Something that I love about Pilates is the focus on breathing and how beneficial this is when it comes to movement. Breathing in one of the 5 key elements of Pilates and this is because using your breath can help with movement; it can help you twist further, it can steady you when you feel wobbly and it can help with that all important relaxation and mind-body connection.
Pilates breathing, often referred to as lateral breathing, is when you breath deep into the base of your lungs and focus on really trying to expand the ribcage outwards. Taking a big inhale through the nose and then a slow and controlled exhale out of the mouth. By doing this, you’re creating more space in the lungs, creating a deeper breath and by trying to expand the ribcage you’re creating a lovely stretch in the muscles in between the ribs (an area which can get quite tight!)
There are multiple benefits of Pilates breathing. Here are some of my favourites:
It can increase abdominal engagement - so all those core muslces that are so important to keep engaged in multiple Pilates exercises!
It can improve focus - often during more challenging exercises focusing on your breath can draw your focus away from the exercise and allow you to continue the movement for longer (think of it like a distraction from the burn!)
It can improve respiritary function - if you think of all the muscles that are involved in breathing, doing Pilates breathing can strengthen these muscles, therefore improving your breathing function.
It can increase you body awareness - by focusing on your breathing and trying to sync your breath with the Pilates exercises, it forces you to slow your movement down and really understand how the exercises are affecting your body.
Pilates breathing is something I love to start my classes with as it allows people to reset, let there bodies know that it’s time to move and relax and switches the focus to breath work throughout the class - it's a moment of relaxation to start the class. I usually get everyone to pop their hands at the side of their ribs which gives some feedback so you will really feel the ribs expanding outwards as you inhale, making sure you're directing your breath to the right area.
Give it a go, bringing your hands to your ribcage, take a deep breath in through your nose, directing the breath to the base of your lungs and outwards to push your ribcage out to the side, then exhale through the mouth and relax the ribcage back down again. Just try 10 repetitions, and notice the difference in how you feel before and after.🩷✨
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