How to Breathe When Doing Pilates

Pilates is a form of exercise which stresses both mental and physical well-being through a variety of techniques. One of these techniques is controlled, complete breathing. The founder of pilates, Joseph Pilates, believed proper circulation could increase the amount of cellular waste carried out of the body, which would increase energy. Doing proper breathing is such an essential part of pilates, some instructors spend entire class periods on how to do it.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Find a comfortable position either sitting up or lying on your back. Should you opt for being on your back, make sure your knees are slightly bent.

2. Relax your shoulders and make your spine as straight as possible. Try to pull all of your weight down to the lower half of your body, especially when you are in an upright position.

3. Take a deep, slow breath, allowing your lungs and diaphragm to fill completely. When you breathe in, try to imagine the air filling all of the parts of your body in order. For example, upper chest, lungs, diaphragm and then back. The idea is to fill your entire torso with air.

4. Exhale, imagining your breath is leaving the exact opposite way it came in. First it will leave the lower body on its way to the lungs and then out through the upper chest last.

5. Repeat several times to completely relax and replenish your body. You may feel discouraged at first when you can't feel the air passing through every part of your body, but don't worry. Eventually you'll become very familiar with the air flow pattern.

6. Focus on your breathing as much as possible. Occasionally, you may have random, distracting thoughts enter your mind. This is completely normal, and you should acknowledge these thoughts, but let them pass as quickly as you can.

Tips & Warnings

• Monitor your shoulders while you breathe. The natural inclination is to let them rise up when you inhale, but you'll have to make a conscious effort to leave them down throughout the exercise. They should stay down and relaxed the entire time to allow your body to take in more balanced breaths.
• Don't arch your back while you're breathing. Your spine should be in a neutral position, neither flat nor arched. If you arch your back too much when doing pilates, you may end up with a mild to moderate back injury. You may also end up with an unbalanced breathing pattern.

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[opalpearl3]

on 4/7/2009 Interesting article. 5*