Simply put, a
yoga pilates workout involves incorporating pilates into your standard yoga routine.
Yoga is a form of exercise that benefits the mind, body, and soul. Allowing the body to be positioned in various poses not only increases strength and flexibility but also internally balances the energy flow of the body. On the other hand, pilates is a form of exercise that has borrowed from and bears influences of yoga.
It was designed by Joseph Pilates, and hence, the name. Unlike yoga, pilates does not focus on the inner body and mind; it is essentially a means of improving core body strength and increasing flexibility.
While pilates and yoga are extremely different forms of exercise, the six main principles of pilates, which are concentration, control, centering, precision, flow, and breath, can be used to describe any yoga pose. Over the years, pilates has been increasingly incorporated into yoga practice in order to further ensure complete balance of the mind, body, and soul. Since pilates focuses on strengthening the core, which is the abdominal and lower back area, it helps in performing all
yoga asanas with ease, which, in turn, provide a complete workout of the body and spirit.
Pilates can be incorporated into your yoga routine in the following two ways. First, certain pilates exercises can be performed before beginning the yoga session. In this manner, the pilates will play the role of a warm-up session, preparing the body for the yoga asanas that follow. This also allows the individual to recognize his/her physical limitations. Another method of incorporating pilates into yoga is by modifying the
yoga poses by including certain pilates movements in them.
Most yoga pilates centers will offer yoga pilates classes to help you get started and to ensure that you do not harm your body while practicing the modified asanas or the pilates exercises. It should be noted that for pilates and yoga, it is important to be a comfortable environment so as to allow the body to relax as well as increase strength at the same time.
Performing pilates yoga is beneficial to the body in many different ways. Not only do they improve the strength and flexibility of the body without the formation of bulky muscles but also they ensure complete relaxation of the mind. Together, yoga and pilates are a holistic system of exercise that can be used to improve overall health and increase longevity.
