So, in class how should we breathe?

Most of the time we are happy if our participants are just breathing in and out of the poses, but how can we help them get more from their core work?

Why does the breath matter?

There are 2 styles of breathing and both have their place in classes:

• Yoga breath
• Pilates breath

Yoga breathing involves inhaling and exhaling through the nose. This is a deep, 3-dimensional breath where the belly, rib-cage and chest all rise and fall with the breathing.

Pilates breathing involves inhaling through the nose and exhaling through soft lips. This breath is a lateral breath where you breathe wide into the side and back of the lower ribcage, whilst the chest and shoulders stay relaxed.

By keeping your abs activated whilst breathing, you will feel focused and stabilised through the spine and the pelvis. Think of wearing a waistcoat, the buttons stay closed and snug at the front without any gaps between the button holes and everything stays nicely knitted together.