I have been asked this question a lot over the years, a little less recently as the popularity of pilates has increased but I thought this would make for an informative topic nonetheless. There are probably many perspectives out there on this but this post covers the differences and similarities through my eyes and experiences.
There are a lot of similar aspects between these two forms of movement so I will start with that, both help solidify a connection between mind and body, both focus on flexibility, alignment, stability, strength, control, fluidity and most importantly breath. If you look at strictly the physical aspect of both forms of practice then the similarities are abundant, however the philosophy and roots of these disciplines is what makes them so different.
Yoga is a holistic practice focusing on physical postures, ethical ways of living, cultivating a deep awareness of energy and self, meditation, connection to the Divine and breath practice originating in ancient India. I would consider yoga as a mind-body-spirit union. Pilates is a physical system created by a gymnast body builder turned physiotherapist named Joseph Pilates in the early 20th century, at this time pilates was created as a form of injury recovery and balancing the body and is still used for this today, I would consider pilates as a mind-body connection with less focus on the spirit aspect.
Pilates is a form of exercise that focuses on countering habitual patterns in our bodies, creating more balance and harmony for our muscles and alignment of our bones, this leads to injury prevention, stress relief, strength and better posture. Pilates historically is quite structured and precise and has a heavy focus on the health of the spine, stability and controlling the muscles through movement. With the philosophy that everything is connected to and stemming from the core, you can imagine that core strengthening is a very important aspect of Pilates. There are many equipment options for Pilates- the mat, the reformer, chair, ladder barrel, cadillac and tower, all creating an awareness and connection to the muscles in the body that we may not always be using, but should be. Classical pilates as Joseph created is still widely taught by instructors across the world but with pilates increasing in popularity so does the demand for instructors, we all perceive and share information differently so there is a lot more creativity with how this form of exercise is taught now, freedom to step outside of the classical pilates box but still flowing clients from move to move with intention and purpose.
In Yoga we move safely but freely from pose to pose and focus on moving energy up through the body while maintaining a very intentional connection to our breath. There are many different styles of Yoga taught around the world, including Ashtanga, Iyengar, Yin, Restorative, Kundalini, Vinyasa and more, all you need for each of these styles is a mat, maybe some props and you! Of course mat Pilates is always a wonderful option but the lack of equipment needed for Yoga makes it more accessible for people to do at home and on the fly... we can especially access the mental practice which is achievable without any physical practice at all. As I briefly touched on earlier, the ethical way of living that Yoga teaches through ‘The Eight Limbed Path’ is something we can come back to every moment of every single day.
Pilates and Yoga have some cross-over as I have mentioned, but the history and origin makes them inherently different. Yoga is very complex, the texts and teachings are plentiful, through the physical practice you can gain strength, alignment, stability and better posture just like the purpose of Pilates but the purpose of Yoga is less about the physicality and actually more about the connection to ones true self, a connection to our energy, not only through the physical but mentally using meditation and breath practices as well.
To summarize, these two beautiful forms of practice compliment each other wonderfully, they both make you feel good, make you stronger, make you feel empowered, prevent injuries, make you more stable, flexible, balanced and are both completely magic ✨
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