Breathing is an essential life process, but one which requires little to no conscious effort. So, it must be surprising to know that breathing techniques offer a range of benefits to us. Being aware of our natural breathing pattern can improve mental health, emotions, reactions to stress, anxiety, and muscle tension. Efficient breathing, especially during exercise, has positive effects on muscle activation, and performance.
Pilates breathing is a unique breathing technique which involves inhalation through the nose, directing the breath into the sides of the ribs and expanding the ribs laterally, and exhaling through the mouth, closing the rib cage down and in. Training our core in the same way by exhaling when we want our core to be most active during movement, during the effortful part of the exercise can offer numerous advantages.
Pilates breathing recenters our awareness of breathing. The exercises involved in pilates are encouraged with a natural breathing pattern to breathe in wide and full to the sides of the ribcage, called lateral or intercostal breathing. This promotes the full use of the ribcage, and respiratory muscles. Like any other muscle, they too need to be exercised to cope with increased physical demands, and as you exhale you should empty your lungs fully, and allow relaxation of the muscles and ribcage. Such an effective inhalation and exhalation breathing system minimises the build up of muscular tension. It also helps in maintaining blood pH level.
Two simple exercises involve abdominal focus and pelvic floor focus. In the former, you sit up tall and place your hands on the lower half of your ribcage with your finger tips from each hand lightly touching each other in the centre. Breathe in and feel your rib cage widening outwards and deepening, you will notice your finger tips moving apart from each other. Now, exhale and imagine the sides of your ribcage sinking in towards each other, you’ll also feel your fingertips coming close together. The latter is pelvic floor focus which involves taking a deep breath inwards focussed on relaxing your pelvic floor, releasing your muscles downwards. And exhale by focusing on the pelvic floor rising upwards. Practising pilates breathing techniques have considerable positive impact upon your overall well being.
The Hundred Wellness Centre offers pilates classes in Dubai. We offer group and private pilates classes in addition to many different types of pilates including mat, reformer, and pilates circuit classes. Our experienced instructors are here to listen to your goals and develop a schedule that best suits your needs and requirements. The instructor conducts an initial assessment to determine your fitness and flexibility levels, your strengths and weaknesses, unique pattern of muscular compensations as well as understand your limitations because of any previous injuries
