Yoga & Pilates

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kendradl
kendradl Posts: 595 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I have never tried either of these and was wondering what exactly is the difference? Is one better than the other? Are any additional accessories required to take either besides a yoga mat? Any help would be appreciated I would like to try and work one into my weekly routine.

Thanx :happy:

Replies

  • Dobsaya
    Dobsaya Posts: 235
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    They are different. Yoga is more stretching to tone and pilates uses body weight to move and tone. If you have netflix and streaming capabilities try some of there pilates workouts or yoga workouts or they also have a pilates/yoga combo weight loss workout. I do pilates about 3 times a week.
  • CaroleBroen
    CaroleBroen Posts: 1 Member
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    I tried Pilates a couple of times and just couldn't get it. I didn't feel like I was doing much in the one hour class. It requires a lot of concentration and works a lot on the inner core muscles. It is supposed to be great for those who feel they have reached a plateau when it comes to their abs. However I do do P90X Yoga and am sweating buckets by the end of it. Yoga helps your flexibility, and to tone muscles.
  • nursevee
    nursevee Posts: 344 Member
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    Pilates is fabulous if you have any injuries that can't handle an impact work-out. It involves a lot of stretching and body resistance training. You can buy pilates equipment but for the core work it's not necessary. They use resistance bands and the exercise ball and if you go to a pilates studio they will use the traps etc. Totally not required for in home conditioning. It will focus on core strength and posture etc. After I had my accident that is what I did to re-condition my muscles for exercise again. Yoga involves body conditioning through a series of moves and stances. Again, it's great for all over conditioning. It depends what type of yoga you do but I found it helpful to have yoga blocks as well as the mat.
  • meggonkgonk
    meggonkgonk Posts: 2,066 Member
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    I tried Pilates a couple of times and just couldn't get it. I didn't feel like I was doing much in the one hour class. It requires a lot of concentration and works a lot on the inner core muscles. It is supposed to be great for those who feel they have reached a plateau when it comes to their abs.

    Yea pilates won't burn a ton of calories but because it is slow, controlled motion, it is really good for toning, esp your core.
  • csleslie
    csleslie Posts: 3
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    I have tried both but am totally committed to yoga. I find it much more enjoyable, relaxing, and introspective. Yoga can be just as challenging (if not more challenging) than pilates but you work through the poses more slowly, often holding them for a longer amount of time.

    Yoga also has proven mental health benefits. I struggled with anxiety for many years, but ever since I started doing yoga regularly I rarely have issues. If you have a good instructor, you learn to calm your mind and experience the present moment. You also learn to enjoy body sensations that you didn't know you could enjoy, like flexing and stretching.

    Yoga has seriously changed my life. I recommend it to anyone who wants to become stronger, have more energy on a day to day basis, or is struggling with mental health issues.
  • nms123ss
    nms123ss Posts: 2
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    I have done both and love them both, but they are pretty different. When I do pilates, I definitely feel like I'm working out, and it's great for abs, but I find yoga really therapeutic. Even though I think maybe faster physical results could be obtained through pilates, I find yoga really helps my mental health and mindset.
    I think that a yoga block really does help with poses that are a little difficult at first. I know it sounds silly, but I've tried a million yoga DVDs and hands down my favorite one is "Body by Bethenny", with Bethenny Frankel. It's great!
  • kendradl
    kendradl Posts: 595 Member
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    Thank You for all of the suggestions this really helps :happy:
  • BiloxiBelle
    BiloxiBelle Posts: 680 Member
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    To me, yoga is fairly therapeutic. It seeks to balance all areas of your life...uniting mind, body & spirit. It has a focus on flexibility & balance with toning as an 'extra bonus'.

    Pilates works the entire body, with every move focusing on your core/core stabilization. It seems more about toning/strengthening with flexibility/balance being the 'extra bonus'.

    There's for sure some overlap between the two, but I find yoga to be more for me. I get stretching, balance, stress relief, relaxation...all from yoga. There are quite a few 'fusion' dvds that put the 2 together in the same workout. You could look into that?

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