Breath Control
Above all else learn how to breath properly. Squeeze every atom of air from your lungs until they are almost free of air as is a vacuum.”
~ Joseph Pilates
“The Pilates breath” is deep and powerful. We fill the lungs as much as possible (without struggling to do so), while we pull our navel toward our spine. As we exhale completely, we deepen the abdominal contraction even more, and use that to help stabilize the pelvis, and ultimately the whole body, giving us greater leverage, thus more strength.
The breath drives the work in Contrology. It sets the tempo and rhythm of the exercise, it links the exercises together, and along with the choreographed transitions creates a flowing routine that can be aerobic.
As a teacher, we listen to the quality of the breath. Is it deep and powerful? Is the throat free and open? Is it truly integrated with the movement, with the full breath either selectively assisting or challenging the movement? The movement should be a challenge not a struggle, and that will be reflected in the breath.
The focused breathing keeps our minds fully present in the movement, allowing us to receive the most benefit. When the mind wanders, the breath wanders. So, you can see the Pilates breath can help us on a bio-mechanical level, and increase our mindfulness.
The connection between breathing and the state of our body and mind has been made for thousands of years. More recently, countless scientific studies have supported this ancient wisdom. Breath therapy, sometimes combined with other healing practices such as biofeedback, yoga, or Pilates, has been found to alleviate (and sometimes cure) migraine headaches, chronic pain conditions, hypertension, epilepsy, asthma, coronary heart disease, and lower cholesterol levels.
“The main Idea is to coordinate your movements with your breathing. This brings a graceful and sensuous quality to your practice and turns each session into a fluid and creative meditation. As you become skilled at this, the breath and movement will no longer feel distinct. You will experience them as one action, inseparably entwined. You will instinctively breathe as you move or stretch, and move or stretch as you breath.”
~ Erich Schiffmann
