You’re Breathing Wrong and It’s Causing Your Pain
Episode notes
What if most chronic pain isn’t caused by injury but by how we breathe, move, and compensate every day?
In this episode of The Griswold Method, Dr. Matt Griswold sits down with nationally certified Pilates instructor Michelle Johnson to break down why Pilates is a core pillar of the Total Human Protocol and why real healing requires breath, alignment, and movement to work in harmony.
Michelle shares how Pilates saved her career after 30 years as a dental hygienist left her with debilitating pain and numbness and how the same principles now help clients avoid surgery, restore function, and move without fear.
Together, they explore:
- Why breath is the foundation of all movement
- How improper breathing shuts down the core and destabilizes the spine
- The difference between Instagram Pilates and clinically-applied Pilates
- Why x-rays, measurements, and diagnostics matter in movement work
- How the rib cage, diaphragm, and pelvis control pain and posture
- The three-core system (upper, central, lower) and why harmony matters more than balance
- How Pilates rewires the nervous system and retrains the brain
- Why guessing in healthcare is no longer acceptable
- How customized movement prevents degeneration and surgery
- The power of practitioner collaboration (chiro + Pilates + training)
This episode is a masterclass in movement as medicine when it’s done with intention, breath, and precision.
Because the body doesn’t break randomly. It breaks when systems stop working together.