Myth Buster: Breath Isn't THAT Important!

Elizabeth Rodriguez Wellness

Myth: Breathing Isn't THAT Important

Myth: Breathing, When doing mindful movement like Pilates or Yoga isn't THAT important...
I always felt if you are not passed out on my mat, then you are breathing in some way. BUT, (and this is a big BUT) if you are able to exhale fully and do a steady inhale then you will be able to do Pilates better. Here’s why:
The tendencies I see when working with Pilates enthusiasts is we don't inhale completely like we should. We also don’t exhale completely like we should either. We have to re-train ourselves to breathe and we only have that conscious hour of class to work on it. This is what I focus on.
The moment I give a challenging exercise to my clients, they tend to breathe differently or even stop breathing. This is common, and this is also part of the practice in Pilates to keep being mindful and observe what happens, because guess what? If we stop breathing in challenging movements we can stop breathing at work or when challenging things come up! This is very similar to what fellow Yogis concentrate on as well: the practice of a fluid breath, and using it as a tool to make the movement easier, and then carry regular. calm breathing to their daily life.
So, look out for irregular or stressful breathing.

Look at your abdominal reaction: We usually use the cue to bring the belly button towards the spine, to work the transverse abdominal, which is the deepest abdominal muscle and looks like a belt. It goes all the way around the front to the back of the spine. If you were to sit up and try a single cough, you would feel the transverse go inward. With a good exhale, the goal is to activate the transverse as deeply as we can. If you look at your belly button and try and draw it in more towards the spine, you might see that it could even go a little bit further.

There are different breath techniques: Fletcher method does a "shhh" breath. I was trained to do more of a blow exhale through the mouth, I have also seen the "ha" breath. All are effective, and you can try it out to see which works best for you. Should I always exhale through the mouth? Guess what? I found out that Joseph Pilates didn’t stress an exhale through the mouth:) Romana, his protégé did. Apparently, Joseph wanted a full inhale and exhale to completely empty.
So my advice, is to observe, be mindful of your breath and see what you need. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different breathing techniques. Also a good instructor will be able to tell you if you need to go deeper.
In health always,
Elizabeth xo

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Hi I'm Elizabeth

I'm a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach for busy, professional women and brides. I have a simple approach to nutrition that works, without confusion or deprivation for getting to your ideal weight, boosting energy and with strength-building, stress-reducing Pilates workouts, so you can end the body and food shaming, feel like you are at the top of your game in your work and personal life, knowing you are making THE best decisions for your body and health.

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