Pilates Explained: Posture, Breathing & Core Strength | Three Arches

Why understanding your body matters more than simply exercising it.

I have been teaching Pilates for years, and the longer I teach, the more convinced I become that we need to return to the fundamentals.

Not because people need easier exercises. Quite the opposite.

Because we seem to have forgotten something remarkably simple: how to use our bodies as they were designed to function.

We sit too much. We drive everywhere. We spend hours looking down at screens. And even when we exercise, particularly in gyms, our movements can become repetitive, often working in the same directions over and over again.

During my Pilates classes, I regularly ask people:

"When was the last time you rotated your spine this far?"

Or:

"When was the last time you turned your head this much without turning your whole body?"

The expressions I get are fascinating!

We are capable of extraordinary movement, yet so many people have gradually stopped exploring even the most basic movements available to them.

And that is where Pilates comes in.

1. Alignment: It All Starts With Gravity

Let's start with something that affects every single one of us, every minute of every day.

Gravity.

Human beings evolved to walk upright against gravity. Becoming bipedal required significant adaptations to our spine, pelvis, hips and muscular system.

Our gluteal muscles, particularly the gluteus maximus, became enormously important for upright movement.

These powerful muscles extend our hips, helping us stand up, climb stairs, walk uphill and propel ourselves forward.

Now consider how much time we spend sitting.

Our hips remain flexed for hours. Our glutes have relatively little work to do, and we rarely move through the full range of hip extension available to us.

Sitting itself isn't the enemy. The problem is spending too much time in one position and too little time moving in different ways.

Over time, a lack of movement, strength and mobility can change how we use our bodies.

If our hips don't extend comfortably, we may begin compensating through the lower back. If our thoracic spine — our mid-back — becomes stiff, we may ask our neck and shoulders to do more.

And the body is remarkably good at compensating.

Sometimes these changes are tiny. A few degrees of lost movement. A slight change in the way we hold ourselves. A movement we no longer perform comfortably.

But repeated over months and years, these patterns can become deeply familiar.

In my teaching, I frequently encounter people with:

• Tight, uncomfortable lower backs

• Reduced hip mobility and gluteal strength

• Stiffness through the thoracic spine

• Tightness across the chest

• Neck and shoulder tension

• Difficulty controlling movements that appear relatively simple

These symptoms can have many causes, but improving movement awareness, strength and mobility is often a valuable part of addressing them.

And then we have the head!

Your head weighs approximately 4–5 kilograms.

That's a considerable weight to balance on top of your spine.

Your neck is designed to be strong and mobile, but your head, neck and upper back need to work together.

Now look at the position we adopt when reading our phones or working on computers.

Hours and hours in similar positions.

Is it any wonder that so many people experience stiffness and discomfort?

In Pilates, we teach alignment not because everyone needs to stand perfectly straight all day, but because we want people to understand how to organise their bodies efficiently, distribute muscular effort and move comfortably.

Good posture is not a rigid position. It is the ability to support yourself and move freely without unnecessary effort.

And here's something I regularly tell my clients.

One hour of Pilates a week is a wonderful start.

But it cannot compensate for every other hour spent sitting, slouching or barely moving.

What you learn in Pilates needs to follow you out of the studio.

That is where the real benefits begin.

2. Breathing: Your Rib Cage Is Supposed to Move!

The second fundamental is breathing.

And this is one of my favourite things to teach because people are often genuinely surprised by what they discover.

We all breathe. Obviously.

But breathing is far more than simply getting air into our lungs.

It involves an extraordinary coordination of muscles.

Our diaphragm is the primary muscle of breathing. As we inhale, it contracts and moves downwards, creating the pressure changes that allow air to enter our lungs.

Our rib cage expands, assisted by the muscles between the ribs.

Our ribs are designed to move!

Yet many people have remarkably little awareness of movement around their lower rib cage.

When we are stressed, tense or concentrating, breathing can become faster and more upper-chest dominant.

There is nothing inherently wrong with upper-chest movement. Our breathing patterns naturally change according to what we are doing.

But we should be able to breathe comfortably and efficiently, with good movement through the rib cage.

In my classes, I regularly ask people to place their hands around their lower ribs.

Then I ask them to inhale and feel the ribs expanding sideways and backwards.

And suddenly they discover movement they didn't even realise was available!

For some, the sensation feels unfamiliar. Others notice just how restricted their rib movement has become.

We practise this because the diaphragm, rib cage, thoracic spine and abdominal muscles are closely connected through movement and pressure regulation.

A mobile rib cage contributes to comfortable breathing and upper-body movement.

And when we exhale, particularly during a controlled, deliberate exhalation, our abdominal muscles can help manage the movement of air and pressure within the abdomen.

Think about what happens when you cough, laugh or sneeze.

Your abdominal muscles contract automatically, coordinating with the diaphragm and pelvic floor.

Your body already knows how to perform these actions.

Pilates helps us recognise and develop that coordination during conscious, controlled movement.

This is why breathing is not something we add to Pilates to make it sound relaxing.

It is fundamental to the method.

We teach breathing to improve awareness, coordination, movement and the relationship between the rib cage, diaphragm and core.

And there is something rather wonderful about watching someone discover that breathing properly is an actual physical skill.

3. Your Core: It Is Not About Having a Flat Stomach

Now let's talk about the core.

Because I think this is where Pilates is frequently misunderstood.

When people hear the word "core", they often think of abdominal crunches, planks or having a flat stomach.

But the core is much more complex than that.

One of the important muscles we teach people to recognise is the transversus abdominis, commonly abbreviated to TrA.

This is the deepest of our flat abdominal muscles.

Unlike the rectus abdominis, which helps bend the trunk forward, the fibres of the transversus abdominis run predominantly horizontally around the abdomen.

Its functions include helping regulate intra-abdominal pressure, supporting the abdominal contents and contributing to spinal stability.

It works alongside the diaphragm, pelvic floor, obliques, multifidus and other muscles of the trunk.

Think of these muscles as a coordinated support system.

And this is important:

Your core is not supposed to be permanently switched on or held tight.

It needs to respond appropriately to movement and load.

Sometimes that means contracting strongly. Sometimes gently. Sometimes allowing movement and relaxation.

Pregnancy, surgery, prolonged inactivity, changes in strength and other circumstances can affect abdominal muscle function and coordination.

And this is where carefully taught Pilates can be enormously valuable.

We start with awareness.

Can you recognise the muscles you are trying to use?

Can you coordinate them with your breathing?

Can you maintain control while moving your arms or legs?

And can you gradually progress that control into more demanding movements?

These are not necessarily glamorous exercises.

But they are fundamental.

I often tell my clients that their back is an incredibly strong structure.

It has to be!

Your spinal muscles are constantly involved in supporting and moving your body.

But the back does not work in isolation.

If your trunk muscles lack strength, endurance or coordination, other structures may have to work differently to complete a task.

That does not automatically mean injury, but it is one reason we train the whole body rather than individual muscles in isolation.

The goal is not simply a stronger stomach. It is a stronger, better-coordinated body.

And this brings us back to alignment.

Because breathing, posture and core function are not three separate things.

They are connected.

4. The Pelvic Floor: The Part We Don't Talk About Enough

The pelvic floor is another essential part of this system.

These muscles support our pelvic organs and contribute to bladder and bowel control, pressure management and trunk function.

They coordinate with our diaphragm and abdominal muscles.

And just like any other muscle group, they need to be able to contract and relax.

Pregnancy, childbirth, hormonal changes, ageing, surgery and other factors can influence pelvic floor function.

Some people experience weakness.

Others experience excessive tension or difficulty relaxing these muscles.

That is why simply telling everyone to squeeze their pelvic floor repeatedly is not always appropriate.

In Pilates, we can help people develop awareness of this region and understand how breathing, abdominal activity and pelvic floor coordination relate to one another.

For anyone experiencing pelvic floor symptoms, individual assessment by a pelvic health physiotherapist is important.

Again, the principle is simple.

Muscles need strength, coordination and the ability to relax.

5. So Where Do Mat Pilates and Reformer Pilates Come In?

This is where both methods become incredibly valuable.

Mat Pilates teaches you to understand and control your body using gravity, your own body weight and, when appropriate, small equipment.

It can look deceptively simple.

But maintaining your alignment, coordinating your breathing and controlling your limbs without unnecessary movement through the spine requires considerable awareness and muscular coordination.

And then we have the Reformer.

The Reformer uses springs, a moving carriage, straps and adjustable resistance to provide both assistance and challenge.

For some people, this makes certain movements more accessible.

For others, the moving carriage and changing resistance demand a completely different level of control.

Neither method is automatically better than the other.

They complement one another beautifully.

But the most important part is not the equipment.

It is the quality of the teaching.

A good Pilates teacher should help you understand what you are doing, why you are doing it and what you should be feeling.

They should recognise when you are compensating, adapt exercises appropriately and progress you as your strength and control improve.

You shouldn't simply be copying movements.

You should be learning how your body works.

This is why I place so much emphasis on the foundations of Pilates, whether someone attends Mat Pilates or Reformer Pilates.

6. Prevention: Why Wait Until Something Hurts?

This is the part I feel particularly strongly about.

Over the years, I have worked with so many people who only began thinking seriously about their movement and physical function once something became uncomfortable.

A stiff back becomes a persistent problem.

A shoulder that has gradually lost movement starts interfering with everyday activities.

Getting up from the floor becomes difficult.

Sleep is affected. Confidence in movement decreases.

And suddenly people are spending hundreds of pounds on treatment, rehabilitation and appointments.

Now, physiotherapy is incredibly valuable. I have enormous respect for good physiotherapists, and there are many conditions where their expertise is essential.

But why do we so often wait until we have a problem before investing time in maintaining our physical function?

Not all pain or injuries are preventable. Pilates cannot guarantee that you will never need treatment.

But maintaining strength, mobility, balance, coordination and confidence in movement gives us a much better foundation for everyday life.

And that is the real purpose of Pilates as I teach it.

Not to perform impressive exercises.

Not to achieve a particular body shape.

Not simply to feel that you have completed a workout.

It is about maintaining the physical abilities that allow you to live your life comfortably and independently.

To turn your head.

To rotate your spine.

To reach overhead.

To get down onto the floor and back up again.

To breathe comfortably.

To walk, climb, carry, balance and move with confidence.

These things may seem insignificant until they become difficult.

And believe me, after years of teaching, I have seen just how much difference it can make when people begin to regain confidence in their bodies.

My Philosophy Is Simple

I have spent years working in exercise, sport and Pilates, and my approach has become increasingly focused on the fundamentals.

Alignment. Breathing. Core coordination. Strength. Mobility. Precision of movement.

These are not separate boxes to tick during an exercise class.

They work together.

Better awareness of alignment can improve how we organise movement. Better breathing coordination supports the work of our trunk muscles. Strength and mobility allow us to move with greater freedom and confidence.

And when these elements come together, movement can become something genuinely beautiful.

Not because it looks impressive.

But because it is controlled, efficient and purposeful.

I don't want people to think of Pilates as just another hour of exercise.

I want them to understand that they are learning skills their bodies can use every single day.

And that is why I believe Pilates, taught properly and from the foundations, is one of the most valuable forms of exercise we can practise.

You do not have to be flexible.

You do not have to be fit.

And you certainly do not have to wait until something hurts.

Start now. Learn how your body works. And give it the attention it deserves.

Three Arches Wellbeing — Reformer Pilates, Mat Pilates and movement education near Cupar and St Andrews.

(Again, thank you for Chat GPT for making translation easier to provide you with an easier read. If you have judged then I wish you to be born Hungarian, speaking one of the most difficult languages in the World )