breath technique for Pilates and life

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To Breathe In Pilates Class

Pilates is about more than you think. As I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts, Pilates is a full body workout. A vital part of your body is your breath. Breathing is an integral part of the workout. I’ve got some new insights on breathing for you to help you feel more connected, get more out of your workout and even sleep better.

Pilates starts with breathing. Pilates is challenging and when you breathe correctly you’ll feel better. The Hundred is a breathing exercise. You’re trying to breathe, move and deepen the engagement of your core, when it happens…someone lets out a smart remark about how hard that was, someone else chimes in, and a third person decides it’s a great time to ask questions. All of a sudden, people are swapping cat and dog stories and ten minutes into class, everyone is laughing and chatting up a storm.

The chatter and gym talk are distractions to everyone and once the party gets started, it’s hard to stay focused on the work. All that talking can cheat you of the best thing Pilates has to offer, a focus on breathing, which in turn takes you deep into your work. When done correctly, Pilates changes your mind and your body. It changes your whole body, inside and out!

Pilates exercise is demanding

 This is part of what makes it so exhilarating, that sense of accomplishment from nailing an exercise and feeling the effects of that exercise in your body. When you focus on your breathing, it makes you more connected to your body. Pilates teaches you to move efficiently and use your powerhouse, instead of straining your joints and tendons.

So, how are you working?

There’s so much to think about! It’s going to take concentration, control, precision, and focus to stay on top of the workout. I’m not going to lie. Sometimes a Pilates workout feels like tightrope walking because you have to focus so much on what you’re doing!

 For many people, when things get difficult or challenging –or both– two things can happen: their breathing technique slides into mouth-breathing and this facilitates gym banter. You’ve heard it, the grunts, the cursing, the back talking directed at the teacher.

The real takeaway is your breath and breathing technique.

Instead of focusing on something easy like talking, breathing quietly, can activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which keeps you calm during your workout, and in stressful situations. Breathing well can change the outcome of many circumstances such as going to the dentist or being stuck in traffic. Or during childbirth labor. By maximizing the volume of air you take into and expel from your lungs, you change the quality of your workout as well as bring numerous benefits to your lungs and your blood. Through breathing, you draw oxygen into your bloodstream and carry away carbon dioxide. What a simple act for such a significant process! 

Joseph Pilates, in his work, Return to Life, states that: “Breathing is the first act of life, and the last. Our very life depends on it.” Following this premise, he is quick to point out that few learn to breathe correctly. As a result of lazy breathing, our lungs become a “cemetery for the deposition of diseased, dying, and dead germs.” He urges his readers to learn to breathe correctly: “‘SQUEEZE’ EVERY ATOM OF AIR FROM YOUR LUNGS UNTIL THEY ARE ALMOST AS FREE OF AIR AS IS A VACUUM.” The technique of breathing correctly, then, precedes the study of his exercises, not the other way around.  

I know these exercises are hard. I get that there’s a lot to remember. That’s why I am going to talk you through the exercise, so you don’t have to store all that information while trying to move. Your job is to move and mine is to guide you through that process. And breathe. I might even step back and stop talking so you can listen to your own body.

A year ago, I discovered nasal breathing.

I grew up having all sorts of respiratory problems. Until 2019, I used to get a bad cold twice a year. It sort of went through the family and we passed it around like a relay race. As it turns out, wearing masks put an end to that. Who’da thunk it? I never knew that I could breathe through my nose. I had a real mental block about this because since birth, I’d always been congested. Going for nearly a year without any colds must have helped my sinus passages clear completely and this in turn has helped enormously whenever I consciously make the effort to work out with my mouth closed, as well as during classes or lessons I take with my teachers.

 At first, it took a leap of faith for me to be able to inhale and exhale through my nose. I practiced workouts with the goal of breathing through my nose for as long as possible, allowing the occasional sip of air through the mouth. The change was immediately evident and quite dramatic. Using a conscious breathing technique during my workouts resulted in greater focus and a heightened sense of calm. This calm spilled over into other parts of my life: I noticed that I was sleeping better at night. I woke up with my mouth closed more often! Me, the chronic mouth-breather, or snorer! Ten years ago, I couldn’t breathe through my nostrils. I remember feeling like it was impossible to move any air through my nasal passages at all.

 I know how it must sound in class when I invite people to keep their mouths closed. It’s not that I don’t want to hear any questions or groans or what have you (by the way, do keep your questions for the end of class)! I really want everyone to experience the benefits deep breathing brings you all throughout the day and also while you sleep. It’s pretty incredible that you can change so much from thirty to fifty minutes of a Pilates workout, and I invite you to try it. 

If you are chronically congested, start with shorter segments of a minute or two as you do chores around the house, or while reading email, and increase that time little by little until you can get through an entire workout relying entirely on nasal breathing. This stuff works! You’ll be surprised at how a small thing can result in significant changes. After all, that’s kind of how the entire Pilates method works. Little details that create big shifts in your body. And it’s 100% natural! It’s literally God’s gift to you and me. Nay, more than a gift: a real treasure!

Give this nasal breathing a whirl, then let me know in the comments below if you felt a difference!

Blessings,

Anita

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