| Clara Schlaffhorst | |
| Birth Date: | 16 October 1863 |
| Birth Place: | Memel |
| Death Date: | 1945 |
| Death Place: | Seefeld, Pommern |
| Occupation: | Singer |
Clara Schlaffhorst (16 October 1863 – 17 February 1945)[1] was a German singer and promoter of physical education including breathing gymnastics. Schlaffhorst and Hedwig Andersen founded the, a method of respiration, speech and voice therapy.
Schlaffhorst was born in Memel. She advocated a system of breathing gymnastics with physical education with Hedwig Andersen.[2] Their method involved breathing, rhythmic movement and swinging exercises to train posture-breath coordination. In 1916, they founded an institute to promote this method known as Tonschwingubungen (sound-swinging exercises) until the 1940s.[2] Schlaffhorst was influenced by the Swiss organist Leo Kofler.[3] In 1897, she translated his book The Art of Breathing into German. The book formed the basis of her Rotenburger Breathing School (Rotenburg School of Respiration).[3] [4]
The Rotenburg School of Respiration became the Schlaffhorst-Andersen School in 1982.[4]