To achieve fitness, many people prefer practising both yoga and Pilates which can help you to get into fitness and lead you toward a happy lifestyle. If you are looking from afar, they might seem similar to you, but on a close look, you can catch the differences. The origin of these two fitness ways is really distinct. Each style of the exercise has its own philosophy, benefits and style of practice that they have been following for various years. While selecting what to pursue next, look into your lifestyle to decide what to do next.
The Origins of Yoga and Pilates
Yoga
The beginning of Yoga can be traced back over 5000 years. The beginning of this art is in ancient India. This art was created to provide life with a holistic way of living, which can provide the mind, body and soul with a balance. The yoga that began way back in ancient India was never about performing some strange posture. This also centres around such things as meditation, breathing ceremonies, and lifestyle. Through time, yoga has branched out into various forms. Each form contains its own method of doing yoga, but the central objective that everybody is attempting to accomplish is harmony and awareness.
Pilates
Pilates is a recently developed technique in modern times. This art of exercise, which is different from yoga, was developed by Joseph Pilates at the start of the 20th century. The start of this method is interesting. This was a way developed for the rehabilitation of soldiers who are injured during the war and for dancers recovering from strain. The art of this exercise mainly focuses on controlled movements that build strength without stressing the body. Today, we can look and see that Pilates has become a mainstream fitness way, which is being practised both on mats and using various specialised equipment like reformers, resistance rings and bands.
The Approach to Movement
Yoga
While you are performing the yoga, your body’s movement will be slow and deliberate, and most of the time is connected to breath. Poses known that are also called asanas are performed while holding a certain number of breaths that allow the human body to stretch and at the same time strengthen the body. In this practice of yoga, there are things like pranayama, or more commonly known as breath control are also included. This way of practice has been efficient in calming the human nervous system.
Pilates
Pilates is mostly focused on having precise alignment and controlled repetition. The focus of this way of doing exercise using the human body is on engaging the core muscles of the human body, especially the abs, lower back, and hips. Every exercise performed in this is performed with attention to form and flow to keep the body injury-free. This way is different from yoga, because in Pilates, while performing, we do not need to hold any poses for a long duration of time. But rather than that, focus is given to continuous controlled movement. This makes it ideal for improving strength, posture, and endurance.
Physical Benefits of Yoga
By doing different yoga poses, you can gain flexibility and mobility in the joints in the body. That can assist us in various things, such as making healthy individuals from different age ranges. Maintaining the same yoga poses for a long duration can assist the body in gaining muscle tone, which can help us sustain a lean body. Doing the same over a long period can assist your body in sustaining balance and stability. That can be more effective in the prevention of falls and injuries that could occur on your body, most likely as you become older. Yoga also helps to enhance blood flow in the body, which can reduce the blood pressure of the human body and lead to a soothing effect on the cardiovascular system. Yoga is also used by athletes for recovery purposes because it aids in muscle stretching after hard training.
Physical Benefits of Pilates
To maintain a healthy body and help to have good posture, which can be developed with the repetitive practice of Pilates. This art of exercise can turn out highly effective for strengthening the core muscles. Practising these exercises can be helpful for people who have desk jobs and spend most of their time sitting. By working on the small stabilising muscles in the body, Pilates turn out to be helpful in building core functional strength, which can turn into better everyday movement. Practising this on a repetitive basis can also improve muscle endurance, flexibility and coordination without adding bulk to your body. Those office workers or anyone who is suffering from back pain, practising Pilates can turn out to be an excellent therapeutic exercise. That can help their body with spinal alignment and reduce strain.
Mental and Emotional Benefits
Yoga
As said before, Yoga is more than doing different poses. It has given great importance to the well-being of the human mind. Yoga includes meditation and various breathing activities that can reduce stress levels in your body and help you deal with anxiety. Practising this can help you to understand that staying in the present is important. This can result in gaining concentration and emotional balance. Yoga has been proven in studies to assist in bettering sleeping patterns, decreasing cortisol levels, and even aiding mental illnesses such as depression.
Pilates
Pilates is different from yoga and less sophisticated in emphasizing mental health, yet it provides its own advantages in its own way. Maintaining more emphasis on control and precision, exercisers, in the long run, can gain a deep integration of body and mind. Focusing on every movement incorporates awareness into the exercise, which alleviates stress and encourages relaxation.
Which is Best for Fitness Purposes
When you want to find which can give you better results, that all depends on what you want to achieve through practising both of these. Things can change according to your goal. Many dancers and athletes favour Pilates because it enhances performance and prevents injuries. But at the same time, if you are seeking balance in your life, you will choose Yoga. It can give your life balance, relaxation and a holistic lifestyle.
Final Thoughts
The decision of which to practice is ultimately done by the goals you want to achieve. Yoga originated in ancient times and stresses the balance of body, mind and spirit. Pilates is a contemporary approach and concentrates on strength, alignment and flow of movement. Both are potent tools and can be used together perfectly. Whether you do one or the other or both, the outcome is enhanced physical health, clarity of mind and well-being.
