METHOD MADNESS….
Sounds obvious, right? After all, breathing just happens! Hold the phone, though... If Joseph Pilates places paramount importance on breathing correctly within his method, there MUST be a reason. As any athlete, vocalist, and asthmatic knows, there is a direct correlation between body performance and QUALITY of breath. Hmmmm…
Looking within the Pilates method, there are several exercises dedicated to the TECHNIQUE of BREATHING. (In fact, there is a breathing exercise CALLED “breathing”!!). These exercises function to increase lung capacity and train the surrounding musculature to efficiently expand and contract to the maximum like a pump.
When I began practicing Pilates, there was a distinct moment when I was no longer ‘fighting’ my breath but ‘flowing’ and ‘growing’ my breath. The difference is that with full inhalation/exhalation cycles, you are constantly getting rid of every drop of ‘stale’ air to be replaced with 100% fresh air! Think of a fresh tank of gas in your car... When you fuel your body with quality premium, your engine purrrrrrrrrrs!!!
As you progress in your Pilates work, the more advanced the exercises become, the more crucial it becomes to wring out the old and draw in the fresh (air). Because Pilates is a systemic progression - master your breathing technique at the beginning level (starting with the infamous HUNDRED) for a strong foundation. This is not to be underestimated.
SO WHAT? Real life applications of breathing technique are literally endless! From stress management to elite athletic performance - there is virtually no end to the positive benefits of re-learning how to breathe!
A quick check-in: Wrap your hands around the bottom of your ribs from front to back and practice your HUNDRED breathing patterns focusing on COMPLETE inhalations/exhalations.
The next time you find yourself dreading the HUNDRED on the reformer, caddy, or mat - BE OF GOOD CHEER! You are enhancing your life-force by sheer virtue of airflow.
Now that’s a cleansing breath of fresh air...