(Not) Waiting to Exhale

At a recent workshop at the Classical Pilates studio where I received my certification, a trainee questioned one of the quintessential tenets of our approach to the Method - we inhale on the exertion. This is counter to disciplines such as weightlifting and martial arts where the exhale is used to unleash energy during the exertion. How can we as students of the Method defy what seems to be a universal approach? It seems like the whole world is waiting to exhale.

Biology tells us that upon inhaling, the body harvests the nutrients from oxygen. It recharges the living cells and provides energy. Upon exhaling, the body emits the waste product of this exchange in the form of carbon dioxide. Without being vulgar, the exhale is an expulsive act. Why not choose to move on the moment of sustenance rather than depletion?

The mechanics of the breath reinforce our belief system. We are trained to draw the breath up into the collar bones, bypassing any pooling of air in the belly. This is counter to the practice of Yoga, where the breath is concentrated in the belly. Rather than feeding the route chakra, we are symbolically oxygenating the brain (Mr. Pilates would take this literally.) In terms of the exhale, we refer to "voiding" the breath or "pushing out the stale air", neither of which is empowering. It is tantamount to a wilting flower. Why would we chose to move on the wane?

Despite these philosophical arguments, I am the first to admit that inhaling on the exertion is by no means a natural act. It takes many sessions of training to overcome the body's natural response. In the wild, the fight or flight response shows us that the exhale is an instinct in threatening situations. In the case of fight, a scream or threatening cry expresses an exhale. In the case of flight, a panting type breath may be witnessed. When gasping (inhaling) in response to fear, it causes the body to recoil not spring into action. All of these examples make the case for the primal urge to exhale.

As we defy our very nature as described above, it implies that the choice to inhale is an expression of our humanity. We are overriding our primal responses and putting our mind in charge of our body. We are the masters of our nervous system; we are human, and we have the ability to reason. As students of the Method, we realize that this mastery of our nervous system will unlock the nourishment of the cell thereby feeding our movement.

To inhale is HUMAN. To exhale, well, enough said.