend, I took a weekend workshop with Eric Franklin as a birthday present to myself. And that was it: I fell in love with the amazing Franklin Method® system!
How has the Franklin Method® changed your Pilates?
I am now even more aware, informed and efficient during my Pilates practice. It’s as if my Franklin Method® knowledge and practice has given me an internal X-ray machine. I can now visualize and understand what is happening inside my body and how I can create constant positive change in my Pilates practice by using the many tools the Franklin Method® offers.
Why would you recommend Franklin Method® to Pilates enthusiasts and teachers?
In my opinion, it is an absolute must. I have used the brilliance of Classical Pilates to maintain my body as a professional dance artist for almost 40 years. Learning and incorporating the Franklin Method® and its systematic scientific approach and embodiment techniques has not only made me a better-informed Pilates practitioner and teacher, but also a more efficient dance artist.
Here are a few thoughts from Eric Franklin himself to reflect on why Franklin Method® could be right for you: “The closer your body image relates to your actual design, the better your function”, “The better proprioception, the better the navigation”, “If you want to change your body, first you have to change you mind”, “Imagery is the most available exercise because your brain and body are always with you”, “Match the metaphor to the mechanics” and “You are not only teaching your actions, you’re teaching your state of being”.
Do Pilates and Franklin Method® work well together?
Absolutely, they are a perfect compliment to one another. I am still a purist though and I am very clear about not mixing / blending the Pilates and Franklin Method®. The classical work of Joseph Pilates is simply brilliant, as is the work of Eric Franklin.
What’s your all-time favorite visualization/imagery exercise?
The one that I discover in the moment that has the power to arouse positive change in me. It truly is a constant evolution and revelation, like my life, and like my practice.
Can you describe the Franklin Method®/Pilates pairing in one word?
In one word? How about a short phrase: “Embody the design and function of your body” (courtesy of Jospeh Pilates in his book “Return to Life”).
What’s the best thing about being a Franklin Method® Educator?
Creating the profound “Aha!” moments in my students while assisting them in deepening the comprehension of what is actually happening within their bodies.
If you want to find out more about pairing Pilates and Franklin Method® with Noam, we have good news: You can! You can join him live online on Thursday, March 30 – 10 AM (Pacific) / 1 PM (Eastern) / 7 PM (Zurich) – for Move & Improve: How the Franklin Method® improves Pilates. And the best bit? It’s FREE! Book your spot for the live event today.
Noam Gagnon began studying Pilates in 1987 and after an intensive 1600+ hours of training, received his first teaching certification in 2003 from the The Pilates Center of Boulder Colorado, North America’s leading Pilates teacher training program. He then went on to found Beyond Pilates Inc in Vancouver, Canada in 2004. In 2016, Noam graduated The Pilates Master Program with Jay Grimes at Vintage Pilates in Los Angeles California. Jay Grimes is a first generation of teacher who studied with Joseph Pilates. Noam began studying the Franklin Method® in 2011, graduating after a three-year program in 2015 as a Franklin Movement Educator Level 3. Noam is now part of the Franklin Method® Movement Educator Faculty.
Noam is also an acclaimed dance artist who, over the course of his career, has helped lead Canadian dance to the forefront of the global stage. As Artistic Director of Vision Impure, he has created work that has received wide acclaim around the world. Find out more about Noam at Beyond Pilates.
Don’t miss regular free lessons with Noam and the rest of the Faculty on our YouTube channel:
