Differences between Yoga and Pilates

​Both yoga and Pilates are low impact, welcoming for all fitness levels, and gentle on your joints. In fact, they can reduce the risk of an injury in the first place. In yoga and Pilates, you are increasing awareness of your body and breath, and you are often encouraged throughout the class to focus on your breathing technique to keep you strong and centered.
The Difference Between Yoga And Pilates

While both yoga and Pilates are low-impact exercises and can be performed on a mat, they're actually totally different workouts.

Yoga is an ancient Indian practice that dates back 5,000 years. It includes posture, breathing, and meditation to promote both mental and physical well-being. The intention of yoga is to deeply connect with the mind and body by holding and advancing physical poses while focusing on breath. Yoga began as a primarily spiritual practice that evolved to include more physical poses in the 1900s.

Pilates is much younger. Joseph Pilates developed the method in the 1920s to help injured veterans during World War I. He originally called it contrology, and he taught the use of the mind to control the muscles, with a focus on the core. The goal of Pilates is to develop the muscles uniformly and create a sense of postural awareness through activation and stabilization. It involves moving through slow, precise, strength exercises with breath control (though the breathing methods within yoga and Pilates aren't always the same). Pilates focuses heavily on core strength and stability.

Breath work is important in both yoga and Pilates, but how it’s used distinguishes the two modalities. In Pilates you will engage your core on the exhale and yoga will practice the opposite.

How you move through the exercises is unique in each. Most yoga classes involve flowing through a series of poses (like downward dog, tree pose, warrior pose, and cobra) that utilize your body weight as resistance. The focus is on improving balance, flexibility, and the mind-body connection. Pilates tends to be a bit more fast-paced than yoga, and there's not typically as much focus on mindfulness throughout classes.

When it comes to whether Yoga or Pilates is better for your body, it really all depends on your goals. If one of your goals is better performance in your other activities, Pilates may have an edge. But, if you’re all about finding zen, yoga is for you.

Sources: Womens Health Mag