So when do I inhale and when do I exhale?
I get this question a lot, especially from my newer students. In many ways as humans, we take breathing for granted as it’s an essential function to live. At the same time, we often forget to breathe and gather tension rather than moving and living more freely with the support of our breath.
At it’s most basic explanation, what happens biomechanically when we breathe is:
Inhale: our diaphragm drops and our lungs expand. You might see your belly and ribs lift and expand as well.
Exhale: our diaphragm lifts and creates a suction like action to engage the abdominals and pull them “in and up” as we say in pilates. You will see your belly and ribs start to draw together and create a physical and energetic lift in the body.
In both pilates and yoga we use our breath to guide the movement. In both forms there are times when the breath enhances the movement and there are times when a specific breath is necessary to safely and correctly perform a movement. Here are some examples and guidelines:
Your nose is for breathing, your mouth is for eating. I recently listened to James Nestor’s book, Breath. It is fascinating and if you’ve taken class with me recently I have definitely spoken about this book. I’ve known this detail for years, but listening to this book solidified my understandings of this and I am now asking more of the focus on the breath with my students. What I love even more about having listened to his book is that it highlights Mr. Pilates’s early focus on the breath and the importance of it. I encourage you to check this book out too!
The inhale often facilitates extension. You can think of your lungs inflating like a balloon and therefore encouraging a lift. For example swan on the mat or bridge in yoga.
The exhale typically facilitates flexion. The exhale causes abdominal contraction and therefore encourages flexion of the spine. For example, exhale to lift your head neck and shoulders off the mat setting up for the 100 or ab series or a forward fold in yoga.
The exhale is also necessary for twisting as it goes hand in hand with the engagement of the abdominals and therefore allowing a “twisting or wringing out”. For example a rotated mermaid in pilates or seated spinal twist in yoga.
These are general guidelines that should be followed. Then there is room for improvisation and exploration. By focusing on the breath it creates focus (shout out to my blog’s name here - Conscious Living - moving this way works!) and then also allows us to enhance or challenge an exercise in pilates or enhance a pose in yoga.
All in all, if you’re feeling overwhelmed about when or how to breathe, I always encourage my students to focus on the exhale. This is for two reasons, the first being that it’s a typical for people to hold their breath and the second so they can work to connect to their abdominals. This way, if you exhale, you will eventually need to inhale to get more air.
“Breathing is the first act of life and the last. Our very life depends on it. ”
— Joseph Pilates
