PILATES VERSUS YOGA

The choice between Yoga and Pilates

The choice between Yoga and Pilates depends on what you are looking for. If you want an exercise that improves flexibility while toning your muscles - especially the abdominals - then Pilates is probably your better choice. If you want to concentrate a bit more on flexibility and a less on toning (perhaps you're getting your strength training elsewhere), and you are also searching for something that helps reduce stress and gives you an opportunity for some quiet time, then you should try Yoga.

Pilates or Yoga, what’s the difference?

Yoga and Pilates has a different focus and approach. What you decide to take up really depends on your personality and own philosophies. Yoga originated in India and has been around for thousands of years. It was brought to the Western world more than a hundred years ago and was popularized by people like Paramahansa Yogananda and Indra Devi in the middle of the twentieth century. Yoga is and has been a very popular form of exercise since the 1960s. While Pilates takes a mind-body approach to exercise, Yoga's view involves mind, body and spirit.

Pilates focuses on mental concentration, breathing and movement. Yoga's approach is holistic, emphasizing balance in all areas - equally strengthening all muscle groups, creating mental and physical balance, encouraging moderation in everything.

Pilates works on the core muscles in your trunk and building strength there above all. Yoga, for the most part, involves static poses, which are held while exploring your breathing, physical feelings and emotions.

Pilates is about moving in ways that help strengthen your powerhouse, including your stabilizing muscles. Yoga emphasizes flexibility over building strength (although it enhances both), while Pilates emphasizes toning over flexibility (but, again, it enhances both).