This is a question I get asked a lot.
I’m not an expert on Yoga by any means, so these are general differences & similarities.
Yes there are similarities too, which is probably why people get confused between the two.
Some key differences;
- Yoga is spiritual, having roots in Indian cultural & spiritual traditions , dating back 5,000 years.
- Pilates is much newer, founded in 1925 by Joseph Pilates, initially it was used to rehabilitate wounded soldiers. It has expanded & evolved since , but the main concepts of core strengthening, balancing & improving muscular & skeletal alignment & postural alignment remain.
- Yoga was designed to improve physical, emotional & Spiritual health, using repetitive movements & broad muscle groups. Many types of Yoga use meditation & deep breathing.
- Whereas Pilates uses fewer, more precise movements, using the Pilates principles of centering, alignment, concentration, control, precision , breathing & flow. Joseph Pilates believed that mental & physical health were essential to one another , creating a method of total body conditioning.
Some similarities;
- Both Yoga & Pilates simply need a mat, you can of course add in small equipment if you want to.
- Both Yoga & Pilates are well known for their health benefits; such as stress relief, connecting to the body, promoting well being ,to improving strength, flexibility, control & endurance. Breath work is hugely important in both, although the technique differs.
- Both Pilates and Yoga are low impact, whole body workouts. All ages can take part.
- Both Pilates & Yoga target muscle groups that you won’t access in other forms of exercise.
Of course you could go into loads more details for both, but this gives you some idea.
And of course I’m biased as I think Pilates is awesome, as do my clients who have reported lots of benefits including weight & inches lost, reduced anxiety, better range of movement, more flexible, less achey, feeling better in themselves – the list goes on !
Fancy trying Pilates ? Have a look here.
Claire x
