How To Breathe In Pilates Video

Breathing is important to any exercise routine. Learn how to breathe in Pilates with this exercise video lesson.

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Inhale through nose
Exhale forcefully through mouth
Exhale every drop of air

About this Author

Known as the trainers' trainer, Carol Ann has 19 years of professional fitness training experience, a Master's degree in Exercise Science and Health Promotion, and CEC provider status with AFAA and ACE. She holds current fitness certifications including Group X Instructor, Personal Trainer, Pilates, Yoga, Aqua Fitness, Kickboxing, and Lifestyle Fitness Coaching. Carol Ann has traveled nationally and internationally training fitness professionals, presenting certifications and workshops, and sharing her knowledge for specific training techniques and application. Along with various fitness training DVD's, she is the creator and star of the fitness DVD series called The Steel Physique System. She also is a freelance fitness expert writer for several publications. In 2008 she is launching Studio Group X, a premier state-of-the-art group exercise studio in North Tampa, FL. The focus is to engage her clients into leading healthy lifestyles for a lifetime through an educational and fun process.

CAROLANN: Breathing properly is one of the six principles of Pilates. So how do you breathe properly in Pilates? Well, in order to maintain good posture we have to incorporate our breath. So you want to make sure that you inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth. But not only should you exhale through your mouth, you should exhale forcefully, and that's how you're going to know that you're engaging your abdominal muscles. So inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth forcefully. And then, you want to imagine that as you're breathing in expand your ribcage to the sides, and as you exhale it's like you're drawing your ribcage in and down, like you're being singed up in a corset. Another good scenario is you want to imagine that your abdominal region is like a washcloth filled with water, and then as you exhale you're wringing out every drop of water out of that washcloth. So as you exhale, you want to exhale every drop of air out of your body. So, again, inhale through your nose, exhale through your mouth forcefully to engage those abdominal muscles and then it's all through the ribcage. And that's how you're going to know that you are breathing properly in Pilates.

How to Breathe in Pilates Video

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