Mbodies Pilates Instructor Training Academy

The breath is an essential part of any Pilates practise and is considered to be one of the many principles of Pilates. While Joseph Pilates did indeed implore everyone to “breathe correctly” he didn’t actually fully explain what that meant.  I have often heard the story that Joseph Pilates would say “you must OUT the air to IN the air” encouraging a full exhale to then fully inhale, which I think is why we often hear the forced expiration in Pilates classes. Unfortunately, I believe this can lead to over-breathing - blowing off too much carbon dioxide. Whilst our muscles need oxygen to work, more oxygen is not necessarily better. We do in fact need some carbon dioxide to be able to offload oxygen to the mitochondria (the energy giving cells) in the muscles.  This is called the Bohr effect.  For more information on the Bohr effect: Don’t get me wrong; a forced expiration can be a really useful tool to bring the focus of attention to a particular muscle group, usually the abdominals, in

National Heart Month According to the British Heart Foundation (2021) there are currently 7.6 million people across the UK living with heart and circulatory diseases – with 25% of UK deaths resulting from heart and related diseases each year. Almost as many women as men are affected by these conditions. During National Heart Month (February) Mbodies Pilates Training Academy have been raising awareness of the benefits of Pilates on our hearts and overall wellbeing. When people think of Pilates; core strength, flexibility and mobility are words that spring to mind – but Pilates is so much more! Here are five ways that regular Pilates workouts can help your heart: Regular Pilates practice will improve your body alignment and posture. This means that our internal organs will sit more happily in our bodies, and work more efficiently – including our hearts, lungs and circulatory systems.   Regular Pilates practice will improve your body alignment and posture Lateral Breathing in Pilates e