 I
get a lot of clients in my classes who say to me "Pilates
is very similar to Yoga, isn't it?" I generally diplomatically
reply that Pilates is not a million miles away from Yoga. (Just
about 500,000!)
Yoga has a large following, notably greater than Pilates in this
country (UK) and it's probably the same around the world.
The type of Yoga most people are familiar with is Hatha Yoga (Yoga
of postures) as this is the most popular type of Yoga practiced
in the west. This type of Yoga uses physical poses, breathing and
meditation to help increase your health and well being. There is
a strong spiritual element to Yoga which some people like.
Yoga and Yoga exercises are by and large fairly static; they concentrate
more on rest, stretching and holding static poses for a length
of time. Before I receive hate mail over this topic I should point
out that I'm not knocking Yoga, just pointing out some of the differences
between Pilates and Yoga.
Pilates, on the other hand, involves a series of exercises done
in various positions, such as standing, seated and on hands and
knees. These exercises are specifically designed to work your deep
core and supporting muscles, teaching them to move smoothly and
correctly and rebalancing your entire body. Each exercise is taken
only as far as an individual can go without pain, and each exercise
is repeated only 8 -10 times. Doing each move perfectly correctly
is our goal! Each exercise is done with the watchwords Control,
Centering, Precision, Flowing Movement and Breathing. Pilates aims
to strengthen the abdominal muscles, improve strength, correct
posture and realign your spine. It's like getting the tracking
fixed on your car. And the wheels rebalanced.
Both Pilates and Yoga will relax, energise and strengthen you.
If I have a grumble about Yoga it's just that some of the moves
are over - challenging and take the spine into extreme positions,
where Pilates concentrates on correcting postural imbalances and
strengthening you from the inside out, which makes it ideal for
people with back problems for whom Yoga would be inappropriate.
So the difference between Yoga and Pilates is that they are different!
I prefer Pilates, but then I would, wouldn't I?? All I can say
is that people who like Yoga usually like Pilates....both are holistic
and require both mental and physical involvement. Try both and
make your own mind up!
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