Meet Alison Wesley: Movement Educator, Writer, and Founder

Meet Alison

You experience life through the body. Improve the experience of being in the body, and voila! – the experience of being alive improves.

The importance of movement has always been a part of me.

I live for studying what we’re made of, and am endlessly fascinated with how we communicate with others as well as ourselves.

I believe in making movement accessible, creative, enjoyable and functional. Why? There’s enough self-hatred out there promoting change in the fitness world. I’d rather teach the kind of healthy movement that brings about self-appreciation and awe.

As Faculty, I have coordinated and taught Franklin Method Teacher Trainings online and in China, and I co-wrote Understanding the Pelvis: A Functional Approach to Yoga with Eric Franklin. I teach Anatomy and Physiology for Oregon School of Massage and co-lead in-person, hands-on cadaver dissection intensives and online experiential anatomy courses with my cherished colleague, Ann Teachworth, through our project, EmbodyU.

I lead weekly yoga/movement classes through my virtual class offerings/video library membership as well as for such wonderful organizations as Guide Dogs for the Blind, eBay, Kaiser Permanente and the City of Portland.

Gil Hedley | Integral Anatomy

Franklin Method | New York, NY | Faculty/Level 3 Educator

Bhakti Yoga | Portland, OR | 2014

Ananda Seva Mission | Santa Rosa, CA | 2009

Prananda Yoga | Portland, OR | 2007

Doug Keller Yoga | Portland , OR | 2012

Bodhi Tree Language Center | 2010-2014

Zumba Level 1: 2021

Pilates Sports Center | Mat Pilates Teacher Training | 2020

When not diving into movement, anatomy or philosophy, I am surely working on a project or writing. Along with writing Movement at Work, I wrote and produced a feature film that is due out in 2026. You can also find me striving to learn Spanish, writing songs, kickboxing with my dad, singing, dancing, spending precious time with my one-of-a-kind husband and stepkids, or sniffing around town with our two wildly spoiled German Shepherds.

Yes, I do a lot. But I am driven by a saying I learned in Cuba (that I also have tattooed on my back): que me quiten lo bailao which literally translates to they can’t take away what I’ve danced already. To me that means, dance whenever possible and say yes to the experiences that accumulate to become this full, vibrant and versatile life.

Here is a list of my writings:

In 2011, I woke up with no feeling in my left leg.

After extensive tests, I discovered I had 3 herniated discs. Although immediate surgery was recommended, I decided to first follow the advice of a physical therapist who gave me the hardest task: to lie face down and be still for 10 days. During those 10 days, I turned to one page in the Franklin Method book, Dynamic Alignment Through Imagery, and my whole world opened up. With one glance at an image in the book of vertebrae as corks floating in water, immediately sensation returned in my leg and healing had begun.

I found instant relief through mental imagery and through studying the intricacies of functional anatomy via the Franklin Method. I have been endlessly curious about the connection between the mind, movement and healing ever since.

Movement at Work

I started my company, Movement at Work, in 2007 as a way to bring movement to where people spend most of their time: in their offices, where we bring in-person classes and at home, where we offer virtual classes.

I wrote the book with the same name, Movement at Work, published by Human Kinetics and due out in December, 2026. It’s a book full of exercises and postural considerations to improve the workday, and it comes from my almost 20 years of experience bringing functional movement to the workplace.

Live & on-demand classes

Explore the offerings

In her movement classes, dissection labs and one-on-one therapeutic work, Alison encourages participants to ignite discoveries through movement and awareness.

Weekly live &
on-demand classes

One-on-one support
(currently full)

Trainings &
Courses

Forge connection through movement with our membership, offering live classes and over 1,000 on-demand classes to take at your convenience.