Proper posture is also important in correct breathing. If the shoulders are slumped or chin tilted back, your airway is not fully open and the muscles that control breathing won’t be able to stretch fully. Keeping the spine long and straight will prevent the ribs from collapsing and the spine from bending forward. As you inhale through your nose, there should be no upward movement of your shoulders or tensing of the neck muscles. As you exhale through your mouth with relaxed lips, your shoulders should not pull downward, your spine should stay straight and long, your collarbone should not move and your neck should remain free of tension.

There is no doubt that breathing can naturally help release tension in the body, just like a good sigh. When you relieve your body from holding in too much air, you can take a nice deep breath of fresh air and feel more relaxed. Focusing on your breath will help achieve a sense of ease in your body, one of the principle benefits of practicing Pilates. If we are conscious of our breathing habits we can start to feel how our diaphragm works and how the action of breathing affects the way we use our other core muscles.

By giving attention to your breathing while practicing Pilates, you will improve your focus and concentration and give a sense of flow and rhythm to your movements. When you’re fully connected to your breath, you will feel lighter and the exercises will seem easier. Next time you do your workout, try letting your breath move you instead of the other way around. Experiment and enjoy it. But most of all, remember to JUST BREATHE!

Breath Notes – Perserverance – A Poem Stress is inherent not in an event, but rather in how we perceive that event.

“When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,

When the road you’re trudging seems all-uphill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high,

And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit, REST-if you must-but don’t you quit.

Success is failure turned inside out-

The silver tint of the cloud of doubt,

And you never can tell how close you are,

It may be near when it seems afar.

So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit-

It’s when things seem worse that you mustn’t quit.”

                                                                                                             - Author unknown

By modifying one’s perceptions, the degree of stress is reduced significantly. Before reacting to the circumstances around you, change your focus towards spiritual and physical peace. And trust that your circumstances will take care of themselves. JUST BREATHE ……….