For those who have not tried both, it may be difficult to find the difference between pilates and yoga. At first glance, if you only look at the photos or videos circulating on social media, the two do not seem different, but in fact, there are many differences between pilates and yoga.
Both Pilates and yoga can improve strength, flexibility, and mindfulness. There are several other similarities between Pilates and yoga, for example:
- Both pilates and yoga are exercises for the mind and body.
- Both of these exercises emphasize the importance of breathing properly while exercising.
- Pilates and yoga do not require a lot of sports equipment.
- Pilates and yoga can increase body strength and flexibility.
- Some of the movements in Pilates are also found in yoga, although with different names.
Although similar, there are very basic differences between pilates and yoga. When practicing yoga, you usually do a pose and hold the pose for a few seconds. While in pilates, you do a pose and then move to train your core muscles and body stability, this can be done by moving your arms or legs.
To find out more about the differences between Pilates and yoga, let's first get to know one by one what Pilates and yoga are.
What is pilates?
The story of Pilates began with a child who was often ill, named Joseph Pilates, who was born in Germany in 1883. He wanted to improve his health by studying yoga, martial arts, and other physical exercises that involved the mind and body.
Joseph Pilates became more interested in body movement during World War I, when he worked with wounded or injured soldiers. After the war, he brought this style of exercise to New York.
In the 1900s, Joseph Pilates developed Contrology, a form of physical exercise designed to help rehabilitate injured dancers and athletes, by correcting muscle imbalances and increasing the body's strength, stability and flexibility.
Joseph Pilates also invented various equipment that could be used to further increase the intensity of the exercise. After Joseph Pilates' death, Contrology became known as Pilates.
Although physically Pilates is a mix of calisthenics, yoga, and ballet, the movements in Pilates can encourage the use of the mind to control the body.
Pilates moves require you to stabilize your core before moving on to more involved exercises. While some Pilates studios use specially designed Pilates machines, you can also do Pilates on a mat without any special equipment.
There are several studies that show that Pilates can help with weight control. Pilates is also a valuable exercise to help with physical rehabilitation.
In one study that looked at 23 studies, 17 of the studies found that Pilates can reduce pain and disability in individuals with a variety of conditions, including back pain, neck pain, scoliosis, and multiple sclerosis.
Pilates is not considered an aerobic exercise, but it can help reduce stress, which is good for heart health. In most cases, Pilates is safe for pregnant women, the elderly, and children.
If you are a beginner, then you need help from a certified pilates instructor, so that you can do various pilates movements correctly.
What is yoga?
Many of you may be familiar with various yoga poses, but do you know the history of yoga? Yoga originated in India, and the practice has been around for over 5,000 years.
Yoga is an ancient spiritual practice that uses the body to connect with the mind and spirit. Yoga is also practiced to build strength and awareness physically and mentally.
The main principle of yoga is working with the chakras, which are seven energy points in your body. Practicing yoga can help stimulate and balance these chakras, and different poses can help address different chakras.
Yoga combines physical poses (asanas) with breathing techniques (pranayama) . Sometimes, yoga is also called meditation.
There are many types of yoga. Hatha yoga is a fairly common type of yoga. It has a slow tempo and is suitable for beginners. Hatha yoga focuses on mindfulness, meditation, and proper posture.
In addition to Hatha Yoga, there are several other types of yoga, such as Vinayasa Yoga, which incorporates rapid movements from one pose to the next, focusing on the relationship, mind, body, and breath. In contrast, Yoga Nidra does not involve any movement at all, it is usually a deep meditation practice, and is often done at the end of a yoga session.
Benefits of Pilates and Yoga
Regardless of the type, each version of yoga offers a variety of different benefits if you make it a part of your physical exercise routine.
Although quite different, the benefits of pilates and yoga are almost similar. Some of the benefits you can get if you do this exercise regularly are:
Increase core strength
The benefits of Pilates and yoga are the same, they can strengthen several sets of muscles, including:
- Abdominal muscles
- Back muscles (especially the lower back)
- Shoulder and neck area muscles
- Pelvic muscles
- Glutes
However, the difference between pilates and yoga is that it does not help you gain muscle mass. Both pilates and yoga can help tone your muscles and increase your strength and flexibility.
Improve body posture
Whether you move from one pose to the next, or you hold one pose for a long time, all of this benefits your entire body. In doing these movements, you will maintain good posture, such as a straight back, a straight neck, and so on.
Whether you're lying on a mat, standing up straight, or bending forward, your posture will continue to improve as you practice Pilates or yoga regularly.
Relieve chronic pain
If you suffer from chronic lower back pain, pilates and yoga can be beneficial in helping to alleviate this condition. Not only do these exercises help build the strength you need to support your body, but they also allow you to stretch problem areas that cause pain such as the lower back.
Additionally, with the help of a certified instructor, pilates and yoga can help with rehabilitation related to certain injuries.
Increase body flexibility
Consistent yoga practice can help you improve your flexibility especially for those of you who complain of a stiff and inactive body. A stiff body can occur because you are not actively stretching your muscles or are lazy to move. Doing pilates or yoga can help stretch inactive muscles, and also help you use them in various positions.
Additionally, if you also regularly do strength training or weight lifting, Pilates and yoga can help the recovery process for the muscles you use in strength training.
After knowing the difference between pilates and yoga, you can choose which exercise is suitable and you need. Both pilates or yoga can help improve body strength and flexibility.
If you have an injury, pilates may be a better choice, but if your goal is to become more flexible, then you may find more benefit in doing yoga.
To complete your pilates and yoga needs , you can find equipment for these two exercises at SVRG. We sell various sports equipment, including pilates and yoga with the best quality that ensures comfort when you wear it.
