Yoga and Pilates - How One Form Compliments The Other
Yoga and pilates can have a profound impact on the body — not just by reshaping muscles or helping you to relax, but also by providing the organs with clean oxygenated blood and stimulating beta-endorphin release. Practitioners in India have known yoga to be the key to mental and physical wellness for thousands of years. Now that the practice has come to the Western world, many celebrities, athletes and everyday people are adding a yoga pilates class to their work week.
To achieve maximum balance, coordination, flexibility, body sculpting and strength, it is recommended that you add at least one yoga and pilates class to your weekly regimen. While you won’t achieve the weight loss or endurance that cardio workouts provide, you will gather other important skills to help your performance in other activities. Yoga focuses more on breathing, relaxation and spirituality, whereas pilates will give you more of an athletic strength training.
Clear differences between yoga and pilates include some of the following: First, yoga is an ancient Indian practice that dates back approximately 5,000 years, whereas pilates is an adaptation of yoga dating back eighty years to a German athlete, Joseph Pilate. Secondly, in addition to physical activity, yoga is an entire holistic program that encompasses diet, meditation, breathing techniques, religious edict and a moral code; Pilates is simply a form of exercise and body sculpting technique. Thirdly, yoga aims to unite mind and body, as well as cleanse the body of toxins, while pilates is fashioned to strengthen, define and improve posture. Additionally, in yoga, you are taught to inhale and exhale through the nose, whereas pilates employs the traditional athletic mode of breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth while performing an action. Lastly, yoga can generally be done with just a mat (although sometimes props are used), while instructors ensure everyone’s in proper form; pilates, on the other hand, has specific machinery designed to assist practitioners.
Advanced students of yoga and pilates will find it advantageous to visit a yoga center or fitness club to further their goals and study. Mentoring and working with advanced equipment can really expedite body sculpting or enlightenment, depending on what is being actively sought. For beginners who are unsure if they’re willing to commit just yet, there are a multitude of pilates and yoga videos to try at home. A couple of recommended pilates videos are: Denise Austin - Hit The Spot, Jennifer Kries - Pilates Method, Karen Voight - Core Essentials, Pilates For Dummies and Kathy Smith - Pilates For Abs. A couple of recommended yoga videos are: Basic Yoga Workout For Dummies, Living Yoga - AM/PM, Ali Macgraw Yoga Mind & Body, Shiva Rea - Yoga Shakti and Kundalini Yoga: With Grace and Strength.
Perhaps more than any other form of exercise, Yoga has been around the longest. Originating in India, this popular form of exercise has been practiced around the world. Why? The physical portion of the workout is very low-impact and can be performed by anyone of any age. The same cannot be said of kick boxing classes or Jazzercise. But there is more to Yoga than just working out the body. It is also a lifestyle that can bring clarity to the mind through spiritual exercises of meditation and concentration. Are you ready to begin your path to a healthy body and mind? Click here to find out more: Yoga Poses and at Yoga Books also at Yoga Music
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Filed under: Health and Fitness