A Mindful Movement Practice
What's the difference between
yoga and Pilates?
Yoga
began to be known as a secular spiritual practice rather than a religious ritual.
There are eight limbs of yoga; Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi. The practice of Asana can be used as a form of body toning and meditation. Through the use of noticing the breath and moving slowly between poses, physical yoga can help to reconnect the body with the mind and soothe the nervous system.
Yoga, being at least 5000 years old, is an ancient practice. Preclassical and classical yoga encompassed an entire lifestyle and way of being, putting more emphasis on the mental and emotional aspect rather than the physical positions. Between the years 800 and 1700, increased importance was attached to the body and breath.
​
Yoga was introduced to the Western world in the 19th Century and
Pilates was invented by Joseph Pilates in the early 20th Century. As a child he suffered from asthma, rickets, and rheumatic fever, and so explored many different modalities of movement to help himself become stronger and healthier. He studied human anatomy and invented the first Pilates Reformer machine while imprisoned in an internment camp, where he worked as a nurse.
Pilates
In 1923 he opened his first studio in New York with his wife Clara,
calling his new exercise method contrology.
Pilates focuses on aligning and toning muscles. It can reduce physical pain, aid recovery from joint and muscle injuries, and improve posture. There are six main principles of Pilates - concentration, control, centre, flow, precision, and breathing.
There are countless variations of both yoga and Pilates methods but they all focus on the core aims of their respective exercise method. Both disciplines fall under the umbrella of mindful movement, as they both place emphasis on the breath.