Pilates for Posture: How the Exercise Can Assist You Stand Taller

I recently came across a photo a friend took of me while I was casually doing my makeup on the floor. At first, I had no issues with the candid shot—until I noticed how badly I was slumped over with the worst posture imaginable. That photo was my wake-up call and made me determined to do something about it, which is how I found myself committing to 30 days of Pilates.

The question was simple: Could 30 days of consistent Pilates improve my posture? I’ve always loved Pilates and knew how often it was praised for strengthening the core, improving flexibility, and body awareness—all key elements of good posture. I decided to alternate between at-home mat sessions and studio classes with the reformer.

My goal was to feel stronger and develop a natural sense of alignment that didn’t require constant reminders to sit or stand up straight. But before I embarked on this 30-day experiment, I realized it was crucial to understand why good posture matters and where it all begins.

Why is good posture important?

We can spot good posture from a mile away. It’s a natural way of commanding a room with presence and confidence—but the benefits of good posture go far beyond appearances. Just think about when we sit or stand up straight, our bodies noticeably feel better. This is because there’s less tension in our muscles, fewer aches and pains, and the avoidance of fatigue that comes with slouching.

Many of us forget just how much of our daily activities contribute to poor posture. Whether it’s working at a computer, being on our phones, or even doing household chores like mopping the floors, these habits can take a toll on our bodies.

“Poor postures that are maintained for extended periods of time can lead to a heightened risk of injury or spinal misalignments, which may increase strain on muscles, joints, and ligaments,” says Jacob Van Den Meerendonk, PT, DPT, physical therapist and Ambassador for Chirp. “Improving our posture can reduce these risks, providing balance and allowing for more efficient movement patterns.”

But there’s more to it: Good posture also contributes to better circulation, blood flow, and even positive effects on our internal organs. “Our visceral organs and their abilities to function efficiently are directly affected by the postures we keep throughout the day,” Van Den Meerendonk explains.

And, to no surprise, this improved circulation can only take place when our posture is in check. “When the chest stays up, this allows the lungs to expand fully, creating better oxygen flow and better overall circulation,” says Ryan VanDyke, instructor for Training Mate. “When our muscles and joints are aligned, we can produce more power and work more efficiently.”

The benefits of Pilates for posture

A 2024 review¹ in BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation found “Pilates is effective in correcting spinal deformities and posture, as well as improving quality of life, pain relief, function, and fitness.” One of the many reasons that Pilates is a favored activity for posture is because there’s a focus on strengthening key muscles that support good spinal positioning.

“Pilates is traditionally based around spinal movement and movement across all planes of the spine via our abdominals, like extension, flexion, lateral flexion, and rotation,” explains Christiana Traychevska, a Pilates instructor with KIC Pilates. “When our spines are strong along all these planes, it can allow our bodies to be free of tension and feel lifted and lengthened.”

Another reason Pilates is great for posture is that many of the exercises counteract our typical day-to-day positioning. “If you sit at a desk most of the day, any thoracic extension paired with a chest opener can help you feel less rounded and hunched,” Traychevska says.

“A strong, healthy body looks different on everyone and it’s not a one-size-fits-all.” Christiana Traychevska, Pilates instructor

My experience

When I committed to 30 days of Pilates, I wanted to make sure I explored all the different ways it could be practiced. I alternated between doing guided mat Pilates workouts at home through YouTube videos and the fitness app, KIC, and I used ClassPass to try out different studio mat and reformer classes.

One of the challenges I faced early on was figuring out how to measure my starting point. Unlike fitness and strength where you can track progress with reps of weights, there’s no straightforward scorecard for measuring posture. But I knew I still needed some sort of baseline, so on day one, I booked a reformer class and asked the instructor to evaluate my posture. She had me stand straight and noted that my left side and hips sat lower than the right.

While I didn’t neglect any exercises or body parts, my priority was focusing on movements that opened up my midsection, like chest openers. When you have a goal in mind, it’s definitely much easier to go to in-person classes where you can be realigned and assisted if necessary. At home, it was all me, however—I followed along with app classes where the instructor demonstrated the moves. One of my favorite classes was called “Tune Into Your Body” via the KIC app. I repeatedly took that 17-minute class because I enjoyed the gentle flow and loved that it had a focus on thoracic alignment through exercises like swan dives.

At home, my sessions typically ran around 20 minutes, while in studios they were 50 minutes. The thing I learned about posture is you can spend even one minute on improving your posture—it doesn’t have to take up your entire day. There were some days where all I could give was five minutes. On those days, I prioritized stretching and movements like swan dives and superhumans, and I used a door frame to help open up my chest.

Over the 30 days, I did feel a difference in my back and chest. I felt more open, and the exercises became easier and more comfortable each day. I went back to my day-one instructor on days 15 and 30 to have a quick check-in and evaluation. She noted that she had even seen my posture improve during class, especially when we were seated on the reformer doing seated chest openers.

Again, there’s no scorecard when it comes to posture, but I know mine did improve over the 30 days. While daily Pilates definitely contributed greatly to this, I think another player is the fact that it was top of mind. Being more hyper-aware of my posture at various times throughout the day helped me straighten up, when before I probably wouldn’t have given it a second thought.

An important part of this experiment was to do the majority of the Pilates at home using affordable apps and free resources like YouTube. One of the questions I had was: Do you need fancy equipment or an expensive membership to see results? The answer is most definitely “no.”

One of my biggest learnings throughout this journey was there that there’s no such thing as “perfect posture” or even “good posture,” for that matter. “It’s more about moving and strengthening across our system,” Traychevska says. “A strong, healthy body looks different on everyone and it’s not a one-size-fits-all.”

The other lesson was it’s never too late to improve your posture—you can do it now while reading this article. “You don’t need to spend hours and hours working on your posture,” Van Den Meerendonk says. “There’s a saying in the industry: ‘The best posture is the next posture,’ meaning that we need to keep moving. Avoid staying in the same exact position for too long, especially if that position is a forward head, rounded shoulders, hunched over a computer.”