If I could teach only one thing to a new Pilates client, it would be how to breathe. That sounds like a strange priority when people arrive wanting a stronger core or a calmer back, but in 15 years of clinical practice I have watched good breathing fix problems that months of exercise could not touch. Lateral breathing is the engine underneath every Pilates exercise, and once it clicks, the rest of the method becomes easier and far more effective. Here is what Pilates breathing actually is, why it works, and five drills to learn it.
Key takeaway: Pilates uses lateral (ribcage) breathing — inhale through the nose into the sides and back of the ribs, exhale through the mouth while the deep abdominals draw inwards, usually on the effort phase of a movement. It keeps the core engaged without bracing, keeps the ribcage mobile, and stops breath-holding. Learn it lying down first, then take it into your exercises.
Pilates breathing is lateral thoracic breathing, often called ribcage breathing. The practitioner inhales through the nose, directing air sideways and backwards so the lower ribs widen, while the abdominal wall stays gently drawn in. The exhale is through the mouth, with the ribs closing and the deep abdominal muscles drawing further inwards towards the spine. In most exercises the exhale is paired with the effort phase, such as curling up in a roll-up or lifting the hips in a bridge. This pattern differs from diaphragmatic belly breathing used in yoga and relaxation, where the abdomen expands freely. According to Sophie Mercer, PMA-certified clinical Pilates instructor, lateral breathing matters because the diaphragm, deep abdominals and pelvic floor function as one pressure system, so a well-timed exhale recruits the deep core without bracing or breath-holding.
What is Pilates breathing, and how does it differ from yoga breathing?
Most people breathe into one of two places: the upper chest, which is what stress and desk-sitting train us to do, or the belly, which is what yoga and relaxation training teach. Pilates asks for a third option. You breathe into the sides and back of your ribcage.
On the inhale, air comes in through the nose and the lower ribs expand outwards and backwards, as if the ribcage were an umbrella opening. The abdominal wall stays gently drawn towards the spine rather than ballooning forwards. On the exhale, the air leaves through the mouth, the ribs funnel back down and in, and the deep abdominals draw further inwards.
Yoga-style diaphragmatic breathing deliberately lets the belly rise on the inhale. That is a wonderful pattern for relaxation, because a soft, expanding abdomen signals safety to the nervous system. But it is not useful while you are trying to hold a stable spine under load. If your abdomen pushes out every time you inhale, your core switches off every few seconds. Lateral breathing solves that problem. It gives the diaphragm somewhere to go, sideways and backwards, so that you can take a full breath and keep the core working at the same time.
Joseph Pilates placed breathing at the heart of his method. His instruction to “squeeze out the lungs as you would wring a wet towel dry” is the exhale half of this pattern, and most of the six classical principles of the method lean on it.
Why does breathing matter so much in Pilates?
There are four practical reasons, and each is something I see go wrong in the studio every week.
Rib mobility. The ribcage is a joint complex, not a cage. Every rib articulates with the spine, and the thoracic spine is meant to rotate, extend and side-bend. Chest-only breathers develop stiff, flattened ribcages, and a stiff ribcage pushes movement into the neck above and the lower back below. Lateral breathing is a mobility exercise for the ribs that you do roughly 20,000 times a day.
Deep core co-contraction. The transversus abdominis, the deepest abdominal muscle, wraps around the trunk like a corset. It engages most naturally on a long exhale. Pairing the exhale with the effort of an exercise means the deep core switches on exactly when the spine needs it, without you having to think about “pulling in”. This is the reason the breath pattern matters more than the muscle cue.
Pelvic floor. The diaphragm and pelvic floor move together. When the diaphragm descends on the inhale, the pelvic floor lengthens slightly to accommodate the pressure; when you exhale, the pelvic floor recoils and lifts. Breathing well is pelvic floor training. Breathing badly, especially breath-holding under effort, loads the pelvic floor with pressure it was not designed to hold.
Not bracing. Bracing, where you stiffen everything and hold your breath, is a strategy for lifting a fridge. It is a poor strategy for moving well, because it creates a rigid trunk and a spike in abdominal pressure. Pilates breathing gives you control without rigidity. The exercises are meant to look fluid, and they only look fluid when the breath keeps moving.
The anatomy in plain words: the piston
Think of your trunk as a cylinder. The diaphragm is the lid, the pelvic floor is the base, the transversus abdominis is the wall and the multifidus muscles along the spine are the back of the wall. These four are sometimes called the inner unit or the deep core.
When you inhale, the diaphragm contracts and moves down, pushing the contents of the abdomen slightly outward and downward. The pelvic floor yields a little to absorb that. When you exhale, the diaphragm relaxes and rises, the pelvic floor and transversus recoil, and the whole cylinder narrows and lengthens. It is a piston moving up and down inside a cylinder whose walls tighten on the way up.
Lateral breathing keeps this piston working efficiently. Belly breathing pushes the pressure forward into the abdominal wall. Chest breathing barely moves the piston at all. Breath-holding locks it. Once you understand this picture, the Pilates cue “exhale to engage” stops being a mystery and becomes mechanics.
The five breathing drills
Work through these in order. Spend a few days on each before adding the next. Each takes two to five minutes.
Drill 1: Ribcage breathing lying down
Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat, hip-width apart, spine in neutral. Place your hands on the sides of your lower ribs, fingertips touching at the front.
- Inhale through the nose for a slow count of four. Direct the air into your hands so your fingertips separate and the ribs widen sideways.
- Exhale through the mouth for a count of six, letting the ribs funnel down and the fingertips come back together. Feel the lower abdomen draw gently inward as the breath leaves.
- Keep the belly quiet on the inhale. If it rises first, slow the breath and think “wide, not high”.
Do 10 to 15 breaths. This is the foundation drill, and the one I return clients to whenever something feels off.
Drill 2: Band-around-the-ribs breathing
Wrap a long resistance band or a scarf around your lower ribs and hold the ends crossed at the front with light tension. Sit or stand tall.
- Inhale and push the ribs outward into the band. The resistance gives you something to breathe against and makes lateral expansion obvious.
- Exhale and let the band tighten as the ribs close, drawing the abdominals in.
- Aim for expansion to the back as well as the sides. Many people only feel the front at first.
Ten breaths. This drill is particularly useful for chest breathers who cannot feel their lower ribs moving.
Drill 3: Exhale to engage, with a pelvic tilt
Lie on your back, knees bent, spine neutral.
- Inhale wide into the ribs.
- Exhale and, as the air leaves, let the lower abdomen draw in and the pelvis tilt very slightly so the lower back softens towards the mat. This is an imprint, not a crunch. The movement is small.
- Inhale and return to neutral.
Ten repetitions. This links the exhale to the deep core and the pelvis, which is the pattern used in every mat exercise that starts from a lying position.
Drill 4: 360-degree breathing in four-point kneeling
Come onto hands and knees, wrists under shoulders, knees under hips, spine neutral.
- Inhale and feel the ribs expand in every direction, especially into the back, which gravity now helps you feel.
- Exhale, keeping the spine still, and draw the abdominals up towards the spine without rounding the back.
- Ten breaths, then rest.
Four-point kneeling takes the belly away from the support of the mat, so you have to control it with the breath. This is the drill that turns breathing into stability.
Drill 5: The Hundred breathing pattern
The Hundred is the classical opening exercise of mat Pilates, and its breath pattern is five short sniffs in, five short puffs out, repeated ten times.
- Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat, or legs in tabletop if you are ready. Arms long by your sides, hovering off the mat.
- Inhale for five small pumps of the arms, sniffing through the nose. Exhale for five pumps, puffing through the mouth.
- Keep the ribs wide on the inhale and the abdominals drawn in throughout. Ten cycles equals one hundred pumps.
This drill teaches you to maintain core engagement while the breath rhythm is fast and percussive. Start with the head down and knees bent, and only lift the head and extend the legs once the breathing is steady. If you want the full picture of how this breath feeds into a stronger trunk, the guide to Pilates for core strength builds on it.
When should you inhale and exhale in common exercises?
The default is exhale on effort, inhale on return. This table covers the exercises beginners meet most.
| Exercise | Inhale | Exhale |
|---|---|---|
| Roll-up | Lying flat, arms overhead | Curling up and over the legs |
| Shoulder bridge | At the bottom, pelvis down | Lifting the hips |
| Single-leg stretch | Switching legs (one breath per two switches) | Drawing the knee in |
| Side-lying leg lift | Lowering the leg | Lifting the leg |
| Dead bug | Returning arm and leg to start | Extending arm and leg away |
| Swan / back extension | Lifting the chest (inhale supports extension) | Lowering back down |
| Spine twist (seated) | Sitting tall at centre | Rotating |
| Roll-down (standing) | Standing tall | Rolling down; inhale at the bottom, exhale to roll up |
| Cat stretch | Lengthening into neutral or extension | Rounding the spine |
Notice that extension exercises often reverse the pattern: the inhale opens the chest and supports the lift. Do not worry about this too much at first. If you are breathing continuously and exhaling on the hard part most of the time, you are doing well.
What are the most common breathing mistakes?
Holding the breath. By far the most common. Clients hold their breath whenever an exercise gets hard, which makes the trunk rigid, spikes pressure on the pelvic floor and leaves them red-faced and exhausted after thirty seconds. The fix is to count out loud or hum on the exhale for a few sessions.
Chest-only breathing. The shoulders rise and the collarbones lift on every inhale, but the ribs barely move. This is the stress-breathing pattern. Drills 1 and 2 are the remedy, and so is slowing down.
Sucking in. Some people turn “draw the abdominals in” into a hard suction that pulls the ribs forward and makes a full breath impossible. The engagement should be gentle, perhaps 30 per cent of maximum. If you cannot talk during an exercise, you are over-bracing.
Over-exhaling. Forcing every last drop of air out creates tension in the neck and jaw. Exhale fully but not forcefully. The towel is wrung, not shredded.
Reversing the pattern. Inhaling on the effort of a curl-up pushes the belly out at the exact moment the core needs to be working. If you catch yourself doing this, pause, reset with three lateral breaths, and begin the exercise on an exhale.
Breathing for stress and sleep
Lateral breathing is not only an exercise technique. Because it forces a slow, full inhale and a longer exhale, it is a calming tool in its own right. Anxious breathing is fast, shallow and high in the chest; lateral breathing is the opposite on every count. I give many clients a five-minute version of Drill 1 to do in bed, with a four-count inhale and a six- or eight-count exhale. Most report falling asleep faster within a week.
If stress and tension are the main reason you have come to Pilates, the dedicated guide to breathing exercises for stress and anxiety goes deeper, and the Stress and Anxiety Relief programme builds breathing into a full eight-week movement practice rather than treating it as a standalone trick.
Caveats for postpartum and pelvic floor recovery
If you are in the first months after giving birth, or you have a diagnosed pelvic floor condition such as prolapse or stress incontinence, the breathing drills above are safe and in fact helpful, but two adjustments matter. First, prioritise the exhale-lift connection: on every exhale, feel the pelvic floor gently lift along with the lower abdomen. Second, avoid anything that makes you bear down or hold your breath, which includes the Hundred with legs extended until your pelvic floor has recovered. The pelvic floor strengthening programme sequences the breathing and loading so that progression is safe.
If you notice doming along the midline of the abdomen during a drill, or any heaviness in the pelvis, stop and check in with a pelvic health physiotherapist before continuing.
How to practise this week
Do Drill 1 every day for five minutes, ideally first thing or last thing. Add Drill 3 on day three. By the end of the week, try taking lateral breathing into one simple exercise, a bridge or a dead bug, and notice how much steadier the movement feels when the breath is leading it. That steadiness is what Pilates is for. The breathing is not a warm-up to the real work. It is the real work.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Consult a healthcare professional before beginning any exercise programme, particularly if you have an injury or medical condition.