Which Is Better Pilates or Yoga?
Yoga and Pilates are often considered similar practices. However, they’re actually very different methods. They’re very different practices, and they actually have different intentions and different benefits for you. Today, we’re going to discuss the differences. And that way you can pick which practice is the best one for you.
Hi, I’m Lesley Logan, founder of OnlinePilatesClasses.com™. I’ve been doing Pilates for over 20 years and teaching it since 2008. I’ve been lucky enough to learn from some of the best Pilates instructors out there, including one who study with Joseph Pilates. And so today as I talk to you about yoga versus Pilates, or yoga and Pilates, and which one you should do, here’s the deal, I love Pilates. I’m obviously going to be pro-Pilates on this, but I also do practice yoga. So I hope that you’ll find a really understanding way to choose the right practice for you, or maybe both.
How Do I Choose Between Yoga and Pilates?
So why do people confuse Pilates and yoga? Honestly, I think it came from people trying to understand what Pilates was. It’s like, oh, well, they’re doing similar moves to yoga. But actually, only part of Pilates is on a mat. There’s all these other pieces of equipment. And while I love the mat, and I believe that everyone should have a mat practice, it is only one part of the Pilates practice. We’re gonna get to those nuances in just a second. But before we do, welcome to this channel. Hi, I’m Lesley Logan, I’m so excited that you’re here. We have tutorials, full-length classes, and I love having videos like this where we really educate you on what Pilates is, all the different things you need to know about it, and how it can work for you.
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What is Pilates?
Alright, so first, let’s talk about “What is Pilates?” because that helps us understand the differences with “What is yoga?”. Pilates is a strength-based practice, first and foremost. It’s designed to balance your imbalances. It helps you really move from your center outward, you connect to all of your muscles before you do anything. And it can be done on the mat, but also on the reformer, Cadillac, Wunda chair and so many other pieces of equipment. In fact, you can see all those in free tutorials that we have in several classes. Because Pilates is a low-impact workout, it does get lumped in with a lot of different low-impact exercises, like yoga, but also just other kinds of exercises you can do. Pilates is very different than those things. Just because it’s low impact doesn’t mean it’s the same. It really is an exercise practice that’s designed to work from your core outward first. And in our channel, we actually have another video called The Truth about Pilates, you can check out in our show notes as well. I do go into more details about what Pilates is.
Are You Doing Real Pilates?
But you should understand first and foremost that Pilates also is quality over quantity. And so you know you’re doing real Pilates when there’s a quality of movement emphasis versus a quantity of reps. If you are in a class where you’re doing 20 reps, it’s not really Pilates, you want to be doing less than 10 reps, really three to five is the sweet spot. And every exercise should be full-body all of the time as opposed to spot training. So if you are doing real Pilates, that is what it’s going to feel like and you will probably be on a variety of different pieces of equipment whether on the mat, reformer, Cadillac, tower, Wunda chair, etc. You are picking, hopefully picking the apparatuses that work best for your practice at that time with yourself on your own or with a teacher. At OnlinePilatesClasses.com™ we actually have classes based on the type of equipment people have access to, we can help hold you accountable to your practice by providing new classes and taking old classes away. If you want to learn more about OPC check out this video here we also have in the show notes will explain everything that we do OPC and why we rock at it.
What is Yoga?
So, what is yoga? First of all, I wanted to say I am not a certified yoga instructor. So if I get any of this wrong, forgive me. I’m coming at this as a person who’s practiced yoga for many years, Yoga has more spiritual lien to its practice. It is strength-based as well, depending on the teacher or the style you work with. There are different types of yoga practices that you can do. And when you are choosing yoga, what I highly recommend is that you try out the different styles and find the yoga practices right for you. Make sure that you are finding a yoga teacher who has been certified, you can check all those credentials out with them and find someone who actually can work with your body and what your goals are.
Benefits of Pilates
All right, so let’s talk about the Pilates. Holy moly, where do I start? First of all, it is going to balance your imbalances, it is going to strengthen the muscles that are not often used, because your dominant ones are often used in life. It is going to prevent injury because it does that. If you are super flexible, you will find that Pilates actually pulls you together, you’re not going to be this person who’s just like a bag of bones. And, if you’re super tight, you will get flexibility. And the goal of Pilates is to make sure that you have a balance of strength and stretch. That’s incredible benefit that will help you in life and everything that you want to do. If you want to know more about the benefits of Pilates, we actually do have a full video of that. You can see it in the show notes below and check it out to get more in-depth on all of the Pilates. But, another thing is we have the mental benefits, posture, and this mind-body connection. So it’s really amazing for someone who is needing to get a full body workout in but doesn’t have a lot of time and you want to get meditation in, you kind of combine all of them when you do Pilates practice.
Benefits of Yoga
Alright, so the benefits of Yoga. There are some that are gonna be very similar, especially if you’ve watched my video on the advantages of Pilates, you’re going to notice that there are a few that are similar, which is, reduces lower back pain, increases flexibility, reduces stress, enhances sleep.
Why Should You Do Pilates?
Alright, so let’s talk about why you should do Pilates. Besides the fact that I think it’s amazing, you should love it, you should also make the decision for yourself. If you want to work on your balance, if you are really wanting to have better posture, better digestion, better sleep, reduced headaches, and have a lot more mindfulness in your life. Pilates can help you do all of those things, because it is a mind-body connection practice. And because of Pilates’ variety of apparatus and tools and over 500 exercises, Pilates can actually meet you where you are at any age, and at any place in your fitness level. So if you’ve never worked out, or you’re coming back from injury, Pilates is it actually going to be able to meet you where you are, and take you where you want to grow.
Why I Prefer Pilates Over Yoga?
Alright, so what I love the most about Pilates, it’s actually not Pilates versus anything. It’s Pilates AND. If you want to do yoga, if you want to do any other fitness regimen, Pilates is actually going to make you the most safe, most strongest version of yourself in those practices. You will actually be able to take what you learn about how to move from your center outwards. Take the balance of strength and stretch and apply it to your yoga practice, whichever yoga practice style you decide to use. And so, why should you do Pilates? Because it actually will make your yoga practice better. One more thing on this because Pilates is equally about strength and flexibility… What this allows you to do when you go into a yoga practice that can seem like it’s all about flexibility is, you can actually take the strength with you, and really help enhance what you’re going to get out of your yoga practice.
Give Pilates a Try
Alright, so whether you’re new to Pilates or deciding if Pilates or yoga is right for you, what I’d love for you to do is check us out at OnlinePilatesClasses.com™. We have certified instructors, we have amazing classes for all levels on whatever piece of equipment you have access to. And you can try us out here for free. And then don’t forget to join us on Sunday at 9 am Pacific Time on our YouTube channel where I answer your questions. Have an amazing day. Thank you so much for being here.
