Yoga and Pilates

A lot has been said about Yoga and Pilates as an alternative form of workout for the body. What makes these 2 techniques truly unique is that you can condition the mind, body and soul with these exercises.

Yoga is an ancient technique, which has existed for thousands of years and proved to have a holistic effect on the physical, mental and emotional being of an individual. Yoga consists of various positions and breathing techniques, which help in bringing the body into complete synchronization. The various techniques of Yoga make you aware of your body and attentive to its internal and external problems. Yoga is therapeutic in nature and aims to bring the bodily imbalance into complete harmony. Yoga involves no machines or weights. The only thing it involves is using your own body strength and resistance.

Pilates are complimentary exercises to Yoga. These exercises also stress on working your mind and body in perfect sync and control.  However a major difference between Pilates and Yoga is that the former stresses more on flexibility and stretching techniques whereas the latter deals with improving your core strength. Pilates focuses more on building the core muscles or joints in the body, which are required for everyday functioning and daily routine. Yoga is more into stretches and improving the overall flexibility and movement of the body. Also Yoga involves a lot of mind and body exercises, which include meditation and deep breathing techniques.
Another difference between Yoga and Pilates is that Pilates involves using a few machines whereas Yoga only stresses on using the strength of the body.

Pilate exercises are designed to improve the body alignment mainly the core muscles of the spine, hips, pelvic and abdominal region. The main objective of Pilates is not the number of exercises but the precise technique or quality of each movement. Pilates also helps in increasing the strength of your core muscles, which in-turn leads to great stamina of the body.

There is a deeper connection of Yoga and Pilates. Both techniques involve a lot of common factors. Breathing techniques hold a very important place in both Yoga and Pilates. Both techniques come from the school of thought that breathing is essential to maintain bodily balance.

To conclude I would like to say that Yoga and Pilates go hand in hand. One should take the best of both worlds and experience a healthy transformation.

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