Understanding Breathing In Pilates: What The Evidence Actually Says
- theziblingsalipoon
- 9 hours ago
- 5 min read
“Exhale on the effort.”
“Breathe into your ribs.”
“Pull your belly button in as you breathe out.”
If you’ve been teaching Pilates for any length of time, you’ve probably used some version of these cues.
Breathing has always been one of the defining principles of the Pilates method.
Joseph Pilates himself described breathing as one of the foundations of movement, and most instructor training programmes dedicate significant time to teaching breathing patterns.
Yet despite all this emphasis, breathing remains one of the most misunderstood topics in the Pilates industry.
Many instructors leave their initial certification believing there is one correct breathing pattern for every exercise.
Modern anatomy, biomechanics and exercise science tell a different story.
Breathing is not simply about oxygen.
It influences spinal stability, intra-abdominal pressure, rib cage movement, pelvic floor function, movement efficiency and even how clients experience pain.
Understanding these relationships allows instructors to coach breathing with far greater confidence and importantly, to stop over-coaching it when it isn’t necessary.
Breathing Is More Than Air Moving In And Out
When we think about breathing, we often picture the lungs.
Interestingly, the lungs themselves don’t actively create breathing.
The primary muscle responsible is the diaphragm.
The diaphragm is a large dome-shaped muscle that separates the chest cavity from the abdominal cavity.
When it contracts:
it flattens downward
the rib cage expands
the lungs fill with air
When it relaxes:
it returns to its dome shape
air naturally leaves the lungs
Every breath you take begins with movement.
That movement affects far more than respiration.
The Diaphragm Is Part Of Your Core
One of the biggest advances in modern rehabilitation has been recognising that the diaphragm is part of the body’s deep stabilising system.
It works alongside:
the pelvic floor
transversus abdominis
multifidus
abdominal wall
Together these structures help regulate intra-abdominal pressure, providing support for the spine during movement.
Rather than functioning independently, they constantly communicate.
As the diaphragm descends during inhalation, the pelvic floor gently lengthens.
As we exhale, both structures naturally recoil.
This coordination occurs automatically in healthy movement.
The role of the instructor isn’t to force this relationship.
It’s to avoid disrupting it.
What Is Intra-Abdominal Pressure?
Intra-abdominal pressure sounds technical, but the concept is surprisingly simple.
Imagine your trunk as a cylinder.
The diaphragm forms the roof.
The pelvic floor forms the base.
The abdominal muscles create the walls.
When you breathe and move, pressure changes inside this cylinder.
Appropriate pressure helps:
support the spine
transfer force efficiently
improve lifting capacity
reduce unnecessary strain
Too little pressure may reduce stability.
Too much pressure may overload tissues, particularly the pelvic floor or abdominal wall in some individuals.
The goal isn’t maximum pressure.
It’s appropriate pressure for the task.
There Isn’t One Correct Way To Breathe
This surprises many instructors.
Clients often ask:
“When exactly should I inhale?”
“When should I exhale?”
The honest answer is:
It depends.
Breathing patterns change depending on:
the exercise
the load
the speed
the client’s experience
the goal of the exercise
existing injuries
pelvic floor considerations
While exhaling during effort is often an excellent starting point, it isn’t a universal rule that applies to every movement.
The body naturally adapts breathing to meet different physical demands.
Our role is to guide this not rigidly control it.
Why Exhaling Often Helps
Although there isn’t one perfect breathing strategy, exhaling during the most
demanding part of many exercises offers several advantages.
It can:
improve trunk coordination
reduce unnecessary breath holding
assist pressure regulation
encourage smoother movement
help clients avoid excessive bracing
This is particularly helpful for beginners, postnatal clients and individuals learning new movement patterns.
However, it shouldn’t become another rule that clients become anxious about getting “wrong.”
Breath Holding Isn’t Always Bad
Many instructors immediately correct clients who hold their breath.
But breathing science has become more nuanced.
During maximal lifts in strength training, brief breath holding (the Valsalva manoeuvre) naturally increases trunk stiffness and force production.
Elite athletes use this strategy regularly.
Does that mean we should teach breath holding to every Pilates client?
No.
But it does mean that breath holding isn’t automatically poor technique.
For most Pilates populations, encouraging smooth breathing remains appropriate.
Understanding why someone is holding their breath is more important than correcting it automatically.
Common Breathing Mistakes In Pilates
Over-Cueing
Some instructors cue breathing on every single repetition.
Clients become so focused on inhaling and exhaling correctly that they stop concentrating on movement quality.
Breathing should support movement.
It shouldn’t dominate it.
Forcing Deep Breaths
Not every breath needs to be exaggerated.
During dynamic movement, breathing naturally becomes quicker and shallower.
Trying to force large breaths during demanding exercises can actually interfere with efficient movement.
Over-Bracing The Core
Many clients believe they should maintain maximal abdominal tension throughout class.
This often creates:
breath holding
excessive rib rigidity
reduced diaphragm movement
unnecessary fatigue
The core isn’t designed to remain maximally contracted all day.
It should adapt continuously to changing demands.
Belly Button To Spine
This cue was once extremely popular.
Current evidence suggests it’s often overused.
Drawing the abdomen in excessively can actually reduce normal breathing mechanics and alter natural pressure regulation.
For many clients, encouraging relaxed abdominal coordination produces better movement than constant hollowing.
Breathing And Pain
Pain changes breathing.
People experiencing persistent pain often develop:
faster breathing
upper chest breathing
breath holding
increased neck muscle activity
These changes aren’t usually conscious.
They’re protective.
Helping clients restore calmer breathing patterns may reduce nervous system sensitivity while improving movement confidence.
This is one reason breathing is so valuable within Clinical Pilates.
Practical Teaching Strategies
Instead of memorising complicated breathing rules, consider these principles.
Let breathing support movement.
Don’t let it replace movement coaching.
Cue breathing when it changes performance.
Not every repetition requires a breathing instruction.
Observe before correcting.
Some clients naturally breathe beautifully without needing any cues.
Keep language simple.
Clients rarely benefit from lengthy respiratory explanations during class.
Simple cues often work best.
Match breathing to the goal.
Motor control sessions.
Strength sessions.
Prenatal classes.
Rehabilitation.
Each may require slightly different breathing emphasis.
Clinical Reasoning In Action
Imagine two clients performing the same reformer lunge.
Client one is a healthy recreational runner.
Client two is six months postnatal with pelvic floor symptoms.
Should their breathing cues be identical?
Probably not.
The exercise may look the same.
The pressure-management demands are completely different.
This is where clinical reasoning separates thoughtful programming from simply memorising cueing scripts.
Professional Reflection
Breathing is one of the defining principles of Pilates.
But like every principle, it should be applied thoughtfully rather than rigidly.
Clients don’t come to us to perform perfect breathing drills.
They come to move better.
When breathing improves movement, keep cueing it.
When breathing cues become distracting, simplify them.
The best instructors understand that breathing isn’t another rule to enforce.
It’s another tool to enhance movement quality.
Continue Building Your Anatomy Knowledge
If you’d like to understand the diaphragm, rib cage biomechanics, pressure management and breathing in far greater depth, our Applied Anatomy & Biomechanics Certification bridges anatomy with practical Pilates programming.
Inside you’ll learn:
Functional respiratory anatomy
Rib cage biomechanics
Core pressure systems
Pelvic floor integration
Movement compensation
Clinical reasoning for real clients
Practical cueing strategies that actually improve movement
Developed by physiotherapists and designed specifically for Pilates instructors wanting to teach with greater confidence.
Available fully online and self-paced.
Key Teaching Points
The diaphragm is both a breathing muscle and an important contributor to trunk stability.
Breathing influences intra-abdominal pressure, spinal support and movement efficiency.
There is no single perfect breathing pattern for every Pilates exercise.
Exhaling during effort is often useful but should not become a rigid rule.
Over-cueing breathing can interfere with motor learning and movement quality.
Breathing should enhance movement—not distract from it.
Clinical reasoning should guide breathing cues rather than memorised scripts.
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