Finding Your Flow: Mastering Breath (And Leveling Up Your Practice)

Welcome to June, Aligné community! As the weather warms up, we are turning up the focus in the studio. So far in our Pilates journey, we’ve explored how to anchor our minds and bodies. This month, we are diving into the literal life force of the Pilates method: Breath.

Joseph Pilates famously wrote, "Above all, learn how to breathe correctly." Let’s look at how to master this third principle, recap where we’ve been, and preview some seriously fiery "Moves of the Month" for our intermediate and advanced practitioners.

The Third Principle: Breath

In Pilates, breathing isn't just a background function—it is an active tool used to support the spine, recruit the deep core, and release unnecessary tension.

How to Perform Pilates Breathing

We utilize lateral thoracic breathing (ribcage breathing). Unlike belly breathing, which distends the abdominal wall, or shallow chest breathing, lateral breathing expands your lungs three-dimensionally.

• The Technique: Inhale deeply through your nose, directing the air into the sides and back of your ribcage. Imagine your ribs expanding like an accordion. As you exhale through pursed lips, knit your ribs back together and gently pull your navel to your spine, engaging your deepest abdominal layer (the transversus abdominis).

How to Practice It

You don’t need to be on a Reformer or Mat to practice. Try this anywhere:

1. Wrap your hands around the sides of your ribcage, fingers pointing forward, thumbs wrapped around the back.

2. Inhale and feel your hands being pushed outward by your ribs.

3. Exhale completely, feeling your hands slide back toward one another.

When to Use It During Pilates

As a general rule of thumb:

• Inhale to prepare for a movement or during movements that open and extend the spine.

• Exhale on the exertion—the hardest part of the exercise—to deepen your core connection and protect your lower back.

Recapping the Journey: Centering & Concentration

Before we blend it all together, let’s do a quick review of the first two principles we mastered over the last two months:

• 1. Centering: This is the act of bringing your powerhouse (the muscles between your ribs and hips) to the forefront.

  • Quick Example: During the Scoop, pulling your abdominal wall inward and upward rather than letting it pooch out.

• 2. Concentration: This is the mindful bridge between your brain and your muscles. Pilates requires total presence; you cannot checklist your groceries while doing it!

  • Quick Example: Focusing intensely on keeping your pelvis perfectly still and stable while your legs move during Single Leg Circles.

Combining All Three

When you step onto the mat or apparatus this month, challenge yourself to integrate the trio. Concentrate on your alignment, find your Center to initiate the movement, and use your Breath to fuel the rhythm and control. For example, in the Hundred, your concentration keeps your gaze on your abs, your centering keeps your legs anchored, and your dynamic breathing pumps oxygen through your body.

Moves of the Month: Intermediate/Advanced Classic Flow

For our seasoned movers, June is all about snake-like fluidity and gravity-defying side support. We are breaking down Snake and Snake & Twist on the Reformer, alongside the elite variations leading up to the iconic Star.

These exercises require immense shoulder stability, spinal articulation, and oblique strength. They are brilliant, beautiful, and undeniably challenging!

The "Classic Flow with a Twist" Prep List

You can't just jump into the Star or Snake without warming up the prerequisite pathways. If your goal is to master these advanced shapes, focus heavily on these 5 prep moves in class this month to build the necessary rotation, lateral strength, and control:

1. The Mermaid (Mat or Reformer): Perfect for opening up the lateral line of the body and teaching the ribs how to expand and flex sideways.

2. Side Bend / Side Plank (Mat): Essential for building the foundational shoulder girdle stability and lateral oblique strength required to hold your body weight up in Star.

3. Spine Twist (Mat): Teaches pure axial rotation without compressing the spine, which is crucial for the "Twist" portion of Snake & Twist.

4. Short Box Series - Side to Side (Reformer): Builds deep endurance in the obliques and reinforces the concept of centering while moving off-axis.

5. Elephant (Reformer): Teaches the exact spinal articulation, hamstring flexibility, and upper body weight-bearing control needed to articulate into the Snake.

See you in the studio! Ready to put these principles into action? Book your spots this week, focus on that lateral breath, and let’s get moving!