Pilates Taught Me to Breathe Differently—And It Changed Everything

The Science of Pilates Breathing and How It Can Elevate Your Practice

Author

Kaleen Canevari
March 23, 2025

Before discovering Pilates, I never paid much attention to my breath. It was automatic, an afterthought, something that happened in the background while I focused on movement or effort. But when I began my Pilates practice, I was introduced to the idea that breath could be intentional, and I quickly realized its immense power in enhancing movement and overall well-being.

A Life-Changing Lesson in Breath

One of my most profound experiences with breathwork happened during a session with my mentor, Amanda. We met in Athens, Georgia, in 2015 when I reached out to offer my Pilates equipment technician services for her studio.

At the time, I was also doing one of the last modules in my Pilates teacher training program.  During one particularly grueling weekend, I was surprised by intense shoulder pain that was so bad I broke down in tears. My trainer at the time suggested I seek out someone who specializes in "movement pattern retraining." Unsure of what that meant, I reached out to my new friend Amanda. To my surprise, she said, “Me! That’s what I do!”

In our session, she guided me through various exercises on the Cadillac, a piece of Pilates equipment, which included one unforgettable moment. I sat sideways with my arm on the push-through bar bending and straightening my elbow to move the bar.  As I straightened my arm, I felt a line of tension from the base of my skull down my arm to my pinky. I had never been so aware of a part of my body before.

Then, she told me to breathe.

At first, I defaulted to belly breathing. But Amanda directed me to expand my ribcage near my shoulder blade as I inhaled, and I felt the tension light up as if I was electrocuted.  When I exhaled deeply, though, the burning sensation in my arm eased. We repeated this pattern, and with each breath, my range of motion improved, and my movement became less painful. 

We progressed through a few other exercises focused on my upper back and shoulders, and by the end of the session, I felt three inches taller and way more confident in my shoulder stability.

That moment opened my eyes to the power of focused breathing. Though I had been practicing Pilates for years, I had never truly experienced breath as a tool for transformation.  I am continually amazed at how adjusting my breath during certain exercises can completely change what I feel.

Since that revelation, I’ve explored many non-Pilates breathing techniques that focus only on certain breathing patterns, often in conjunction with meditation. While those methods are fascinating, I find it hard to stay engaged. But Pilates breathing? The combination of movement and breath keeps me present and in a flow state like nothing else.

The Best Breathing Technique

It’s a safe assumption that most of us have poor breathing habits.  Journalist James Nestor covers this in a very digestible way in his book Breath, where he boldly states that we as a human species have lost the ability to breathe correctly.  However, because we’re so bad at it, he says it won’t take too much effort to significantly improve our athletic performance, snoring, asthma, and even posture.  

I like his practical approach.  Most of us aren’t professional athletes looking to gain that extra 0.1% edge.  Instead, we want the 20% effort solution that will yield 80% of the results.

With this in mind, the concept that will yield the most transformative results is deep and slow breathing.  It has been extensively studied and shown to have amazing benefits:

  • Improved Posture and Core Engagement: Lateral breathing activates the deep core muscles, particularly the transversus abdominis, which supports spinal stability and improves balance.

  • Thoracic Mobility: This technique enhances rib cage mobility, leading to better shoulder mechanics and reduced upper body tension.

  • Enhanced Lung Function: Studies show that intercostal breathing increases tidal volume, improves oxygenation, and reduces breathlessness, making it a valuable technique for overall respiratory health.

  • Nervous System Regulation: Deep, slow breathing shifts the body from sympathetic (fight-or-flight) dominance to parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) mode, reducing stress, lowering blood pressure, and increasing heart rate variability.

The Pilates Breathing Technique

Pilates emphasizes lateral breathing, which encourages ribcage expansion outward and sideways rather than only focusing on belly expansion. It still emphasizes diaphragm involvement, which is important to reap the benefits of breathwork, but because the lower ribs expand to accommodate air in the lungs, deep abdominal engagement is still quite attainable to support body movement.  

I love to describe this lower rib movement using the image of an umbrella: As you inhale, the ribs expand all around the spine like an umbrella opening. As you exhale, the umbrella closes.

Regardless of your individual skill level, the practice of pairing breathwork with your workout can greatly improve the outcome.  A recent 2025 study from Li et al showed that core training with breathing is more effective at reducing chronic non-specific low back pain (CNLBP) than core training alone.  In this study, participants were divided into three groups: core stability training and breath training, core training alone, and the control group.  All participants had CNLBP.  At the end of the study not only did the group who did core and breath training have the most significant reduction in pain, but they also had the most strength gains. 

Mistakes to Avoid in Pilates Breathing

While Pilates breathwork has many advantages, it can sometimes be taught in a rigid or overly prescriptive way. If instructors overemphasize breath without context or teach it incorrectly, students may develop unnatural breathing patterns.  

In particular, many instructors overemphasize mouth breathing, which may have some root in Joe’s teachings but neglects the benefits of nasal breathing, which research shows is more effective for oxygen uptake, nervous system regulation, and overall health than mouth breathing. Integrating nasal breathing into Pilates practice can provide an even greater impact on well-being.

Additionally, incorrectly teaching lateral breathing can exasperate chest breathing which deregulates the nervous system.  This type of breathing is usually more shallow, only accessing the narrower, upper lung regions, and can contribute to a much more slumped posture.

Generally, I consider these risks to be minimal and the overall incorporation of attention and instruction on breath and ribcage movement to be highly transformative to Pilates students.

Bringing Breath Awareness into Your Pilates Practice

In my classes, I introduce breath in three progressive stages:

  1. Just Breathe: First and foremost I want my students to NOT hold their breath.  Breathing throughout movement is key, and sometimes counterintuitive to newbies.

  2. Follow the Breath Cueing: Once you have body awareness, coordinating breath with movement in the way I instruct adds another challenge and helps get the most out of the exercise.

  3. Experiment with Breath Patterns: Finally, I encourage my students to play with different breathing techniques to find what works best for you and experience first-hand just how breath impacts their movement.

While breathwork is a valuable tool, I always remind my students: breath is the cherry on top of the Pilates sundae. It’s a fantastic addition, but it shouldn’t become an obstacle to learning movement fundamentals.  For instructors, I explain how I progressively cue exercises in this blog post on feedback loops.

Final Thoughts

Breath awareness can be one of the most transformative elements of Pilates. How I breathe when I move changes the movement experience. It can make something that was previously uncomfortable more comfortable.  It can increase range of motion.  It can make an exercise easier or harder.

And the list goes on. My journey with breath has not only improved my own understanding of my body but also changed the way I teach. Whether you’re a seasoned Pilates practitioner or a beginner, exploring breath can unlock a whole new level of awareness in your movement—and in your life.

Want to learn more?

If you’d like to read more about breathing from people who know way more than me, here are some resources I found helpful: