Certainly, the two practices tend towards the same goal: to harmonize the mind gently and to strengthen the whole body. However, many people still equate yoga and Pilates as two types of gentle gymnastics, the latter being only one degree of intensity greater than the other. But it goes much further.
• Yoga
Appeared several millennia ago in India, it works body and mind at the same time. The objectives of this discipline are to adjust breathing, develop flexibility and learn the intricacies of relaxation. This practice also helps balance, and allows you to better manage stress for better mental development. The activity also includes breathing exercises and meditation.
• Pilate
This practice is above all a physical conditioning or rehabilitation activity that focuses on the development of the body. The Pilates method is a set of physical exercises developed by Joseph Pilates at the start of the 20th century. The activity aims to develop deep muscles, improve posture and joint flexibility. The method focuses mainly on the core muscles while maintaining good general posture. The exercises aim to relax the muscles when the postures are held and to strengthen the weaker muscles.
One works only the body while the other also works the mind.
Body and mind
Indeed, the main difference between yoga and Pilates is that unlike yoga, Pilates is not a spiritual discipline. Indeed, Pilates aims to improve the body while exercising physical activity. Although Pilates requires great concentration, this practice does not include philosophy of life or meditation. Yoga can be seen as a way of life or a state of mind. The word “yoga” comes from Sanskrit and means “union”. This activity therefore aims to unite body and mind, especially through breathing and awareness of the body. Each pose is physical activity, meditation and breathing at the same time.
Breathing
However, in yoga, like in Pilates, students should focus on their breathing. It is important that their breath is synchronized with the movements they are performing. However, the breathing techniques are different for the two disciplines. In the Pilates method, you have to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth during the exercises. In yoga, we don’t breathe the same way. Indeed, we inhale and exhale through the nose and not through the mouth. Sometimes a yoga teacher will ask you to alternate the two nostrils.
The exercise sets
As in gymnastics, Pilates requires performing the same movements several times. These repetitions are called “sets”. Between sets, we sometimes take a break to control our positioning and check that we are working the right muscles. Sets and timeouts do not exist in yoga. We perform the posture once on each side and the movements remain chained.
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