Yoga Vs. Pilates – What’s the Difference?

The fitness industry has seen a lot of exercise fads come and go and, quite often, come back again. Two forms of exercise that could never be described as fads are yoga and Pilates. Both have been around a very long time and have become accepted as mainstream forms of exercise. Yoga and Pilates share several characteristics but are also quite different. 

 
YOGA

Yoga, which comes from India, is so old that its exact origins are very hard to define. Much of what we know about yoga has been translated from ancient Sanskrit texts and because this is a “dead” language, opinions differ as to the precise meaning of many of the words.

What we do know is that yoga has been around for not hundreds but thousands of years (some yoga inscriptions date back as far as 3,000 BC) and modern yoga is an amalgamation of individual exercise systems that differ according to their geographic region of origin and the guru who devised them.

The word yoga is a derivative of the Sanskrit word “yuj” meaning united or integrated, a reference to how yoga combines the body and mind into a single, healthful system. Despite having roots in spiritual practices, yoga has no religious affiliations and is practiced all around the world by people of many religious denominations.

Yoga is commonly thought of as a system of stretching but yoga is much more than that. Although flexibility is an important part of yoga, other fitness components are also developed including strength, endurance, and even cardiovascular fitness. The fitness components emphasised in yoga depends on the form practiced. For example, the non-stop flow of an Ashtanga class will challenge your heart, lungs and muscles whereas yin yoga is much more gentle, restorative, and relaxing.

There are a number of different branches of yoga. Some, like Hatha and Ananda, are quite gentle while others, such as Bikram and Power yoga, are far more demanding and strenuous. Each of the branches share common poses, called asanas, but have been uniquely shaped by the founder of each branch.

Many of the asanas are based on nature, such as positions adopted by animals like the well-known downward facing dog and cobra. Other asanas, such as inversions, are thought to improve blood flow to a specific region of the body.

The style and format of a yoga class depends on the branch of yoga being practiced although there are commonalities across most branches. Classes usually begin with calming exercises to focus the mind for what is to follow and then a warm up consisting of the sun-salutation sequences.

Once you are warm, the class will progress to more challenging asanas involving forward bends, twists, back bends, balances, inversions, core, seated and prone/supine poses. The class usually ends with relaxation and meditation. Breathing and breath control play an important part in yoga. Called ujjayi, breathing is used to time poses and control the transition from one pose to the next.

PILATES

Pilates is a conditioning and strengthening system known for developing a strong abdomen and good posture. Originally called Contrology and popularized by media stars such as Madonna, Nicole Kidman, and Jenifer Aniston, Pilates is practiced in specialist studios full of fascinating-looking machines and in aerobics studios where nothing more than an exercise mat is required. Pilates, in all its forms, is immensely popular and enjoys a cult following.

Although nowhere near as old as yoga, Pilates has a long history and has been around for nearly a century. This system of traditional exercise was the brainchild of German Joseph Pilates and was originally popular with dancers as a means to improving strength, posture and flexibility and reducing the incidence of injury.

Pilates himself was a weak and sickly child and he developed his system of exercise as he sought to improve his health and wellbeing. At one point, and as a direct result of his improved fitness and strength, he earned his living as a circus performer and even taught self-defence at Police headquarters at Scotland Yard. Pilates moved to America in 1926s and wrote two books describing his system of exercise; Your Health in 1934 and Return to Life Through Contrology in 1945.

There are two main divisions in modern-day Pilates: authentic and contemporary.  Authentic Pilates uses specially designed machines based on Joseph Pilates original designs to strengthen the muscles. In contrast, contemporary Pilates is often floor or mat-based but also utilizes equipment such as stability balls, small dumbbells, metal rings, and foam rollers.

Much of Pilates’ work has been adopted by the mainstream fitness industry. The term core, a fitness buzzword, originates from Pilates. Modern strength and conditioning experts agree that the muscles of the core (essentially your abdomen, waist and lower back) are central to safe and effective performance of almost all physical activities. A strong core also minimizes your risk of suffering non-specific back pain and can enhance posture and appearance.

Pilates referred to the muscles of the core as the “power engine” or “powerhouse” of the human body and taught that these muscles should be integrated with the rest of the limbs to boost functional performance. Pilates also introduced the concept of maintaining a neutral spine while exercising for safety and for good posture.

Many of the exercises popularized by Pilates have been adopted by fitness instructors all around the world. The plank and side plank, bird-dog (known as swimming in Pilates) and hip bridges are all featured in the Pilates’ method although ironically, many of these so-called Pilates exercises also appear in yoga.

There are six basic principles in Pilates. These principles describe how each and every exercise should be performed. Adherence to these universal principles makes even the simplest of Pilates’ exercises both effective and challenging. The principles are concentration, control, centre, flow, precision, and breathing.

As with all forms of exercise, yoga and Pilates are only effective if performed correctly. Seek out properly qualified and experienced instructors so you get the best from these traditional forms of exercise. Despite appearances, both yoga and Pilates can be very strenuous and incorrect exercise performance could result in serious injury.