Die Atemlehrerin

A lady with a slight German accent teaches mindfulness in New York City: how to breathe consciously, feel the body, and survive the stress of the big city. Her studio is a hidden gem for singers, dancers, and tense office workers. Her students say she is completely relaxed. But her own painful past remains a secret from them. The breathing instructor tells the touching story of Carola Joseph. Born in 1901, the gymnastics teacher lives, works, and researches in Berlin, marries, becomes Carola Spitz, and only leaves the city when it is almost too late. She becomes a Jewish refugee among tens of thousands, establishes herself as Carola Speads in Manhattan, and continues to teach in her studio by Central Park even at the age of 98. Christoph Ribbat connects a close-up biography with the history of breathing exercises and gymnastics experiments in the 20th century. From the estate of a nearly unknown emigrant emerges a captivating family and cultural history. Those who read it will begin to breathe consciously themselves. This – says Carola Spitz/Speads – brings happiness.