I’ve been down a rabbit hole lately.
It started when I picked up James Nestor’s book “Breath” a few weeks ago. Then I found myself listening to Andrew Huberman talk about how breathing is “the fastest way to control your nervous system.” Then I went back to Joseph Pilates’ original writings from 1945.
And I realised something that’s been bugging me for years finally had words.
Most Pilates studios don’t really teach breathing.
They mention it. They say “breathe” or “don’t hold your breath.” But they don’t actually teach it. And there’s a reason for that, which I’ll get to. But first, let me tell you what Joseph Pilates himself thought about it.
In his 1945 book “Return to Life Through Contrology,” Joseph Pilates wrote breathing instructions for every single exercise. Not tucked away in small print. In CAPITAL BOLD LETTERS. As if it was the most important part.
Because to him, it was.
"Breathing is the first act of life, and the last. Our very life depends on it. Above all, learn how to breathe correctly."
Joseph suffered from asthma and other respiratory problems as a child in Germany. Breathing wasn’t abstract theory to him. It was personal. He even invented a piece of equipment called the “Breath-a-Cizer” specifically for lung capacity training.
So why do most modern Pilates classes barely mention it?
Because it’s hard to teach.
I’m not being cynical here. This is genuinely the reason. Cueing movement AND breathing at the same time is cognitively demanding for both the instructor and the client. When you’re trying to coordinate your body on a reformer, adding a specific breath pattern can feel overwhelming.
One Pilates educator I respect put it this way: “I have never met a client who was not confused or insecure about the nature and function of their breathing.”
So the path of least resistance is to say “just breathe naturally” and focus on the exercises. Clients don’t complain. The class keeps moving. Everyone seems happy.
But here’s what you’re missing when studios take that shortcut.
A 2015 study published in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies measured what happens when you use proper Pilates breathing versus “normal” breathing during exercises.
The result? Pilates breathing significantly increased electrical activity in the deep core muscles, specifically the transversus abdominis and internal obliques. These are the muscles that actually stabilise your spine and protect your back.
Your diaphragm, pelvic floor, and deep abdominals work as one integrated system. When you breathe correctly, they all activate together. When you don’t, you’re getting partial engagement at best.
Skip the breathing? You’re getting partial Pilates.
This is where it gets really interesting.
Stanford neuroscientist Andrew Huberman has spent years studying how breathing affects our nervous system. His research shows that specific breathing patterns can shift us from a stressed state to a calm state faster than any other technique.
"Vision and breathing are, without question, the fastest and most obvious ways to control autonomic arousal."
That “calm” feeling people talk about after a good Pilates class? That’s not just because you moved your body. It’s because proper breathing activates your parasympathetic nervous system. You’re literally training your body to be calmer under pressure.
But only if someone actually teaches you how.
What’s fascinating is how this aligns with traditions that are thousands of years old.
In yoga, “pranayama” combines two Sanskrit words: prana (life force energy) and yama (regulation). The entire practice is built on the idea that controlling your breath is the bridge between your conscious and unconscious mind.
Joseph Pilates developed his method in the early 1900s, drawing on yoga, gymnastics, and his own insights. He understood intuitively what neuroscience is now confirming: breathing isn’t just about getting oxygen. It’s about controlling your internal state.
I’m telling you all this because I want you to understand why we spend time on breathing at HPY. It’s not filler. It’s not a nice-to-have. It’s foundational to what Pilates actually is.
We train our instructors to teach the hard stuff. That’s not a marketing line. It’s a genuine philosophical choice about what kind of studio we want to be.
Could we pack more people into classes and skip the breath cueing? Sure. Would the classes feel more like a workout? Probably. But you’d leave feeling like you had a trendy cardio session instead of 45 minutes of real strength work that actually changes how you feel for the rest of the day.
That’s the trade-off. And we’ve made our choice.
Next time you’re in class, pay attention to the breath cues. They’re not arbitrary. Exhale on exertion. Feel your ribs expand sideways on the inhale. Notice how your deep core naturally engages when you breathe out against resistance.
And if you catch yourself holding your breath during a challenging exercise, that’s normal. Just come back to the breath. It takes practice. That’s why we cue it consistently, class after class.
Joseph Pilates wrote those breathing instructions in capital letters for a reason. Eighty years later, the science has caught up to what he knew intuitively.
The least we can do is actually teach it.
See you in class,
Mel
