Yoga & Pilates

Taken from: http://www.abc-of-yoga.com/info/yoga-pilates.asp

Yoga Pilates or yogilates is the fusion of Yoga and pilates to get the essential benefits one can attain from doing both activities. Yogilates is also called Pi-yo or Piyo. 

The man behind yogilates is Yoga and pilates instructor Jonathan Urla. His aim is to create a complete exercise methodology for practitioners that offer a "more rapid and balanced development of their bodies than when either discipline is performed separately". 

Even advanced yogis are now incorporating the pilates principles into the ancient Hatha Yoga practice to be able to come up with an advanced over-all workout system. Through this combination, one can get the energized feeling of having a cardio workout from pilates, and the balanced and a relaxed body, mind and soul one may achieve in Yoga. 

History

Yoga is an ancient discipline that rooted 5,000 years ago. It is a well-known activity that includes Yoga Postures, personal hygiene, and a healthy diet to premeditation, breathing, and relaxation techniques for an over-all development of one’s health and well-being. More than physical rewards like achieving a fitter body sculpture and further flexible movements, yoga focuses more on self-realization and mental discipline that can be accomplished through deep meditation. Yoga is therapeutic and rejuvenating, and develops balance, awareness and unification of the mind, body, and spirit. 

Meanwhile, pilates was derived from the ancient yoga asanas by the performer and boxer Joseph Pilates in the year 1914. The German creator made this exercise system for a more specific, though limited, purpose. To aide his wife Clara, who is a nurse, Pilates developed exercises that would help bedridden patients regain their strength and mobility. Through the years, this workout progressed to fit more people’s conditions. Dancers practiced pilates for decades because it helps in cultivating the body’s core strength and in lengthening the spine. Its difference from yoga is that it focuses less on the breathing and more on the physical movements. 

Though there are differences, posture, flexibility, coordination, and balance are all achievable in both Yoga and Pilates. 

Yoga Vs. Pilates

Yoga and Pilates share the same techniques. Both exercises tone, strengthen, and develop the arms, legs, abdomen and the back by using the body’s own resistance. Although Yoga Postures and Pilates poses are almost similar, each of them still has its own unique features. 

• Pilates is a conditioning and corrective exercise of the whole body. It was adopted by dancers as a form of physical therapy and also as a way of sculpting their bodies. On the other hand, Yoga is more of a lifestyle. It is known to be a path to one’s physical and mental well-being. Yoga incorporates physical postures or Asanas, a healthy diet, breathing techniques, and even includes Meditation practices.
• Practicing Pilates enables you to breathe through your nose and exhale through your mouth while in Yoga, you inhale and exhale only through your nose.
• Aside from using a mat, there are also Pilates Machines that you can use for your exercise. You can check out our Yoga Shop for Pilates Machines.
• Pilates’ main area of focus is in lengthening the spine and in cultivating the body’s core strength while Yoga focuses in uniting the body with the mind and spirit.

Getting Started

Through the ingenious combination of pilates and yoga, the result is an overall fitness workout that strengthens the body and relaxes the mind. A session is often 75 minutes long. Usually accompanying by a soothing music, yogilates is lead by the instructor in a step-by-step series of floor exercises that involves mat work exercises of yoga and pilates. When the body is warmed-up from this, the session will then advance to a more challenging standing work. The culminating activity is a deep and relaxing meditation. 

Before getting started with yogilates, here are a few reminders:

• Exercises should not be done on a full stomach as this may result to discomfort.
• Wear comfortable clothing that allows freedom of movement. It is better to go barefoot, too.
• Use a Yoga Mat or non-slip surface to provide padding during the exercises.
• A suitable room that is conducive for the exercises is one that is well-ventilated, and spacious enough to extend arms and legs freely.

And finally, listen to your body. Concentrate on the movement, focus on your breathing, know your personal limitations, and do the steps to the best of your abilities for an effective reenergizing mind-body experience.