How Yoga and Pilates Are Different: They are both awesome but not the same
Despite what you might think, Pilates is not Yoga. I love Yoga but Pilates is different from Yoga. Why? That’s a complicated question. I’ve been thinking about how to explain this one for a while. Here are some reasons I think Pilates is different from Yoga. First of all you move through exercises, rather than holding a pose. You can also change the exercises to make it work better for you. Pilates is not about the end pose, because there is not one. There are shapes you make with your body but you keep moving through them.
The goal in Pilates is movement. Once you learn the exercises and transitions, you can flow from one exercise to the next without stopping. Sure there are flowing Yoga classes too but Pilates doesn’t get you to a pose to stay there or repeat a sequence of exercises. You set up for an exercise, do some repetitions and move on to the next one. This helps you to feel like you are on a journey through movement, as each exercise builds onto the next. When you follow the traditional order of the exercises, you work through different positions of the spine from lying down on the mat to standing. This is so your whole body works with gravity and gradually increases the challenge to work against it.
There are some challenges with Yoga that are not as prevalent in Pilates. You may have experienced some pressure on your wrists in some Yoga poses. There are exercises that challenge the wrists in Pilates, but I emphasize making the exercise work for your own body. If wrist strength is something you want to work on there are specific exercises we can add to help you build that. I had a lot of challenge with wrist strength when I was going through my teaching certification. But I was able to use Pilates to help me build up that strength so I no longer have that issue.
Some people have a lot of trouble with balance in the standing poses in Yoga. Pilates helps you work on your balance throughout the class lying, sitting and eventually standing using support as needed. If you have trouble with balance standing, you can hold on to a pole or even stand against the wall to help build up your balance. The exercises spent lying or sitting on the mat give your body the opportunity to work with gravity to develop the strength to stand with good balance. Pilates helps you to gradually build your strength and balance working with gravity before you stand and work against it.
Pilates like Yoga, is a mind body exercise method. While we are not straight up meditating like a Yoga class, the Pilates method is meditative movement. If you have trouble staying connected to the movement and not thinking about what need to get at the grocery store in a Yoga class, you might concentrate better in Pilates. I’ve had clients that take Yoga and Pilates say it’s much easier for them to focus in Pilates. You might not think Pilates looks easy but there is a lot to think about. You want to think about how your body is doing each exercise and how you can do better. When there is a lot to concentrate on inside your body, you might find it’s easier to let go of the outside world and be in the moment. If you have trouble focusing in a Yoga class, try Pilates and see if it helps you be more focused. When you go back to a Yoga class you can take that focus with you and get more out of it.
Pilates gives you the opportunity to move slowly, or if you are ready, at a faster pace. The exercises change tempo throughout the class. Some are usually slow, others can be slowed down to make them more challenging. Regardless of speed, there is contemplation in the movement. When you do an exercise three to eight times in a row you learn how to do the exercise better. I give you cues to help you do the next repetition in a better way for your body. My students that do faster paced exercise classes say they like Pilates because it gives them the opportunity to slow down and get more specific about the movement.
I love Yoga but Pilates is my go to. I love the way the movement feels in my body when I am flowing through the exercises and when I’m taking the time to work on the technique. I love when I teach a class and I throw out my plan because the group has different needs that day. I can easily adjust the class plan in an instant. I can easily teach the group one exercise and give three different options for people to make it work best for their body. And I love when I see people making the right choice for themselves. Pilates is not Yoga and Yoga is not Pilates. They each have their own benefits and they are each worthy exercise practices. They work great when you do both. If you haven’t tried Pilates yet, see for yourself how it’s different from Yoga. You can sign up for a group class here. If you have done both, tell me in the comments how Pilates is different than Yoga from your perspective. I can’t wait to hear how you see the difference.
