Somatics with Shannon Murphy (Mon 7/13, 9-10AM)
PDS Summer Intensive 2026: Drop in classes
Mapping Breath: A Franklin Method & Movement Exploration with Shannon Murphy
Monday 7/13, 9AM-10AM
📍 Mascher Space (1170 S. Broad Street)
Description:
The Franklin Method is a somatic approach that blends embodied anatomy, mental imagery, and movement exploration to deepen awareness and expand possibility in the body. Designed for professional dancers/performers and highly attuned movers, this two-part experiential series invites participants into a nuanced exploration of breath as a source of support, adaptability, collaboration, and expression.
Across both sessions, we will journey through the inner landscape of breathing anatomy by imaging and sensing the movement of the diaphragm, ribcage, sternum, spine, pelvic floor, and surrounding organs - using guided imagery, movement investigations, anatomical models, Franklin Method ball rolling, and playful props. Rather than approaching the body through correction or diagnosis, these classes center sensation, curiosity, and an invitation to notice. Practice is a sort of recalibration of attention, so that we can inquire how imagery and breath influence movement quality, effort, dynamic range, and nervous system regulation.
As awareness of the breath expands, habitual holding patterns may begin to soften, allowing movement to become more fluid, responsive, and spacious. Through simple yet layered explorations, we will investigate how diaphragmatic breathing relates to posture, coordination, mobility, grounding, and artistic presence — both in stillness and in motion.
Part I will focus on mapping the primary structures of breathing and developing embodied awareness of the diaphragm, ribs, sternum, and lungs through sensation-based movement explorations and imagery practices.
Part II will build upon these foundations by exploring the relationship between breath and the pelvic diaphragm as well as the abdominal and pelvic organs.
Expect proposals for practice that focus on subtle shifts in perception which can open new pathways for efficiency, expression, and ease. This series is not about fixing the body, achieving ideal alignment, or prescribing a “correct” way to breathe; instead, it offers tools for listening more deeply to the intelligence already present within the moving body.
PDS Summer Intensive 2026: Drop in classes
Mapping Breath: A Franklin Method & Movement Exploration with Shannon Murphy
Monday 7/13, 9AM-10AM
📍 Mascher Space (1170 S. Broad Street)
Description:
The Franklin Method is a somatic approach that blends embodied anatomy, mental imagery, and movement exploration to deepen awareness and expand possibility in the body. Designed for professional dancers/performers and highly attuned movers, this two-part experiential series invites participants into a nuanced exploration of breath as a source of support, adaptability, collaboration, and expression.
Across both sessions, we will journey through the inner landscape of breathing anatomy by imaging and sensing the movement of the diaphragm, ribcage, sternum, spine, pelvic floor, and surrounding organs - using guided imagery, movement investigations, anatomical models, Franklin Method ball rolling, and playful props. Rather than approaching the body through correction or diagnosis, these classes center sensation, curiosity, and an invitation to notice. Practice is a sort of recalibration of attention, so that we can inquire how imagery and breath influence movement quality, effort, dynamic range, and nervous system regulation.
As awareness of the breath expands, habitual holding patterns may begin to soften, allowing movement to become more fluid, responsive, and spacious. Through simple yet layered explorations, we will investigate how diaphragmatic breathing relates to posture, coordination, mobility, grounding, and artistic presence — both in stillness and in motion.
Part I will focus on mapping the primary structures of breathing and developing embodied awareness of the diaphragm, ribs, sternum, and lungs through sensation-based movement explorations and imagery practices.
Part II will build upon these foundations by exploring the relationship between breath and the pelvic diaphragm as well as the abdominal and pelvic organs.
Expect proposals for practice that focus on subtle shifts in perception which can open new pathways for efficiency, expression, and ease. This series is not about fixing the body, achieving ideal alignment, or prescribing a “correct” way to breathe; instead, it offers tools for listening more deeply to the intelligence already present within the moving body.