PILATES VS YOGA- 7 DIFFERENCES AND BENEFITS
WHAT’S PILATES?
Pilates, pioneered by the late Joseph Pilates, is a mind-body exercise system designed to optimize physical fitness in people at every level of physical ability. Pilates is a system of repetitive exercises performed on a mat or other equipment to promote strength, stability, and flexibility.
Pilates focuses on shaping muscles and improving body control by working the body’s core and coordination. At the beginning of the 20th century, the German planer Joseph Pilates created this exercise system to achieve the purpose of strengthening, stretching and balancing the body.
There is an abundance of facts that show Pilates is amazing for relieving low back pain, as well as having a tremendous improvement in body control and balance. It focuses on proper alignment of the body, fluidity of movement, focus, breathing, etc. When you connect all of these aspects together, Pilates practice becomes a mindful exercise.
WHAT’S YOGA?
Yoga is essentially a spiritual discipline based on an extremely subtle science, which focuses on bringing harmony between mind and body. It is an art and science of healthy living. The word ‘Yoga’ is derived from the Sanskrit root ‘Yuj’, meaning ‘to join’ or ‘to yoke’ or ‘to unite’.
Yoga does involve different poses, but it’s so much more than that. Yoga is a stress-relieving practice that involves stretching, controlled breathing, and relaxing the mind. The poses yoga is famous for being used to stretch and strengthen particular muscles and focus one’s energy and thoughts in order to relax.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PILATES AND YOGA?
Yoga is more static and focuses on flexibility training, which will result in significant body shaping.
With the help of professional equipment, Pilates is able to stimulate the deeper muscles of the body with external force. This kind of muscle stimulation with the help of equipment and the usual training on the yoga mat is completely different, the body posture and body line also become better!
NO.1 ORIGIN
Yoga: Originating from Buddhism, yoga focuses on conscious breathing and achieving harmony with nature through the practice of unity of mind and body.
Pilates – originated in Germany in the early 1900s. Founder Joseph Pilates, Pilates emphasizes the training of body muscles and functions, it mainly targets the training of the back muscles of the body and focuses more on shaping the body.
NO.2 STRETCHING
Static Stretching — Yoga (Holding postures to strengthen certain muscle groups)
Yoga is more static and it is done by imitating the postures of animals. It has some squeezing and twisting movements mainly targeting the internal organs of the body for massage exercises.
Dynamic Stretching – Pilates (Using controlled movements to stretch muscles)
Pilates is a combination of yoga, tai chi, ballet, and other forms of exercise, more diversified, more dynamic. It is more diversified and more dynamic. It is very effective for the body’s lower back, spine recovery, and joint protection.
NO.3 BREATHING
Yoga: Deep focus on breathing for the portion of the class.
Yoga requires the use of the chest and abdomen for breathing and is a complete breathing method in which the abdomen expands during inhalation and contracts during exhalation, with the nose inhaling and exhaling.
Pilates: In through the nose, out through the mouth for the entire class.
Pilates is nose inhalation and mouth exhalation, the use of lateral breathing, that is, chest breathing, abdominal tightening, you can feel the contraction and expansion of the rib cage, nose inhalation, and mouth exhalation.
No. 4 EQUIPMENT
Yoga and Pilates will use the mat, that is, the ordinary yoga mat can be. In addition to the yoga mat, other tools will be used.
Yoga — will help beginners with Straps, Blocks or other props.
Pilates — many tools, Stretching band, Swiss ball, Pilates ring, reformer machine, etc.
NO.5 MIND & BODY
Yoga – more emphasis on the integration of body, brain, and mind.
Pilates – emphasizes the integration of body and brain.
NO.6 USES
Both yoga and Pilates can give our bodies more coordination and strength. But there are still differences.
Yoga—Focuses on broad muscle groups and emphasizes balance and meditation. It’s used more often for mental & emotional rehab.
Yoga emphasizes the softness of the body, focusing more on how to use your strength and flexibility to continue to maintain the posture. Yoga practice will significantly shape your body, enhance your temperament, and increase your body’s flexibility.
Pilates: Focuses on aligning the spine and strengthening the core. It’s used more often for physical rehabilitation.
Pilates focuses on the process of completing a movement, focusing on the movement of the muscles themselves and breathing control; it focuses more on muscle strength, endurance, and shaping the shape of the muscles, practicing Pilates muscle development will be more balanced, shoulder and back pain will be reduced.
NO.7 PRACTICE REQUIREMENTS
Yoga: Yoga requires practice on an empty stomach, and a yoga mat is required.
Pilates: It is not necessary to practice on an empty stomach, but it is not advisable to have a full meal. You can eat a little bit. Eating too much will lead to dysfunction of the digestive system. Pilates can be practiced on a yoga mat or on the floor.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF PRACTICING PILATES AND YOGA?
PILATES BENEFITS:
Pilates is a rehabilitation functional training system. The entire exercise system is based on anatomy and medicine and is designed to maintain and improve posture by exercising the small muscles deep in the body, to achieve body balance, to strengthen the body’s muscle strength and flexibility, to strengthen and help heal old injuries, and to prevent injuries. It emphasizes the control of the core muscles, strengthens proprioception, and is a coordinated exercise for the whole body with proper breathing.
One of the principles of Pilates is to focus on the core of your body. It will help your spine, pelvic alignment, shoulder position, proper posture, etc. It is suitable for people of any age, especially office workers who lack exercise and face computers for long hours, and mothers who are preparing for pregnancy, prenatal assistance, and quick postpartum trim, to achieve shaping, fat loss, exercise enhancement, sports therapy, and posture correction.
- The spine becomes healthier and more flexible
Pilates can give more care and support to the spine so that a certain gap is maintained between each vertebra. This not only makes your body look taller but also enhances flexibility of your body. The increased flexibility not only prevents degenerative spinal conditions (such as herniated discs), but also makes your manner more elegant and decent.
- Makes fitness workouts safe and effective
Pilates can be combined with any fitness exercise. Combining Pilates principles in exercise can reduce the stress and wear on joints, as well as the burden and impact on the spine.
Unlike other forms of fitness, you can practice Pilates every day without worrying about putting undue stress on your joints and muscles. If you work out three times a week, you’ll see fast and dramatic results.
- Prevent osteoporosis and enhance the body’s balance
As we enter the age of maturity, the body’s balance begins to decline due to the degeneration of muscle tissue and the decline of the nervous system, and the loss of bone mass makes us prone to osteoporosis, falls and fractures. Pilates helps to strengthen the body’s core stability, low impact muscular strength and muscular endurance exercises to enhance the body’s balance and coordination, and strong bones to slow down this aging process. The movements of Pilates require precise control and coordination, and have a very good activation effect on the nervous system, improving brain nerve degeneration.
- Relieve chronic back pain and joint injuries
If you have been suffering from chronic back pain for years, or suffer from osteoarthritis, you will find that using Pilates exercises can effectively relieve joint and muscle pain. The reason why Pilates is able to deal with this disease is that when practicing Pilates, the whole body from deep to superficial muscles will get a balanced exercise, and the control of Pilates exercise focus can improve the body’s proprioception, improve the alignment of joints, avoid muscle overwork, reduce joint stress and wear and tear, and have a strong repair ability. It is an effective physical therapy.
- Conducive to postpartum injury rehabilitation and body recovery
Many mothers are distressed by the unspeakable pelvic floor muscle laxity and loose abdomen after delivery. If they can insist on practicing a few Pilates movements during the golden period of 3 months after delivery, it won’t take long to see the obvious effect of Pilates on the recovery of birth injury. After the 3-month postpartum recovery period is over, doing some Pilates strengthening exercises can also have unexpected shaping effects.
- Improve sports performance and efficiency
Every Pilates movement is centered around the core of the body from start to finish. Once the core of the body is strengthened, the transmission of force is more efficient.
This helps practitioners who want to reduce their belly size and shape to achieve their fitness goals faster and more effectively.
-It is much easier for yogis to do handstands.
-Dancers will be more dexterous when performing skillful movements.
-More agile and powerful movements when playing tennis, badminton, basketball, etc.
Long-distance runners will have a better chance of success.
Pilates is not only a training method but also a way of life. Being able to have a taller body shape and tighter lines, are the visible effects of Pilates exercise, allowing people to become their own body “coach” in daily life, anytime, anywhere.
YOGA BENEFITS:
Yoga can accelerate metabolism, remove waste from the body, shape repair, toning, and nourishment from inside and outside.
Yoga can bring you elegant temperament, light body posture, improve the internal and external temperament of people; yoga can enhance body strength and muscle elasticity, balanced development of body limbs, make you become more and more cheerful, energetic, physically and mentally happy.
Yoga can prevent and treat all kinds of physical and mental related diseases, back pain, shoulder pain, neck pain, headache, joint pain, insomnia, digestive system disorders, dysmenorrhea, hair loss, etc. have remarkable effects.
- Eliminate tension and make your attention more focused
Modern people are in a long-term mental tension, oppression, and noise environment, often need to do many things at the same time, which will affect your judgment or often forget where to put things, it is easy for people to produce neurasthenia, anxiety, and other problems. And yoga exercise is a persistent thing that will make one’s attention focused on one thing, thus unifying your mental and physical body, feeling the extension of your muscles, communicating and talking with your own body, and naturally, your attention will be more focused.
- Beautify the body curve
Having a slim and slender body is every woman’s dream. An obese and bloated body not only makes you look ugly but also affects your health. Through yoga, you can lose excess body fat, promote blood circulation, massage your internal organs, thus eliminating toxins, optimizing your figure, and making you look more elegant.
- Speed up the metabolism
Nowadays, we often sit in air-conditioned rooms for a long time, which will reduce our exercise, thus sweating becomes a very difficult thing, and yoga is to let you exercise without leaving home, sweating becomes a natural thing. Sweating can remove impurities from your body and make your skin look more hydrated.
- Detoxification and beauty
Yoga stretches can promote blood circulation in your body, nourish your skin, reduce wrinkles, make your skin more elastic, and also be able to slow down the aging process.
- Release stress and eliminate depression
Listening to soothing music, with a breath of yoga asana, such a soothing exercise can let your whole body and mind immersed in yoga, as if everything around you at the moment can be ignored, so as to achieve relaxation and let the body and mind unity of the realm.
PILATES AND YOGA: WHICH ONE IS MORE SUITABLE FOR YOU?
PILATES:
- White-collar workers who lack exercise
Sitting in the office all year round makes the muscles lose strength and cannot support the body, so it is easy to have back pain, and over time even the body lines are out of shape. Pilates helps to re-stretch the taut muscles, like a deep massage, while practicing muscle endurance, so that the body pressure is then evenly distributed.
- People who are obese and deformed
Because Pilates exercise is about control, stretching, and breathing, it is very helpful for the shaping of the waist, abdomen, buttocks, and other key parts of women, so it is also more suitable for women in real life requirements for physical beauty.
- People who need medical rehabilitation and prevention
Long-term chronic diseases and unbalanced muscle pressure distribution can lead to chronic cervical spondylosis, lower back pain, and other phenomena. Regular Pilates training can help people with back pain, neck pain or muscle strains to relieve their pain, as well as prevent injuries and correct poor body posture.
- The maternal population waiting to recover
Most women have pelvic floor muscle and abdominal muscle relaxation phenomenon after giving birth, participate in Pilates exercises can strengthen the pelvic floor muscle exercise, received very good results. After a period of practice, it can help to restore the contraction force and muscle elasticity of the pelvic floor muscles.
- Professional athletes
Professional athletes generally have different degrees of physical injury, Pilates in the powerful core strength exercises can greatly enhance the body’s athletic strength, and constantly enhance flexibility, reduce the body injury brought by excessive exercise.
YOGA:
- Yoga instructors who wish to perfect and improve their yoga knowledge system and teaching methods
- Prospective yoga instructors who wish to become yoga teachers
- Yoga lovers who want to make up yoga theory knowledge and practice yoga in an orderly way
- Zero foundation
- Keyboard family. Yoga enthusiasts
Yoga is best for people who are overweight, insomnia, mental stress, nervous headaches, high cholesterol, peripheral pain, general body aches and pains, shoulder and neck pains, sitting at the computer for long hours, gynecological inflammation, women who are preparing to have children, new mothers who are struggling to recover their body shape and physique after giving birth.
THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN PRACTICING YOGA:
- Practice on an empty stomach
When practicing yoga, you need to do somebody twisting and flexion exercises that are irritating to the stomach. After eating, your stomach becomes uncomfortable.
- Breathe evenly
Yoga is a slow movement, each movement is carried out between one inhalation and one exhalation, then the softness of your body will be a hundred times stronger than before when you only exercise, when you first start to practice, you have to control your breathing, so that the whole body has in an aerobic state.
- Be slow
The fundamental of yoga exercise is the movement in slow, to soothe the body, thus allowing you to enter a relaxed state. From there, the tension in your body will be eliminated, and breathing and awareness will be more easily linked.
