What is the correct way to breathe while doing Pilates exercises?

Here are a few truths that may help you in your Pilates practice: 

• Inhale through the nose, exhale through the mouth.

• There is no belly breathing in Pilates. When taking a breath in, try to direct the air into the ribcage.  

• The rib cage is 3-dimensional. Try breathing into the upper back (in between the shoulder blades area) and to the sides of the rib cage instead of only to the front/the chest.

• Start each exercise while inhaling and complete it while exhaling. Whether on the Mat or Apparatus, the breathing pattern is the same. Roll-up, Single Leg Circle, Rolling Like a Ball and all the other Mat exercises are all done the same way. 

• Even when working on the Apparatus with the resistance of the springs: inhale while completing the first half of the exercise, and exhale while completing the second half of it. 

The logic of breathing becomes even more obvious when performing such exercises as Frog or Stomach Massage. Inhaling to supply fresh oxygen into the bloodstream happens during exertion because that’s when the body needs the energy, the fuel to respond to the resistance of the springs. The second part of the movement when the coils of the springs are closing, happens while exhaling. 

Click on the video below and watch my demonstration of when to inhale and when to exhale while performing Frog and Stomach massage (round). I chose these two exercises as examples because my clients often struggle to remember how to properly synchronize the movement and breathing while performing these two exercises in particular.  

Next time you are practicing Pilates, try this pattern. 

You may experience physical ease while moving because you are supporting the movement with the breath instead of holding it in. 

You may also experience a different kind of an effort, the kind that comes from inflating and deflating your lungs in the rhythm of your movement which may turn up the intensity of your workout. 

Joseph Pilates on his method of Contrology

  "Breathing is  the first act of life, and the last. Our very life depends on it. Since we cannot live without breathing it is tragically deplorable to contemplate millions and millions have never learned to master the art of correct breathing. One often wonders how so many millions continue to live as long as they do under this tremendous handicap to longevity.  Lazy breathing converts the lungs, figuratively speaking, into a cemetery for the deposition of diseased, dying, and dead germs as well as supplying an ideal haven for the multiplication of other harmful germs. Therefore, above all, learn how to breathe correctly. “SQUEEZE EVERY ATOM OF AIR FROM YOUR LUNGS UNTIL THEY ARE ALMOST AS FREE OF AIR AS IS A VACUUM”.

   "Return To Life"

My two cents 

To the majority of Pilates enthusiasts I meet, it seems perfectly logical to powerfully exhale while working against the resistance of the springs. It makes sense to them to use the breath as energy to “tame" the springs or to lift one's own body weight. They find it challenging to change the way they move and breathe. But with patience and practice they eventually learn. The breathing pattern of the Frog is probably the most confusing:)

Note: Of course there are exceptions to the rule and you may find them within the vast Classical Pilates repertoire. But before we dive into it, it is best to establish a strong foundation of rules and guidelines upon which we then build our Pilates practice.

As a teacher, I sometimes modify the breathing pattern for an individual client if the way I'd like them to breathe hinders their movements.

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To Your Health!

Joanna