If you’ve taken even one Pilates class, you’ve heard instructions about breathing. Inhale here, exhale there, breathe into your ribs, don’t hold your breath. For beginners, this constant attention to breath can feel overwhelming—aren’t you just supposed to breathe naturally? At InnerCore in Chelsea, we explain why breath is the foundation of everything we do, and why this focus transforms how your body moves and feels.
Breathing Is Your Core’s On/Off Switch
Your diaphragm isn’t just for breathing—it’s an integral part of your deep core stabilization system. When you breathe properly, your diaphragm moves down on the inhale and up on the exhale. This movement coordinates with your pelvic floor (which gently releases on inhale and lifts on exhale) and your deepest abdominal muscles.
This coordination is automatic in healthy breathing patterns, but most people have disrupted this natural rhythm through stress, poor posture, and shallow chest breathing. When your breathing is dysfunctional, your core can’t stabilize effectively. It’s that simple.
Every STOTT PILATES® session at InnerCore begins with breath awareness because without proper breathing, nothing else works optimally.
Three-Dimensional Breathing
Most people breathe shallowly into their chest, raising their shoulders and barely engaging their diaphragm. We teach lateral thoracic breathing—expanding your rib cage sideways and backwards while maintaining engagement of your deep abdominal muscles.
This breathing pattern allows you to keep your core active while still breathing fully. It sounds complex, but with practice, it becomes natural. The reformer actually helps you feel this—when you’re lying on your back, you can feel your ribs pressing into the carriage as you inhale, providing tangible feedback.
Breathing for Movement Control
Specific breathing patterns facilitate specific movements. Exhaling during effort (like lifting a leg or pushing the carriage) provides additional core stability when you need it most. Inhaling during less demanding phases allows recovery and preparation. This coordination between breath and movement creates smoother, more controlled exercise execution.
In your sessions, your instructor cues exactly when to inhale and exhale for each exercise. This isn’t arbitrary—it’s based on biomechanical principles that optimize both safety and effectiveness.
Nervous System Regulation
Beyond the physical mechanics, your breathing pattern directly influences your nervous system state. Slow, rhythmic breathing activates your parasympathetic nervous system, promoting relaxation and recovery. Quick, shallow breathing maintains sympathetic activation—your stress response.
This means the breathing you practice during Pilates isn’t just for exercise—it’s a tool you can use anytime for stress management, better sleep, or simply feeling more grounded in your body.
Common Breathing Mistakes
Even when people try to breathe “correctly,” they often make predictable mistakes: holding breath during difficult movements, forcing breath too deeply or too rapidly, breathing into the chest instead of ribs, gripping or creating tension while trying to breathe, and reversing the pattern (belly in on inhale, out on exhale).
In private 1to1 sessions at InnerCore, your instructor observes and corrects these patterns immediately. You’re building proper habits from the start, rather than reinforcing dysfunction.
The Progression
Initially, coordinating breath with movement feels awkward and requires concentration. This is completely normal. With practice, the patterns become automatic. Eventually, you’ll notice yourself breathing more effectively throughout your day—not just during exercise.
This carry-over is one of the most valuable aspects of Pilates training. The hour you spend each week creates awareness and habits that improve how you function during all the other hours.
At InnerCore in London, we never treat breath as an afterthought. It’s the foundation. Understanding and experiencing proper breathing patterns transforms not just your Pilates practice, but how you move, manage stress, and feel in your body every day. Your first session includes detailed breath instruction—discover why we believe it’s the most important thing we teach.
