By in Yoga & Pilates

Yoga or Pilates? – It’s not about WHAT you do, it’s about HOW you do it!

Many people ask me, if they should do Yoga or Pilates and what the difference between these two practices are. Both are somatic or mindful body weight movement practices, focused on whole body and mind health. There are differences between them, but nowadays they are mostly based on the teacher and their individual training background.

Generally we can say that Yoga tends to involve more upper body weight bearing, more end range movements and comes with a level of spirituality, while Pilates tends to be more focused on rehabilitation and spinal stability. However this is actually a huge generalisation and not fair to Yoga or Pilates and their practitioners. In reality both are movement practices focused on movement awareness and health with a philosophy much deeper than fitness.

There is basically no reason why we should have to choose one over the other, based on our limitations. Because if we practice movement with quality and appreciative of our individual body, both are great ways to improve our movement health and overall well being. Poorly trained teachers, large group classes and practice via online videos mean there may be an increased risk to us, depending on what our vulnerabilities are. If we practice moving with quality and respect for our limitations both Pilates and Yoga are equally great for us, no matter who we are.

Yoga is an ancient practice and spiritual lifestyle that has developed over the last 10000 years in India. It has been developed into several different methods, forms of which are practised today. Pilates was developed in the early 20th century in Germany, England and America, by Joseph Pilates, who developed his rehabilitation and exercise method out of many traditional practices, Yoga being one of them. This is why Yoga and Pilates do have many similarities and similar exercises in their classical repertoire.

Nowadays it is easy to train as a Yoga or Pilates teacher and offer classes. People can join classes online and in the community. There is little control over schools who offer training in Yoga and Pilates teaching and the standard of training they provide. This means that the quality of Yoga and Pilates being taught can range from very good to very poor and it is not necessarily obvious what makes a well qualified, knowledgeable teacher either.

As mentioned, Yoga is around 10000 years old and until very recently it was much more than a fitness craze. It was a lifestyle, it was a religion and those who practised it, did so every day. Yogis gained a lot of knowledge about their body and mind as they engaged with themselves in the practice in incredible depth. They gained amazing abilities, which we can see in the very demanding movement series of traditional Ashtanga Yoga. Unfortunately it often is the impressive movement series that we, the western, modern Yoga students are exposed to and are impatient to master. We have a demand on ourselves to be able to do those things. This is where Yoga carries a risk of injury and bad practice. The physically more demanding practices of Yoga need to be supported by the discipline, dedication and quality tuition it was intended to be accompanied by. When this is the case, Yoga can be an incredibly transforming and empowering practice. However many teachers are not qualified to the depth needed and many students are not willing to commit to the practice as much as is needed. At a gentler level, Yoga can be a great practice to balance body and mind, help us relax, increase and maintain mobility, build strength, improve breathing and enjoy keeping our bodies functional.

The ranges of movement practised in Pilates tend to be a little smaller, which means the risk to injure yourself may be a little smaller too, generally speaking, and it may mean that Pilates is generally more suitable for those who are hypermobile or injured. However the same that applies to Yoga applies to Pilates in that teachers are trained to varying quality. Also large classes, or moving along to a video means that there is no guidance on how to do the movements well. Pilates has a strong abdominal and spinal focus. While this tends to be the reason why those of us with back problems gravitate towards Pilates, it also means that there is an increased risk of back injury in poor Pilates practice. particularly for those who are already vulnerable in that way. Like in Yoga, the classical Pilates repertoire was designed for people who practised it at least 3 times per week in a 1-1 session. Therefore a lot of the classical repertoire is not suitable for modern, public, mixed ability classes, that attract clients with back, hip and shoulder problems, who only commit to one group class per week. This is again where risk of injury lies.

One thing is really important for the practice of both Yoga and Pilates, as for any other movement practice or sport. It is about HOW you practice it. You will get similar effects and benefits from practising Yoga and Pilates, no matter who you are, as long as you practice it well with body awareness, appreciation for your body and what the movement requires.

As a Practitioner of the contemporary Polestar Pilates method I focus on quality of movement. Quality of movement is fundamental to anything else we may choose to do. Studying and practising Pilates in this way means that you can take what you learn about movement and yourself to your Yoga class, to your Pilates class, to the gym, to your run or your golf match. The label does not matter. In the end it is all movement and the principles of natural, balanced, efficient movement do not change just because we put a different label on movement.

I would recommend that you find a small, weekly group class of either Yoga or Pilates, based on what you fancy and what your body feels comfortable with and ask the teacher about their training background. You want to get a sense of the person having undertaken thorough training, which means more than just a weekend course, more along the lines of 1 to 3 years. Mix it up with an occasional, additional 1-1 session with either your group teacher or another well qualifies practitioner, so that you can get deeper understanding of what you are doing within the group and to address your very individual movement habits and patterns. Weekly 1-1 sessions are recommend for those who struggle with an injury or health condition, as you can address this directly in the session, with minimum risk of re-injury. You may be surprised what can change in your body with the right kind of focus.

If you would like some help with your individual movement practice contact Kristin at The Body Matters on 01702 714968.

Kristin Loeer
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