Pilates Breathing: A Beginner’s Guide

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You are listening to a new exercise, checking where your feet belong and trying to remember when to breathe. It is a lot to learn at once. Pilates breathing becomes easier to understand when you give it attention before adding a complicated movement. Start with curiosity about your own breathing, and leave yourself time to ask questions. You do not need to make every breath look or sound like the person beside you.

01 / Mat Pilates

What does Pilates breathing mean

Pilates teachers use breathing cues to help organise movement. In the STOTT PILATES approach, breathing includes expansion around the ribcage, with an emphasis on its sides and back. The teaching commonly uses an inhale through the nose and an exhale through the mouth without unnecessary strain. ¹

Treat a cue as something to explore with your teacher. If the instruction arrives too quickly, ask them to separate it from the exercise and demonstrate again. A brief conversation can be more useful than guessing through several repetitions.

02 / Mat Pilates

Notice before you change anything

For an introductory awareness moment, sit comfortably with your feet supported. Let your hands rest gently at your lower ribs. Notice a few ordinary breaths, then explore whether you can feel the ribs move beneath your hands. Avoid squeezing the waist or making the breath as large as possible. ¹

You can use this moment to work out which part of an explanation is unclear. Are you unsure where to place your hands, when to breathe, or how much effort to use? Bring that specific question into class.

03 / Mat Pilates

Give the cue one job at a time

When everything feels new, ask to rehearse the breathing before restarting the whole exercise. You might listen to one demonstration, try a simpler movement, or pause between attempts. Choose the approach with your instructor rather than adding your own rules.

Keep your attention on the instruction you are learning now. You can return to the other details on the next attempt. A first session does not need to become a test of how many cues you can remember.

04 / Mat Pilates

Connect breathing with the movement

Your instructor may time an exhale or inhale with a particular phase of an exercise. The breathing pattern can change with the movement and teaching approach. Ask which phase they mean if the words and demonstration seem different to you. ¹

A useful question is, “Can we try that once at a slower pace?” You can also ask whether a smaller movement would let you practise the timing. These questions make the lesson more specific to what you need to understand.

05 / Mat Pilates

Leave room for comfort

Comfort matters while learning. Check that your waistband and top let you breathe freely in the positions used in class. If you are concentrating on adjusting a garment, make that practical change before returning to the exercise. This is about preparing to pay attention, not choosing a particular look.

If you experience pain or feel unwell, stop. If an injury, health condition, recent surgery, pregnancy or recent birth affects your exercise choices, seek suitable healthcare advice and tell your instructor. ²

06 / Mat Pilates

Take one question to your next class

After practice, write down the cue you remember and the part you want explained again. Keep the note short enough to use: “I understood the setup but lost the breath timing” is a useful starting point for a conversation.

There is no need to turn every moment of the day into a breathing exercise. Let the classroom give you a place to learn the method, and let ordinary breathing remain ordinary outside it. Familiarity develops through clear, appropriate practice.

07 / A few things you might wonder

A little more
clarity.

Should I hold my breath to keep my stomach still?

Do not deliberately hold your breath to imitate an appearance. Tell your instructor if breathing comfortably and following the movement feel difficult together, and ask for a simpler setup. ¹

Is there one breathing pattern for every Pilates exercise?

No single instruction describes every movement or teaching school. Follow the pattern your instructor explains for the exercise you are doing. ¹

Can I practise the breathing awareness without a workout?

You can ask your instructor to introduce breathing awareness on its own. Keep it comfortable and stop if you feel unwell. This guide is general education, not treatment for a breathing condition. ²

Begin by understanding one cue clearly. There is room in your Pilates practice for a pause, a question and another attempt.

PFor the way you move.
Pilateslust↑

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