5 Common Mistakes in Pilates (And How to Fix Them)
Pilates is a practice built on control, precision, and connection. It’s not just about movement—it’s about how you move. While Pilates can strengthen, lengthen, and energize your body, some habits can hold you back from fully experiencing its benefits.
The good news? Awareness is the first step toward change. Here are five common mistakes in Pilates—and how to shift your approach for a more connected and fulfilling practice.
1. Holding Your Breath
The Mistake:
Many people unconsciously hold their breath while concentrating on exercises. This creates unnecessary tension, makes movement feel harder, and disrupts the natural rhythm of the body.
The Shift:
Breathing in Pilates is not just about oxygen—it’s about energy, control, and flow.
Use lateral breathing: inhale through your nose, expanding your ribs; exhale through your mouth, feeling your center engage.
Breathe as if you were walking down the street—naturally, continuously, and with ease.
Let your breath initiate and support movement, rather than restricting it.
When your breath moves freely, so does your body.
2. Disconnected Powerhouse
The Mistake:
Joseph Pilates didn’t talk about the "core"—he spoke about the Powerhouse, the deep, central support system of the body. When this area isn’t engaged, movement can feel disconnected or strain other muscles.
The Shift:
Your Powerhouse is more than just your abdominals—it includes your lower stomach, lower back, seat, and inner thighs.
Imagine drawing everything inward and upward, as if lifting from within.
Move from your center first, then let the limbs follow—whether you’re rolling up, stretching a leg, or reaching your arms.
Instead of forcing muscles to work, find a deep internal connection and allow the movement to come from there.
When your Powerhouse is engaged, every movement feels stronger, more connected, and more controlled.
3. Relying on Momentum Instead of Control
The Mistake:
Pilates isn’t about moving fast or slow—it’s about moving with intention. Some people throw their bodies into exercises, relying on momentum rather than a deep, controlled connection.
The Shift:
Move with clarity and precision, rather than letting the body collapse or swing.
Work within a pace that keeps you connected, whether that means a quick, dynamic Hundred or a steady, deliberate Roll-Up.
Control doesn’t mean slow—it means moving with awareness, balance, and purpose at any speed.
Pilates trains you to move efficiently and powerfully—in the studio and in life.
4. Tension in the Neck and Shoulders
The Mistake:
Many people tense their shoulders or strain their neck, especially in abdominal exercises. This creates unnecessary effort in the wrong places, making movements feel more difficult than they need to be.
The Shift:
Relax your shoulders—let them glide down away from your ears.
Keep a slight chin tuck, as if holding a small ball between your chin and chest.
Lift from your center, not your neck—whether it’s The Hundred or a Roll-Up, let the movement initiate from deep within rather than straining upward.
Pilates will always require effort, but when you work from the right places, the movement feels supported and intentional rather than forced or rigid.
5. Rushing the Process Instead of Trusting It
The Mistake:
It’s easy to push for an ideal shape—straight legs in The Teaser, a deep stretch in The Saw—but when we rush, we lose connection. Pilates isn’t about “achieving” exercises; it’s about building strength and awareness over time.
The Shift:
Be patient with your body. Let it learn and adapt at its own pace.
If an exercise feels out of reach, find a similar movement with the same intention that supports your journey toward it.
Instead of thinking, "I can’t do this yet," ask, "What can I do today that keeps me connected?"
Enjoy the process of discovery—not just the result.
Your body will change, adapt, and surprise you—if you give it time.
Final Thoughts: Trust the Process, Stay in the Work
Pilates will never feel effortless—but it will teach you how to use effort wisely. Some movements will challenge you, others will expose weaknesses, and some days will feel harder than others. That’s the beauty of the practice—it meets you where you are, but never lets you stay there.
The work is in showing up, being present, and trusting your body to adapt, strengthen, and refine over time. It’s not about getting it “right” or making it “easy”—it’s about learning how to move with more efficiency, balance, and control so you can take that strength into everything else you do.
Stay patient, stay engaged, and most of all—stay in the work. The results will come.