Dancers train for long hours to condition the body to perform stunning acts of artistry through movement expression. Daily tasks outside of dance training can unwittingly compromise the diligent efforts during classwork and rehearsals. The book goes beyond descriptions of the musculoskeletal system to improve performance. The reflective practice of Functional Awareness® teaches strategies to change daily habits in living and demonstrates how these small simple shifts can have a profound effect on ease in action. This new second edition introduces the reader to the reflective practice of Functional Awareness®. It uses foundational information of anatomy and motor learning to guide the reader toward a deeper understanding of their personal body structure. The movement explorations and anatomical visualizations to improve dance skills and provide lifelong tools for body wellness. Each chapter provides essentials in functional anatomy with over 60 beautiful illustrations to buoy the reader through the content. An application to improve specific dance movements using mental training through anatomical visualizations along with tactile body mapping. Finally, each chapter contains a mindful practice to integrate the practices into daily life in order to release unnecessary tension, improve posture, and better support the body outside of dance class and rehearsals.

Functional Awareness: Anatomy in Action for Dancers is where anatomy meets artistry. Each chapter provides explorations in embodied anatomy in an engaging manner with the use of images, storytelling, and experiential exercises. It is an accessible introduction to the relationship between daily movement habits, dance training and anatomy. The information is founded on over 30,000 hours of experience teaching and training dancers to generate efficient exertion and appropriate recuperation. Functional Awareness: Anatomy in Action for Dancers employs somatic practices along with explorations in experiential anatomy to awaken the body-mind connection and improve movement function. The book applies the Functional Awareness (R) approach to improve dance technique and provide skills to enable the dancer to move with balance and grace in the classroom, on stage, and in daily life.

Functional Awareness and Yoga is an essential book for all who wishes to deepen their yoga practice and discover strategies to reduce strain or discomfort on the mat as well as in daily life. It is also an excellent book of introductory concepts in anatomy as applied to yoga required during a yoga teacher training. Each chapter provides essentials in functional anatomy with over 60 practical illustrations. The chapters also apply specific postures in yoga with cues to support the practice on the mat. Finally, each chapter contains a mindful practice section to help readers integrate anatomical imagery into daily life in order to release unnecessary tension, improve posture, and support ease of movement. The reflective practice of Functional Awareness (R) changes how one goes through simple daily tasks in living and demonstrates how these small simple shifts can have a profound effect on ease in action and resilience in movement both on and off the yoga mat. Guiding readers through the essentials in body alignment by providing engaging explorations in body/mind awareness, the book offers a pathway to improve resilience and balance in action.