Why Yoga & Pilates can go Together?

Yoga and Pilates are two extremely popular forms of exercise that promote mind-body connection, low-impact exercise, and an emphasis on slow, controlled movement. Let’s explore the differences and similarities between pilates and yoga, identify the benefits of combining them.

Here are five specific ways Pilates can improve your yoga journey :

Pilates Helps Yogis Better Engage Their Core

Pilates can help yogis improve their core engagement. Core engagement is a fundamental aspect of both Pilates and yoga, and incorporating Pilates exercises into a yoga practice can help yogis strengthen their core muscles, improve posture, and enhance stability in their yoga poses. Pilates places a strong emphasis on isolating and engaging the core muscles, such as the transverse abdominis and the obliques, through exercises that challenge stability and balance. 

Pilates Helps Yogis Work the Sides of their Bodies

The side body, including the obliques, hip flexors, and intercostals, is often neglected in many exercise routines. However, stretching and strengthening these muscles can improve posture, stability, and overall flexibility. Pilates exercises, such as the side-lying leg series, can target the side body muscles, helping to lengthen and strengthen them. These exercises can also be incorporated into a yoga practice, using props such as blocks, straps, or a wall, to enhance the stretch and help improve side body length.

Additionally, incorporating side-body-focused yoga poses, such as the triangle pose or the side plank, into the practice can help improve overall flexibility and lengthen the side-body muscles.

Pilates Helps Yogis with Bodily Alignment

Alignment is a fundamental aspect of both Pilates and yoga, and incorporating Pilates exercises into a yoga practice can help yogis develop better body awareness and improve their posture.Pilates exercises often require precise alignment and focus on strengthening the deep core muscles, which play a crucial role in maintaining proper posture and stability. By incorporating Pilates exercises into a yoga practice, yogis can work on improving their alignment, both in their yoga poses and in their daily movements.

For example, Pilates exercises such as the hundred or the single-leg stretch can help yogis develop better alignment and balance, while incorporating Pilates-style breathing techniques can improve body awareness and enhance the connection between the mind and body.

Pilates Helps Yogis Improve Breathing

Pilates emphasizes controlled, mindful breathing and incorporates various breathing techniques into its exercises, which can enhance respiratory control and capacity for yogis. This can also help deepen their mindfulness and awareness of the breath, which is an important aspect of yoga practice. Additionally, Pilates helps strengthen the core muscles, including the diaphragm, which can improve overall breathing efficiency.

Pilates Improves the Strength Training Aspect of Yoga

Pilates focuses on strengthening the core muscles, which is important in maintaining proper posture and stability in yoga poses. In addition, Pilates also emphasizes strengthening the smaller, supporting muscles, which can enhance overall strength and improve performance in yoga poses.

5 Yoga & Pilates Similarities

Understanding the similarities between yoga and pilates, here’s 5 ways in which they overlap:

1.      Focus on Mind-Body Connection: Both practices emphasize the connection between the mind and body, promoting relaxation and stress reduction.

2.      Low-Impact Exercise: Both Pilates and yoga are low-impact forms of exercise, making them accessible to people with injuries or physical limitations.

3.      Improved Posture: Both practices focus on proper alignment and posture, which can help improve posture, reduce back pain and prevent injury.

4.      Emphasis on Control: Both Pilates and yoga require control and concentration, promoting mental focus and overall well-being.

5.      Core Strength: Both practices place a strong emphasis on core strength, which can improve stability and balance.

6 Yoga & Pilates Differences

With similarities in mind already, now you must understand the differences, here’s six meaningful differences:

1.      Philosophy: Yoga has roots in ancient Indian philosophy and places a strong emphasis on spirituality, while Pilates is a more modern practice that focuses on physical fitness and rehabilitation.

2.      Physical Focus: Yoga emphasizes flexibility, joint mobility, and overall body strength, while Pilates places a strong emphasis on core strength, stability, and posture.

3.      Types of Movement: Yoga movements are often flowing and synchronized with breath, while Pilates movements are more controlled and precise.

4.      Breath Control: Breath control is an important aspect of both practices, but yoga places a greater emphasis on using the breath to control movement and calm the mind.

5.      Equipment: While some styles of yoga are performed with props, such as blocks and straps, Pilates is often performed on specialized equipment, such as the Pilates reformer or mat.

6.      Spiritual Focus: While both practices promote relaxation and stress reduction, yoga places a stronger emphasis on spirituality, mindfulness, and self-awareness.

I have been practicing and guiding yoga with pilates, together and separately, and everything mentioned above has been proven and incredibly beneficial for my body and mind in results. And that's why I decided to focus on these two wonderful paths.

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