Breathing is one of the traditional Pilates principles, and in research papers on Pilates it is the one mentioned most often (Wells et al., 2012). Pilates breathing sends the breath wide into the sides and back of the rib cage while the abdominal wall stays lightly engaged, then times the breath to the movement. The camera can't see where your breath goes, so this one is coached here and you check it yourself with your hands on your ribs.
Breathe into the ribs
Lie on your back with knees bent, feet hip-distance apart on the mat and arms long by your sides. Breathe normally and notice which area moves most: your belly, your upper chest, or the sides and back of your rib cage.
just noticing, not changing anything yet.
Rest your hands on the lower sides of your rib cage. Inhale through your nose and let the ribs widen into your hands, to the sides and into the back as well as the front.
the lower ribs pushing out sideways into your hands.
Keep your shoulders and neck quiet as you inhale. If your shoulders lift toward your ears or only your upper chest rises, the breath has gone up instead of out. Send it back down into your hands.
shoulders heavy on the mat while the ribs move.
Keep the core engaged
Keep a light engagement of the abdominal wall while you breathe, but don't grip it flat. STOTT PILATES teaches that the abdomen should still expand slightly on the inhale, because a belly held tight limits the diaphragm.
a gentle hold low in the belly that still lets a little expansion through.
Exhale through your mouth, through slightly pursed lips if it helps. Let the two sides of the rib cage close toward each other and the back of the ribs soften toward the mat. Start the exhale with a gentle lift of the pelvic floor and lower belly; as you breathe out more deeply, the side abdominals help press the air out.
the ribs knitting in and down as the air goes out.
Don't push the ribs down so hard that your upper back rounds or your chin juts up. Close them, don't crush them.
ribs resting on the mat, neither lifting away nor pressing in.
Coordinate with movement
Set the breath before you move. Take a breath and find your light abdominal support first, then start the movement.
breath first, movement second.
Use the common pairing: exhale as the spine curls forward and on the hardest part of the move; inhale as the spine extends or on the easier part. Some exercises and teachers deliberately use an exhale during back extension to keep the abdominals working, and breathing cues vary between Pilates schools, so follow the pattern your exercise or teacher gives.
breathing out through the work.
Learn a new movement first, then add the breath. Once the move feels familiar, layer the breath pattern on and keep it smooth and continuous rather than held.
the breath setting the pace of the movement.
Feel it
Your ribs widen into your hands on the inhale, at the sides and back, while your shoulders stay down and your belly moves only a little. On the exhale the ribs close in and down and the lower belly firms gently. The breath stays smooth, and the work happens on the out-breath. The camera can't measure any of this, so use your hands on your ribs to check.
Fix-its
- Your shoulders and upper chest rise as you inhale Put your hands on your lower ribs and aim the breath sideways into them. Slow the breath down and let your shoulders rest on the mat.
- Only your belly moves and the ribs stay still Keep a light abdominal engagement and direct the inhale into your hands on the sides and back of the ribs.
- You grip your abs so hard the breath feels tight Ease off to a light engagement. A slight expansion of the belly on the inhale is expected.
- Your ribs flare up as you inhale or reach your arms overhead Exhale and let the sides of the ribs close toward each other. Only take the arms as far overhead as your back ribs can stay on the mat.
- You hold your breath or lose the rhythm during the work Do a couple of reps without thinking about breath, then add one cue: exhale on the hardest part. Keep the breath moving the whole time.
Drill
- Natural breath check: lie on your back, knees bent, and breathe normally for a minute. Notice which area moves most (belly, upper chest, sides or back of the ribs) without correcting it.
- Supine rib breathing: hands on your lower ribs. Inhale through the nose and expand the ribs three-dimensionally; exhale, first with a gentle pelvic floor and lower-belly lift, then deeper. Keep it slow, for example about 5 counts in and 5 counts out, for several breaths.
- Breathing while hugging the knees: sit on the mat, round forward with your hands on your knees or shins and your neck relaxed. Send the breath into your whole rib cage, especially the back, and avoid a shallow breath into the upper chest and shoulders.
- Arm raises: on your back, inhale and reach your arms to the ceiling. Exhale and take them overhead only as far as your back ribs stay on the mat. Inhale back to the ceiling, exhale and lower them to your sides.
Sources
- Merrithew / STOTT PILATES — Five Basic Principles brochure (2017)
- Merrithew — L. DuBeau, Breathing techniques: how to develop more efficient breathing patterns (2021)
- Les Mills — E. Hogan with G. Hatfield (kinesiology), Pilates breathing (2024)
- Wells, Kolt & Bialocerkowski — Defining Pilates exercise: a systematic review, Complement Ther Med 20:253-262 (2012)
- Pilatesology — A. Wyatt, How did Joe Pilates want us to breathe? (2025)
Last checked 2026-10-26.