Learn Why It is Important to Know the Difference between Yoga and Pilates
If you have been practicing yoga for a while then you must have come across the question how Yoga is different from Pilates. Beginners most often find the two workouts identical and even experienced practitioners get confused while describing the difference between these two exercise routines. Since Yoga and Pilates are quite similar in appearance, the only way to distinguish them clearly is to outline their core purpose.
The Purpose of Yoga Practice
The purpose of yoga practice is our overall well-being; deeper we delve into yoga, closer we get to comprehend this fact. People who start practicing yoga for specific purposes realize with time that yoga is benefiting them in more ways than they had thought of, and apart from fulfilling their specific purposes, yoga practice is also transforming them physically, mentally as well as spiritually.
And why not so, every single pose benefits us in several different ways that it can hardly be associated with a particular purpose. In addition, each yoga form contains several physical poses and breathing patterns that serve for different purposes to ensure all-round fitness. From body alignment to muscle strength and flexibility, yoga practice is for all-round fitness.
The Purpose of Pilates Practice
Like mentioned before, on the surface Pilates and Yoga seem pretty much the same workout, since both are practiced on yoga mats usually and blend breathing patterns with physical poses, however, the introduction of the reformers has given Pilates practice a distinct look. Reformers provide a little ease in practicing challenging physical poses and in achieving balance.
Pilates practice was first introduced as a rehabilitation workout and unlike Yoga the main purpose behind Pilates practice is to achieve better abdominal stability and to strengthen core muscles. Pilates practice is also quite helpful in relieving from muscle injuries. In fact, Pilates was first introduced as a rehabilitation workout and it is quite effective in relieving from shoulder, neck and back pain.
Knowing the difference between Yoga and Pilates is useful in deciding which form you should opt for in accordance to your specific needs, and in helping others in distinguishing one form from other, especially if you are planning to teach either of the two practices. Or, better include them both in your practice to get the benefits of both workouts. Yoga practice will help you in improving overall well-being by transforming you on different levels, while Pilates will build core muscles strength and help you in recovering from your old injuries.
Apart from knowing the difference between the purposes of these two forms, another important thing is to learn how each form is practiced. You can learn Yoga and Pilates from various resources such as video or audio tutorials, by joining a local studio or a yoga retreat in Rishikesh or other yoga hubs across the world. However, the most important thing is to learn how Yoga and Pilates practices can be combined to form an optimized workout.