It's strange how vital breathing is and yet how much it's taken for granted. It's so taken for granted that we can go through our entire day and never even realize we're doing it, and yet it's the very thing keeping us alive. Because of this, paying attention and actually focusing on our breathing can prove to be an important tool in our practice.
There is so much to remember when doing an exercise. There's body position, and balance, and strength... the list just may be endless. And of course, breathing should be included. Of course this. It's literally something we need to do every few seconds every single day (whether we are conscious or not). And said it's something we don't necessarily think of to add to the list because it's so obvious. But that doesn't mean focusing on it can't be helpful.
A Pilates instructor will help you with all the things listed above. It's their job to worry about the physical and to make sure you are getting the most out of every exercise. They can remind you to breathe, too, but they shouldn't have to. Focusing on steady and rhythmic breathing can allow you to center your body and mind without even realizing you're doing.
Because we are exerting ourselves during an exercise, our natural tendency it's to hold our breath, but that's a trap. Biologically speaking, breathing takes care of two functions. It not only delivers oxygen to the cells in our muscles that are hard at work, it also expels carbon dioxide, the waste our cells create after
consuming that oxygen. This is the fundamental chemistry continuously happening in our bodies. It's the foundation for how we work. It might seem basic or even silly to put such a focus on something so rudimentary, but that's what makes it important. It's a fundamental of exercise and should be treated as such in our practice.