Pilates Respiratory: Tips on how to Do It the Proper Method

I’m somewhat ashamed to admit it took me years to understand the importance of proper breathing in Pilates. I just figured my natural breathing was enough—after all, I was breathing, right? There was always that moment when the instructor would ask, “Is everyone breathing?,” I’d nod, and without fail, someone in the class would respond with exaggerated theatrical breaths.

This cycle continued until one day an instructor came up to me mid-class and said, “You’re not breathing.” I was confused—I was breathing. I was alive, wasn’t I? But then she took the time to explain what breathing in Pilates really meant, and that’s when everything changed.

Up until that point, I’d hit a plateau. I’d show up to class to tick it off my schedule, but I wasn’t seeing much improvement. Once I learned how to breathe properly—whether on the reformer or mat—my core became noticeably stronger and my entire body felt so much more engaged. As it turned out, no, this wasn’t a fluke: Breathing correctly during Pilates actually makes all the difference.

Why breathing the right way is important during Pilates

Did you know on average we breathe 22,000 times per day? While most of these breaths are done without a second thought, there are actually a lot of benefits to intentional breathing while doing activities like Pilates.

“The connection to breath and movement is an integral part of Pilates and can enhance the practice and support you through each movement,” says Emma Stallworthy, Pilates instructor and founder of Your Reformer. “Usually, an inhale will prepare your body [for movement] and the exhale is for when the most power or stability is needed.”

A small 2017 study¹ in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science put this very idea to the test: Researchers had one group of participants breathe normally during a Pilates session and another group follow a specific Pilates breathing pattern while completing the same set of exercises.

They found that the group who used Pilates breathing tactics had more muscle activation in their core and back and had a reduced risks of trunk injuries than those who didn’t focus on how they were breathing. (More on how to breathe during Pilates in a sec!)

“Not only does proper breathing help engage your muscles better, but it also forces you to be more present and conscious during the workout.” —Carrie Minter Ebers, Pilates instructor

How to breathe correctly during Pilates

Joseph Pilates (the inventor of Pilates) famously said, “Above all, learn how to breathe correctly.” And while he didn’t push any specific breathing techniques, different instructors have different methods. “We ideally cue our clients to inhale for four to eight counts through their nose and fill their diaphragm as they prepare, and then they exhale out through their mouth for four to eight counts,” says Carrie Minter Ebers, Pilates instructor and founder of Carrie’s Pilates.

Stallworthy prefers to coordinate breath with movement. “Our body can perform better when breathing is coordinated and supported by the power of the movement,” she says. “For example, exhaling during movements of flexion of the spine supports further flexion, and in reverse, inhalation supports the extension of the spine as the ribcage opens out and up.”

What both trainers can agree on is that you need to be able to adapt your breathing based on the exercise you’re doing. “For slower moves like planks to pikes, you want to exhale deeply as you pike up and inhale as you bring the hips down,” Ebers says. But things change again for movements like the hundred exercise.

“In this exercise, you breathe in for a count of five beats, and breathe out for a count of five beats, repeating until you reach 100,” Stallworthy says. “This is a challenging exercise as you focus the breath laterally in your ribcage while maintaining the abdominal engagement.”

Being able to follow and adapt your Pilates breathing to the different exercises and their tempos may not come naturally at first, but if there’s one mistake that’s important to avoid it’s not breathing at all or just holding your breath (guilty!). Not only can this hinder your progress, but it increases your risk of injury.

“So many people forget to breathe, will strictly breathe through their mouth, or breathe erratically with a lack of control,” Ebers says. “Not only does proper breathing help engage your muscles better, but it also forces you to be more present and conscious during the workout.”

Is there a difference between Pilates and yoga breathing?

While both yoga and Pilates are low-impact workouts that integrate breath with movement, their breathing techniques are distinct. “Yoga breathing generally encourages the belly to fill with air, whereas Pilates focuses on expanding the ribcage during inhalation,” Stallworthy says.

In yoga, diaphragmatic breathing, or Pranayama, involves deep belly breaths in which your abdomen expands when you breathe in through your nose. This ancient practice, which dates back over 5000 years, is designed to regulate breath and promote mindfulness, relaxation, and energy flow. As Ebers notes, “yoga breathing is often slower and creates a calming sound.”

Alternatively, Pilates follows ribcage breathing, where your breath is directed into the sides of your ribcage while keeping your core engaged. In Pilates, you typically breathe through your nose on the inhale and exhaled through pursed lips, which encourages core stability and muscle activation.

Much like how athletes adapt between different sports, transitioning between yoga and Pilates is definitely possible—it just requires breathing technique adjustments. “It can take time to learn breathwork,” Stallworthy says, adding that the main goal is simply to keep breathing throughout. Ebers agrees. “Once you master the flow of breath, it elevates the intensity, precision, and mindfulness of each move and helps you find your transformative power.”