Breathing in Pilates: Why We Insist on It

In your first sessions the sentence you’ll hear most is probably: “Don’t forget the breath.”

This isn’t a stylistic choice. In pilates, breath is tied directly to the mechanics of movement.

What is lateral rib breathing?

In daily life most of us breathe into the chest (when we inhale, the shoulders rise. Or into the belly) the belly pushes forward.

In pilates we want a third thing: the ribs open to the sides and back, while the belly stays drawn in.

To try it: put your hands on the sides of your ribs. Breathe in and try to push your hands outward, but without pushing the belly out. It feels odd the first time; it’s a learned thing.

Why?

There are three reasons.

1. The deep abdominals stay active. The transversus abdominis wraps the trunk like a corset. When you breathe into the belly, this muscle relaxes. With lateral breathing it can stay active, so your spine is supported throughout the movement.

2. It sets the rhythm of the movement. In pilates you generally exhale on the effort. That’s not random: exhaling naturally brings the abdominals in more.

3. It reduces tension. When you hold your breath, the neck and shoulder muscles tense involuntarily. Those are already tight areas. When the breath keeps flowing, that extra tension doesn’t build.

The three most common mistakes

Holding the breath. When you strain, the reflex is to hold. When the instructor notices, they remind you.

Lifting the shoulders. If the shoulders rise toward the ears as you inhale, you’re breathing into the chest.

Overdoing it. You don’t need to force the breath. Natural but conscious is enough.

It works outside the session too

This way of breathing isn’t only for the studio. When you sit at a desk for a long time, the ribs compress and the breath gets shallow. A few conscious lateral breaths through the day both remind you of your posture and ease neck-and-shoulder tension.

It takes a minute:

1. Sit tall, lift your back slightly off the chair
2. Put your hands on the sides of your ribs
3. Inhale through the nose: let the ribs push your hands out, shoulders still
4. Exhale slowly through the mouth: let the ribs draw in
5. Five reps

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This is the O in POL: Oxygen: Breath. More about our method.