Breathing Habits
Have you ever noticed how often dancers breathe through their mouths, even when they aren’t working at maximum effort? It’s not just students — many teachers do the same thing. Mouth breathing feels natural, especially when we’re concentrating, but it’s actually a sign that our nervous system may be working harder than it needs to.
What if simply changing how we breathe could improve focus, stamina, and even movement quality in your class?
The Science of Breathing Habits
Breathing habits are learned behaviors, just like posture or turnout. According to breathing behavior experts like Peter Litchfield, many of us develop poor breathing patterns in response to stress or early life experiences, and these habits can become automatic.
Nasal breathing is the default design. The nose warms, filters, and regulates air. It also helps maintain healthy carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels, which support oxygen delivery to the brain and muscles.
Mouth breathing bypasses this system. It can lead to overbreathing (low CO₂), which in turn causes vasoconstriction (narrowed blood vessels), reduced oxygen delivery, and higher stress reactivity.
For dancers: This means less endurance, more fatigue, and even reduced coordination when mouth breathing becomes the norm.
A Simple Class Experiment
Here’s a quick way to bring breathing awareness into your next class:
Barre or Warm-Up Observation: Ask dancers to simply notice their breath while standing at the barre or during a slow warm-up. Are they breathing through their nose or mouth?
Gentle Coaching: Encourage nasal breathing during lower-intensity work. No forcing or holding — just smooth, steady inhales and exhales.
Pause & Reset: After a challenging combination, take 10–20 seconds for dancers to close their mouths, soften their shoulders, and let the breath settle.
Reflect: Ask students how this felt. Most will report feeling calmer, more grounded, and ready to move again.
Tips for Implementation
Start Small: Focus on awareness, not perfection. The goal is to make dancers curious about their breathing.
Normalize It: Integrate nasal breathing cues into transitions, stretching, and recovery moments.
Educate Without Fear: Emphasize the benefits rather than shaming mouth breathing.
Use Imagery: “Imagine your nose as the body’s air filter” or “Let the breath roll in like a quiet wave.”
Final Thought
Breathing habits influence everything from stamina to artistry. As teachers, we spend hours correcting turnout, posture, and arm lines — but how often do we correct breath? By helping students return to their body’s natural design for breathing, we’re giving them a powerful tool for performance, resilience, and lifelong health.
Encourage your dancers to train their breath like they train their technique. Even a few mindful breaths at the barre could change the way they move through class — and life.
To your success,
Deborah