If you’ve ever taken a Pilates class, you’ve probably heard the instructor cue your breathing along with each exercise: “Inhale to prepare, exhale on the effort.” Sound familiar? That’s because breathwork and Pilates go hand in hand. 

In addition to helping you engage your core, breathing is vital to clearing the mind and centering the body. It’s a powerful tool that can make or break your practice—whether you’re a seasoned pro or a total beginner—and the not-so-secret ingredient for a more effective Pilates workout. Here, we dive into the importance of breathwork in Pilates, plus how to use the various breathing techniques to power your practice.

What Is Pilates Breathing?

Breathwork in Pilates is all about lateral breathing, explains Peloton instructor Mila Lazar. This technique involves expanding the ribcage outward on the inhale while simultaneously keeping your core engaged. “Lateral breathing lets you maintain stability in your midsection while still taking in enough oxygen to power your movement,” she explains.

Mila utilizes this breathing technique anytime she’s on the mat—whether she’s teaching in the studio or practicing at home. “I always cue members to connect breath with motion,” she explains. “Think about inhaling to prepare your body for movement and exhaling during the effort to engage your core.” For example, when lifting your hips into a pike (inhale) or pressing out into a plank (exhale). “In my classes, I use breathing cues to sync movement and ensure efficiency,” she says. “It’s a game-changer for staying in control.”

Pilates Breathing vs. Yoga Breathing

While Pilates breathing is focused on abdominal engagement, yoga breathing (Pranayama) is about slowing down, finding balance, and moving energy through the body. “[In a yoga class], you’ll often hear terms like diaphragmatic breathing or ‘belly breathing,’” Mila explains. This type of breathing requires a relaxed core, which allows you to expand fully on the inhale and release on the exhale. “The focus is on deep, full breaths, usually through the nose, to create a calming effect and center the mind,” she says. 

It also serves to deepen the connection between your mind and body. A yoga practice will often pair one breath with one movement—think: inhale as you move into Upward-Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana), then exhale as you move into Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana). Unlike Pilates, however, Pranayama can also be done alone as a meditation, without accompanying physical practice. 

Though it differs in execution, breathwork is a fundamental pillar in both Pilates and yoga. A solid understanding of the various breathing techniques (plus how to do them correctly) will help you become stronger and more confident in either practice. “Both techniques use breath as a foundation to stay focused, grounded, and in control,” Mila says. “The goal in both classes is to create a [breathing] rhythm that matches your movement.”

Why Is the Way You Breathe So Important In Pilates? 

The goal of Pilates is to support muscle balance, core strength, and postural alignment through precise movements. Created about 100 years ago by Joseph Pilates, the practice was built around six guiding principles: flow, precision, control, centering, concentration, and breathing. He believed that a lateral breathing technique was vital to exercise and movement efficiency. (“Above all, learn how to breathe correctly”, he’s often quoted.)

“Breathing can either elevate your Pilates practice or hold you back,” Mila says. “Holding your breath or taking shallow breaths can lead to tension in your neck and shoulders or even make you feel lightheaded.” (And that's the last thing you want while beasting through a round of hundreds.) While teaching, Mila likes to remind her students that their breath is their power source—use it or lose it.

Like a built-in stability system, proper breathing also engages your deep core muscles, supports your spine, and helps you stay controlled throughout every move, Mila adds. Without proper breathing, your movements might feel clunky or strained, and you may find it harder to fully activate certain muscle groups, including your core. A 2017 study published in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science recruited 28 healthy adult women to do two weeks of Pilates breathing training (60 minutes per session, three times per week); they found that the practice significantly increased activity in important trunk stabilizer muscles, including the transverse abdominis, obliques, and multifidus (a muscle that runs along the spine).

4 Different Breathing Techniques Used In Pilates 

Think there’s only one right way to breathe in a Pilates class? Think again. There are four breathing techniques to choose from, according to Mila, and each serves a specific purpose, whether to control intensity, enhance stability, or promote relaxation.

1. Lateral Breathing

The gold standard in any Pilates practice (and the foundation for all the subsequent techniques), lateral breathing focuses on expanding the ribcage while keeping your abdominals fully engaged. It’s utilized in most Pilates exercises but especially those that require core stability like toe taps or bird dogs.

2. Percussive Breathing

Typically reserved for dynamic moves like the hundred, this technique involves short, rhythmic breaths that allow you to take in oxygen quickly and efficiently. Curious how it works? Give it a try now: Take five quick, even inhales through your nose, then exhale five short, even breaths out of your mouth.

3. Relaxation Breathing

On the opposite end of the breathwork spectrum from percussive breathing is relaxation breathing, which is a deep, diaphragmatic method similar to what you might experience in a yoga class. Often cued at the beginning or end of a Pilates session, relaxation breathing can help calm the body, clear the mind, and regulate your heart rate.

4. Exertion Breathing

This final variation takes lateral breathing one step further by pairing the exhale with the most challenging part of the move. Doing so intentionally helps engage the core when it’s needed most. “We use this kind of breathing for exercises like roll-ups, planks, or any lifting motion,” Mila explains.

How to Breathe Properly While Doing Pilates 

We know what you’re thinking: “I breathe all day long, how hard can it be?” If you’re a beginner or are coming back to Pilates after an extended break, focusing on breathing correctly during a class—while following instructor cues and trying to perfect your form—can be tricky. Here, Mila shares a simple step-by-step guide to lateral breathing.

You can do this drill when you first hit the mat, before you start your practice, to dial-in proper breathing technique before you add movement. Though it's an excellent way to hone your breath and find your rhythm, breathing through class may look a bit different depending on the move and intensity. That's why Pilates is one modality that's best done guided (as opposed to on your own) so you can follow instructor cues as the class progresses. For that type of experience, try a Pilates class on the Peloton App. 

This exercise can also be done kneeling or standing with your feet hip-width apart. Place both hands on the sides of your ribs and keep your shoulders and neck relaxed as you feel your ribcage expand and contract laterally.

3 Pilates Exercises to Help You Practice Proper Breathing

Once you’ve mastered the basics of lateral breathing, you’re ready to see it in action. Here are three beginner moves you can try right now to help you feel the body-breath connection and its impact on your mobility and core strength. 

1. Cat-Cow Stretch

2. Pelvic Curl (Articulating Bridge)

3. The Hundred

The Takeaway

Simply put, breathwork is the secret sauce for a better Pilates practice, Mila shares. “It amplifies strength, stability, and focus.” As one of the founding principles, breathing is absolutely integral to the method and is key to helping you achieve optimal movement control and muscle activation. Though these breathing techniques may feel foreign at first, practice makes perfect. So, stack a class, hit the mat, and see how far your breath can take you.