Yoga or Pilates?

For as long as I have been teaching, people have asked me about the difference between yoga and Pilates.

Here is how I see it;

Yoga is an ancient tradition dating back thousands of years. The word ‘yoga’ means union, and that can be translated as the union between body and mind. Pilates is less than 100 years old, and is derived from a method of exercise used by a Mr Joseph Pilates  which he called ‘Contrology’. As a sickly boy (Pilates suffered rickets and asthma) he dedicated his life to improving his health, and in doing so has improved the health of countless thousands of others.

Yoga works very much on the mind and the body. There are 8 limbs of yoga;

1. Asana – the physical practice of holding and moving through postures
2. Dharana – concentration of the mind
3. Dhyana – meditation
4. Prananyama – breath or energy work
5. Niyama – personal observances (e.g. cleanliness, austerity)
6. Yama - Universal morality (including truthfulness and non-violence)
7. Pratyahara - Withdrawal or control of the senses
8. Samadhi – union with the divine. Achieving a higher consciousness.

The yoga ‘asanas’ or postures are the most commonly practiced limb of yoga and were originally intended to help the yogi achieve better concentration in order to get closer to the divine through meditation. The great thing about these asanas is that they help us to achieve and maintain a stronger and more flexible body.

Pilates is more simple and is purely a system of exercises designed to correct imbalances, and  postural weaknesses adding strength and/or flexibility where required. Pilates (as with yoga) focuses on the breath, and this does have an effect on the mind, so almost by defualt, Pilates is also a form of mind-body exercise.

Both Yoga and Pilates have many different forms: Power Yoga, Bikram Yoga or Iynegar Yoga, Pilates mat-work, Dynamic Pilates or Power Pilates to name but a few. If you want a heart thumping stretch, try Bikram which is performed in a very hot room, if you want amazing abs and core strength, try any form of Pilates. If you need to calm your mind and de-stress, choose Hatha Yoga, and for an all-over strength and flexibility workout either Dynamic Yoga or Dynamic Pilates will do the job.

In my humble opinion, I think that a combination of both yoga and Pilates is perfect, and I have been teaching my ‘East meets West Fusion’ here at the Six Senses Spa, Maldives this week with great results, but as long as you move your body more than you did before, then you are already on your way to a healthier body and mind! (to try my Pilates, check out my Pilates dvd (Pilates with Caroline Sandry) available on my website or amazon).

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