Breathing for Peak Performance: Functional Exercises for Dance, Yoga, and Pilates

by Eric Franklin

Most people give little thought to how they breathe—but if they want to have more energy, be more alert, and improve their exercise and sport performance, they should, says renowned author, dancer, and movement educator Eric Franklin. “Breathing is essential to our survival, it is necessary for energy production, and it is something we do about 20,000 times a day,” says Franklin, who has taught at various universities and ballets and coached world champions and Cirque du Soleil artists in his Franklin Method. “We stand to benefit if we improve our breathing.” In Breathing for Peak Performance , you will learn how to improve your own breathing and the breathing of those you coach and work with. This concise, heavily illustrated text will help you do the • Learn to improve your breathing function to benefit your health and improve your sport performance and daily living • Understand the anatomy of breathing—all the muscles and joints involved and how they work together • Practice 35 breathing exercises to improve functional breathing technique and performance in dance, yoga, and Pilates • Study and train the vital muscle of breathing—the diaphragm—grasping how it interacts with the abdominal muscles and other muscles associated with breathing • Comprehend the function and movement of the rib cage as it pertains to breathing • Integrate all the elements involved in breathing, including the lungs and inner organs, for optimal breathing function “The ideas and exercises in this book are tried and tested over 30 years of teaching, and they have been used by dancers, yoga practitioners, Pilates instructors, actors, vocal coaches, singing coaches, physiotherapists, swimmers, runners, and many others,” says Franklin. “When you perform the exercises, you will feel more energetic, focused, and relaxed. You will also gain an understanding of how to integrate imagery into your breathing practice.” Franklin presents the exercises—many accompanied by full-color illustrations—through his famed Franklin Method, which combines movement, imagery, and touch. His method helps practitioners relearn, in this case, correct breathing procedure to maximize breathing function. “To improve your breathing or to coach someone who needs to improve, first you need that solid understanding of anatomy,” Franklin says. “And you need to understand the habits that can hinder efficient breathing—tension, poor posture, and negative thinking, among others.” Franklin presents a recommended daily practice at the end of the book, which is ideal for individuals, professionals, coaches, practitioners, and students of dance, yoga, and Pilates. His detailed description of the anatomy, his presentation of the exercises, and his ability to integrate this information and make it very practical through his Franklin Method make this text an important reference for those who are looking to reach their peak performance in sport and in life.

72 pages, Paperback

Published September 12, 2018

About the author

Eric Franklin is the founder and director of the Franklin Method. He created the Method over 25 years ago, first teaching in Switzerland, Germany and Austria and further in the USA, China, Japan and many other countries. He earned his BS from the University of Zurich and his Bachelor of Fine Arts at the New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. Eric teaches at universities and schools throughout the world including the Juilliard School in New York, Rutgers University, the University of Vienna, the Royal Ballet School and the Laban Center in London. He has taught Beyonce’s & Celine Dion’s world tour dance companies. In 1998 he introduced the first dance conditioning methodology to mainland China.

Eric presents his work at numerous conferences, such as the World Congress for Lower Back and Pelvic Pain, the Pilates Method Alliance and the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science. Eric Franklin is author 21 books, including of Dynamic Alignment through Imagery (2012), Dance Imagery for Technique and Performance (2013), Relax your Neck – Liberate your Shoulders (2002), Pelvic Power (2003), Inner Focus, Outer Strength (2006) and Beautiful Body, Beautiful Mind (2009). Eric Franklin’s books have been translated into German, Italian, Spanish, Polish, French, Czech, Chinese and Korean.

Reviews

[Josie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I am a Franklin Method Educator and the author is my teacher.

As someone who teaches this method, the books are incredibly valuable and this book is no exception. Even just reading this book on the subway as I prepare for upcoming teaching appointments and workshops helps be breathe easier and more fully.

That being said, I have had multiple students and clients of mine say that Eric's books are inaccessible and hard to understand. Like so many somatic practices, it is better experienced than read. One of the reasons that I find reading this book so useful is that I already have a rigorous physical practice to go along with this imagery.