Pilates and the Nervous System
When you think of the benefits of your Pilates practice, you likely conjure visions of yourself standing with such delicious posture that even Nicole Kidman would weep with jealousy upon seeing you. You might similarly consider stepping into the octagon to challenge the most recent MMA champion—and why wouldn’t you, with a core that strong?
There are many clear physical benefits of Pilates that could help you absolutely dominate your daily life, but have you ever considered the effects Pilates can have on the unseen, deep systems of the body? Because Pilates focuses on the mind-body connection, controlled movements and breathwork, it helps regulate and optimize your nervous system, making it a powerful practice for not just physical fitness but also mental clarity, emotional regulation and stress resilience. Read on to discover several surprising ways that Pilates boosts your nervous system.
Enhances Parasympathetic Nervous System Activity (Relaxation Response)
Pilates emphasizes slow, controlled movements and deep breathing from the diaphragm. This type of breathing activates the parasympathetic nervous system—the spectacular, unsung system responsible for rest, relaxation and recovery. Pilates workouts have been known to reduce stress and anxiety, lower heart rate and blood pressure, improve digestion and sleep and support recovery from sympathetic (fight-or-flight) dominance that we might experience from daily stressors in our lives—work, family, financial woes, relationship conflicts and the general emotional turmoil that comes with being human.
Improves Proprioception and Neuromuscular Coordination
Pilates trains body awareness, which improves proprioception—the brain's ability to sense body position and movement in space. At first glance, this might not seem all that impressive, but imagine if the communication between our brain and muscles broke down? We’d be unable to walk across the room or complete simple motor tasks like tying our shoes or typing an email. And the less we move, the more the body's internal "maps" for movement can degrade. Practicing Pilates not only helps develop muscle strength, but also helps keep body awareness strong.
Supports Neuroplasticity
Here’s something you may not be dwelling on during your regular Pilates class: how your brain rewires to adapt to learning new movement patterns. Pilates requires focus, coordination and movement sequencing, which stimulate the brain. Practice may enhance neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to form and reorganize synaptic connections, especially in response to learning and experience.
Vagus Nerve Regulation
The vagus nerve—that gorgeous beast—plays a central role in parasympathetic regulation. Pilates breathing (deep, slow inhales and long, controlled exhales) helps stimulate the vagus nerve. This not only helps calm the nervous system, but helps improve your mood and emotional balance
The Nervous System Meets The Hundred
To illustrate how a specific Pilates move can affect your nervous system, let’s consider the most quintessential of all Pilates moves: The Hundred. In case you’re unfamiliar with this old time favorite, it’s a classic Pilates warm-up exercise where you lie on your back, lift your head, legs and arms, and pulse your arms vigorously for 100 counts, all while maintaining a controlled breath pattern.
The combination of arm pumping + breath + core engagement activates the sympathetic nervous system briefly (fight-or-flight)—but in a controlled, healthy way. This increases alertness, boosts circulation and “wakes up” the nervous system for the rest of the session.
The Hundred emphasizes inhaling for 5 counts and exhaling for 5 while maintaining physical effort. This form of controlled breathing enhances vagal nerve stimulation, improving parasympathetic response over time, which, as you might guess, strengthens the breath-body connection, supports emotional regulation and balances nervous system arousal. Also, coordinating deep core engagement, breath, arm pulses and leg position all at once stimulates cortical motor areas and strengthens brain-muscle pathways. By holding a challenging position while controlling the breath, the nervous system learns to stay regulated under pressure.
The Spine Stretch Forward
The stretch forward is a marvelous example of how Pilates activates the parasympathetic nervous system. This posture involves a seated movement where you sit tall with legs extended, inhale to prepare, then exhale and articulate the spine forward, reaching toward your toes with a deep, spinal flexion. The slow, controlled movement, combined with forward folding, naturally engages the relaxation response. This motion alone deeply activates the parasympathetic nervous system, which in turn, reduces anxiety, promotes introspection and slows overactive thoughts. The articulation of the spine, vertebra by vertebra, enhances spinal proprioception.
From stimulating the vagus nerve and encouraging neuroplasticity to improving proprioception and balancing your stress responses, Pilates is not just a workout, it’s a recalibration of your entire internal operating system. With each controlled movement and intentional breath, you're not only sculpting your body but also training your brain to stay present, resilient and deeply regulated. So the next time you're on the mat, remember: you're doing far more than just stretching or strengthening—you’re rewiring yourself to be calmer and more connected.