Yoga VS Pilates
As a yoga and pilates instructor, it is common for me to hear this question from my students: "is yoga or pilates better for me?". Well, answering this question is not as simple as choosing whether to play football or go swimming. Both Yoga and Pilates practice can make you feel better, but there are also some differences that may affect your choice. The best way to make the right choice is to ask the right questions. Here are some questions for you and please, be completely honest with yourself. These little questions are going to help you find the right answers and to make your choice easier than you think. What benefits are you looking for? What do you want to get from the practice? If what you want to get is just a toned body, the better choice would be pilates, which is considered more strenuous than most yoga classes. If, in addition to physically practicing, you are looking for a mental balance and wanting to improve your life even in other aspects (nutrition, ethics, tranquility, discipline, ego, etc ...) most likely the best choice you can do is to orient yourself towards yoga. You will be surprised how, what is apparently a purely physical practice can affect many other aspects of life. How would you like to practice? This is another way to understand what is best for you. If you prefer to practice without any tools, you will probably love yoga more as what you need is just your body and your mat; except for some particular yoga styles. If you like doing a practice that is closer to a workout where you use medicine balls, machines and rollers you are up to something more similar to pilates, for sure! Where do you want to practice? Sure, you can easily practice both disciplines at home (or at least the most traditional style of these disciplines), you have to taken into consideration that in order to take things to the next level in pilates, you might have to use specialized equipment at the gym. Yoga is different. Yes, you may need a couple of props to deepen your practice but we are talking about buying yoga blocks or yoga mats; so it is easier to keep things at home. So, if you are willing to go to a gym for more advanced sessions, go with pilates; if you want to keep things easy and you want to keep practicing at home you have to rely on yoga. Do you want to relax or you want to tone your body up? Both yoga and pilates involve some stretching. Is pilates or yoga better for toning? If you're looking for a type of physical exercise that focuses on body toning, perhaps pilates is the perfect choice for you. If you are looking for a type of physical activity that focuses on body and mind relaxation, yoga is the way. You want to correct posture problems? Should you go for yoga or pilates for posture improvements? If you have some posture problems you want to solve in a dynamic but gentle way you should rely more on pilates as it’s the perfect discipline to help you have a better posture and even recover from injuries. Instead, if you suffer from back pain’s episodes, neck stress and so on, you could rely on yoga as a gentle stretch and a way to relax all the muscles and all the tension of our every day’s life and bad posture habits. Give them a try The advice I can give you is to follow your own instinct and to really listen to your body and soul during the practice. After having tried both yoga and pilates, try to understand what you really need and what is best for you. Whatever you need at this particular moment in time try to consider it as a moment of personal care, a moment to challenge yourself to get better in both your body and spirit. This is the main key to find what suits you most and to find your perfect path for a healthier and happier relationship with yourself…as, at the end of the day, this is what this kind of fitness journeys are all about Feel free to tell us what are your goals, and we can recommend what is best for you too!
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AuthorThis blog is maintained by Kim Archives
January 2020
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