Compatibility of Breath in Pilates And Yoga By Caron Bosler - Caron has been teaching Pilates for over 15 years. She received her Yoga Teacher Training from Yoga Vida Gurukul. She is the author of 3 books on Pilates. For more information please go to www.cor-e-nergy.com	Print This Page
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By practicing both Pilates and Yoga many benefits can be achieved. But their differences can leave the uninitiated feeling confused and frustrated. As both a pilates instructor and a yoga practitioner, I am often asked how to rectify the main difference: The Breath.

Breath is essential to life. Yet, most people have no idea of how they are breathing! Yoga and Pilates bring conscious awareness to what most people consider an unconscious activity. Unfortunately though, the methods differ vastly on ‘How to Breathe’. Clarity and understanding can only be achieved by looking at the solid principles and valid reasoning of each.
Breath in Yoga is referred to as pranayama. Prana, means life force or energy, and yama means discipline. Pranayama is literally the control of energy through the control of breath. There are two main reasons why focus on breathing during yoga is important: To deepen and utilize the full capacity of the lungs and to intensify the effects of a posture.
In yoga, there are three stages of breathing. The first stage is abdominal breathing, which involves inhaling into the abdominal cavity. In order to achieve this, the diaphragm drops down and the abdomen expands, allowing the air to fill deeply into the lower lungs.
The second stage of inhalation is called thoracic breathing. This stage requires the expansion of the rib cage. Think of inhaling into the back and sides of the ribs as well as the front.
The third stage is clavicular breathing. Most people over-exaggerate this aspect when initially attempting to understand the movement. Place your fingertips lightly on your collar bones. Close your eyes and gently breathe normally. Feel the slight rise and fall of the collar bones as you inhale and exhale. Try not to over-exaggerate the movement by raising and lowering the shoulders.
In yoga, each inhalation starts with the abdomen, then moves into the thoracic region, and finally into the clavicular region. Throughout inhalation, the muscles surrounding the lungs are actively working, and during exhalation the muscles are passive. This does not mean focus is not maintained throughout! During an exhalation, the exact reverse must be accomplished. Think of the collar bones relaxing back to their original position, and then the ribs softening, and finally the abdomen.
The breath in Pilates is called Lateral, or Thoracic Breathing and is slightly different from the way in which breathing is performed in yoga. While the process of inhalation varies, the intention is the same. In both modalities the breath dictates the movement. In Pilates, the effort of an exercise is usually done on the exhale by pulling the navel into the spine. The easiest way to explain this is to try a simple exercise. Place your hands on the sides of your rib cage with your fingertips pointing towards each other. Inhale and breathe into your hands. As you exhale, let your ribs relax. On your next inhale, think of breathing into your back and hands. On your next exhale, let your ribs fall. While performing each Pilates exercise, think of breathing fully and deeply into the sides and back of the rib cage.
Joseph Pilates use to tell people to think of squeezing, ‘every atom of impure air from your lungs in much the same manner that you would wring every drop of water from a wet cloth.’

While each method has valid reasoning underlying its principles, they are fundamentally different. Practicing each method fully- with it’s own principles, backgrounds, (and in the case of Yoga traditions), can only enhance and deepen greater understanding.

Caron Bosler - http://www.cor-e-nergy.com

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