When I first decided to study Pilates five years ago, I had no idea how challenging the process would be for me personally or physically. I believed I was very healthy and fit from my career as a physical therapist. I ate a mostly vegetarian diet, did Yoga, and enjoyed running and other recreational sports.

I carefully chose a certification program that exclusively taught health care professionals, read some Pilates books, and even practiced several hours at home with Pilates DVDs. I truly thought that I was more than prepared and qualified to learn to teach these popular exercises to my patients.

Instead, I received a powerful lesson in humility as I began a personal journey toward wellness that started with relearning how to breathe.

During the practical instruction portion of my Pilates certification course in 2006, I was shocked to find my arms and legs shaking uncontrollably with fatigue. At one point, the course instructor summoned all the other PTs and PTAs in attendance over to watch me struggling to attempt a simple series of footwork.

Apparently, I was a prime example of the type of challenging patient we would likely encounter once we were instructors. My fellow clinicians encircled me and eagerly proceeded to point out each of my functional deficits using all the familiar PT terms and jargon. I was still the smiling portrait of health and fitness as I listened to their assessments of my physical challenges. But inside, I was devastated and embarrassed. I couldn't understand why my healthy body was failing me at such a critical point in my career.

Some Lessons

I began to examine all I thought I knew about how my own body moved. My over-developed erector spinae musculature did nothing at all to support my body's weak core. My breathing practice was ineffective as my ribs floated upward, preventing my diaphragm from fully inflating.

I was unable to properly engage my core musculature with exhalation. In reality, my tall, slender body was a runaway train headed for a disastrous wreck. I wondered if I could ever successfully learn to do Pilates properly, much less teach it to my patients.

Thankfully, years later, I am able to exercise with confidence, but I remember my early experience and work to encourage my clients. We can all take heart from Joseph Pilates' own words from 1945 when he wrote this about his new fitness program: "How many beginners are amazed and chagrined (even trained athletes in the public eye) to discover how few (if any) Contrology exercises they are able to execute properly?"¹

If I had the opportunity to begin my Pilates instructor training again, I would approach things very differently. I would research extensively to find the very best certified Pilates instructor in my town and learn to be a student of Pilates first before ever considering training as a teacher. If possible, I would specifically seek out a qualified instructor with no formal physical therapy training.

I realize that this suggestion sounds radical coming from a therapist, but the classes I have taken from non-PT Pilates teachers have helped me to broaden my own creative teaching style by offering me a less medically based approach. This is not to suggest that PTs and PTAs don't make fabulous Pilates instructors, but only to say that perhaps we might open ourselves to a fresh, slightly less clinical way of looking at these artistically fluid and beautifully choreographed exercise sequences.

As a student, I would take at least three private one-hour Pilates sessions. Had I sought out a qualified instructor earlier on to provide me with hands-on, individualized feedback, I might have had better empathy for myself since these exercises can be extremely challenging.

Avoid trying any instructional DVDs on your own too soon. As trained physical therapy professionals, we are fortunate to have an excellent working knowledge of anatomy and kinesiology, but it is vital that we first take time to learn about our own functional physical deficits if we truly hope to be great Pilates teachers.

Next, I would set aside space to perform daily Pilates at home. Ideally, there should be no music, TV or noise distractions of any kind, since the practice of Pilates is intended to totally engage the body, mind and spirit with purposeful coordination. This is why Joseph Pilates named his method "Contrology." You have to be willing to give your undivided attention to each exercise to fully understand how your own body feels while performing the sequences. Be sure to dress comfortably and limit your food intake for at least an hour prior to your session, since the abdominal work is so intensive.

The Breathing Concept

Most importantly, I would devote the majority of my practice's initial focus to fully understanding the concept of efficient Pilates breathing. Prepare your mind by visualizing fully oxygenating your bloodstream.

Joseph Pilates reminds us that "Breathing is the first act of life, and the last. Therefore, above all, learn how to breathe correctly." Each Pilates exercise is designed to drive fresh blood to every muscle fiber of our bodies, right down to our capillaries, so efficient oxygen intake is critical.

Your rib cage should expand wide and laterally with each inhalation through your nose. Watch yourself in a mirror ensure you are not inadvertently recruiting your scalene or trapezius musculature and elevating your shoulders. Begin in the supine position with knees comfortably flexed and separated hip width apart.

Place your bare feet flat on the floor, feeling the surface of the mat with each of your toes, and place one hand on each appropriate side of your rib cage to give yourself two tactile points of reference.

Feel your ribs move wide and into the sides of your waiting hands as your fingertips separate. If, like me, you initially struggle with this way of breathing, try using a half foam roller placed flat side down to give yourself a tactile reference point for adducting your scapular musculature. With each inhalation, squeeze your shoulder blades tightly against the convex sides of the roller as your chest expands laterally.

Next, begin to work on the exhalation phase of the Pilates breathing sequence. In terms of engaging the core, this exhalation breath technique forms the basis of all the rest of the Pilates movements. Doing it correctly is critical to proper practice. Visualize your body's "core" as being a cylinder. The bottom part of the cylinder is made up of the pelvic floor, while the top is composed of the diaphragm. The multifidus musculature wraps around the posterior aspect of the cylinder and the transverse abdominus composes the anterior aspect of this shape.

Again, rest your hands on your lower rib cage lightly, and allow your fingertips to touch each other. Inhale through your nose as your ribs spread, then exhale through pursed lips as your fingertips move back to center. Take care to fully expend every last bit of your breath. Joseph Pilates was very specific in his writings, noting that the goal with exhalation is to "squeeze every atom of air from your lungs until they are almost as free of air as is a vacuum."

Concentrate on internally lifting your pelvic floor up and inward during exhalation. Squeeze your sphincter muscles and perform a Kegel exercise deep within the center of your core. Do not activate your gluteal muscles or rock your pelvis, but concentrate instead on picturing your transverse abdominus and multifidus musculature tightening the cylinder while you perform the Kegel exercise motion.

Once you can first successfully perform Pilates breathing, the progression to finding and maintaining neutral spinal posture will hopefully come more easily for you as you begin your own Pilates journey. May you, too, find a path to a healthy center. 

Reference

1. Miller, W., & Pilates, J. (1945/1998). Pilates' Return to Life Through Contrology. Ashland: Presentation Dynamics Inc.

Robin Bradley Hansel is owner of Labyrinth Wellness LLC, located in South Florida.