Difference between Yoga and Pilates?

ScarlettNala

ScarlettNala

New member
Hey everyone,

The question is in the title really? I have been more of a cardio and weights girl but thinking about incorporating one of these...anyone wish to help me on explaining the two?

Thks xx
 
Yoga increases strength, flexibility, and body awareness (basically balance). Yoga is also deeply rooted in the ideas of meditation, etc.

Pilates incorporates yoga along with gymnastics and even boxing, and was designed fairly recently with the focus of being a workout. It is a system of calisthenics as well as using some equipment depending on the exact type.

That's basically the nutshell difference.
 
Pilates was developed by Joseph Pilates, and his own discoveries as to what made a better athlete.

The work in Pilates is centered around the body core -- in other words, the stomach and the back -- and attempting to use these muscle to move your arms and legs.

The idea behind that is that you are more efficient and can move better with that strong core strength.

J. Pilates first did his exercises based on runners on other track and field athletes, and later it was incorporated by ballet dancers (and other dancers) who found that Pilates (the exercise) was excellent at improving muscle stregnth without bulkiness.

As you know, dancer don't need the bulkiness that other atheletes may be looking for.

Pilates, as an exercise, makes you aware of how your abdominal muscles are used in every day life -- from picking up the trash, to walking down to your car, to how you carry yourself (posture improves greatly!).

Pilates is also great for people who have had injuries, as most Pilates instructors (at least those worth their while) have had to deal with physical therapy cases. People with back pain or injuries have found that Pilates helps those injuries, people with knee surgery have also found that Pilates helps stregnthen muscles that take the pressure off joints, etc.

There are a number of reasons for doing Pilates, and I have been doing it for the last 8 years. It's an absolutely amazing exercise.

If you start off with the mat classes (literally, laying on a mat) those classes will focus on your abdonimal core, and possibily flexibility.

If you decide to take duos/trios or individual classes, those classes will take you on the machines -- there are a number of different machines, the more well known being the Reformer and the Cadillac. The Reformer uses springs as a way to stregnthen and lengthen those muscles. Both machines will require you to build upper body strength and flexibility through movement.

There is NO philosophical component to Pilates.

I took Yoga for many years, and yoga does have a meditative aspect. There are different types of yoga, so you'll have to find out which ones you want to take. There is the more "religious/meditative" yoga which is great if you are a really stressed out person or looking for that inner peace.

Then you have the other extreme which can be either a Pilates/yoga combination, which is more cardio oriented or the Birkham yoga which is definitely meant to make you lose 10 lbs (I exaggerate) of water weight (classes are kept very, very, warm).

Either way, both classes overlap in some positions and exercises, but Yoga has a decisively spiritual aspect that Pilates does not. Yoga was created as a means to reach that perfect meditative state in which to find inner peace and god (in Eastern religion).

Anyway, this is pretty long, so I'll end now, if you have any other questions about Pilates, please let me know! I'd love to answer them!
 
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Can Pilates be replaced for a musculation session?

My weekly plan at the gym is:

Mon - musculation (all body takes 2 hours)
Tue- CV 30 minutes and situps.
Wed - musculation (all body takes 2 hours)
Thur- CV 30 minutes and situps.
Fri - musculation (all body takes 2 hours)
Sat - DAY OFF
Sun - CV 30 minutes and situps.

Would a one hour session of Pilates suffice to replace one of my musculation days? How would you suggest that I fit an hour of it in?
I am planning to do one hour of yoga on one of the days that I have CV.

Many thanks all! X
 
Yoga and pilates are so similar that they're often fused together in workout videos and yoga pilates classes across America, although it's sort of a Western fusion. In India, it is something entirely different than the German-created pilates.

Clear differences between yoga and pilates include some of the following: First, it is an ancient Indian practice that dates back approximately 5,000 years, whereas pilates is an adaptation of it dating back eighty years to a German athlete, Joseph Pilate.

Secondly, in addition to physical activity, it is an entire holistic program that encompasses diet, meditation, breathing techniques, religious edict and a moral code; Pilates is simply a form of exercise and body sculpting technique.

Thanks.
LINK REMOVED
 
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• Yoga is an ancient practice that was originally practiced in Northern India over 5,000 years ago. Pilates was inspired by the ancient yoga asanas about 80-years ago by Joseph Pilates, a German athlete
• The Pilates method is a complicated system of effective but gentle, whole-body conditioning and corrective exercises. It was first practiced by dancers and gained mass attention in recent years because of its largely aesthetic body sculpting effects. Yoga is a lifestyle, rather then simply an exercise. Its known as the path to both physical and mental well-being. It includes everything from physical postures and healthy diet to breathing, relaxation and meditation skills.
• Pilates mainly concentrates on cultivating core strength in the body and lengthening the spine. Also, Pilates is a valuable tool for increasing strength, definition and proper posture. Yoga aims to work the body equally and unite the body with mind and spirit. Yoga is often considered therapeutic, when compared to Pilates, as it helps people find harmony and release stress.
• Breathing and concentration are fundamental to both practices; however yoga employs breath on a deeper level. The slight difference between them is that Pilates instructs one to inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth; while in yoga, one is taught to inhale and exhale through the nose only.
• Yoga has many different styles, but all are generally performed in a group setting on a yoga mat with the aid of a yoga instructor. Pilates has a full complement of mat work, but it also incorporates work on Pilates machines which help build a longer, leaner, dancer-like physique.
• Cotton fitted clothing is recommended for both Pilates and yoga practitioners. Pilates method doesnt rely as much on extra props - such as blocks, straps, blankets, etc. - as yoga does.
 
Everyone else has such long fnancy answers! I think that pilates is more of a work out and that yoga is, as others have mentioned, more linked with meditation. I do yoga on occasion and it's all about stretching and balancing and being kinda chill and with your body.

I hope this kinda maybe helps?
 
Its hard to say exactly how they differ mainly as there are so many variations for either. Also there is a fusion called 'yogalataes' much to the irritation of purists from either group.

I tend to think Yoga is more mind-body, its there to achieve a higher sense of life and is more of a religion to many people. It uses focus to train and get further into it. I am very bendy, I like yoga as I can do alot of the positions without too much training. But one teacher hit the nail on the head when he explained to me that being good at Yoga is not about how far you can bend stretch or how much pain you can tollerate, its about being able to focus your mind and body to a fixed point and maintain it there without interruption from the business and emtiness of the world we have created for ourselves.

I have not taken as much time with Pilataes but I get the feeling its more physical. Its about the core, training it and using every other muscle as a connection to your core rather then as disjointed body parts, even moving your hands and finger tips with your core in mind. Yes there is alot of self talk and focus through that but its not done in the same way, its more external if you see what I mean, less about the spiritual aspect and more to do with the muscular system.
 
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