Is Pilates Better Than Yoga?

Originally called Contrology because it employs the mind to control the muscles of the body, Pilates is a system of physical fitness that was developed by Joseph Pilates in the early 20^th century. Pilates focuses on the body’s core of postural muscles which enable the body to remain balanced. Additionally, they are essential for supporting the spine. They teach an awareness of breathing and the alignment of one’s spine, as well as strengthening the deeper muscles of the torso.

Pilate Practitioners aim to create a fusion of body and mind so that the body moves with balance, economy, and grace without thinking. The goal of Pilates is to produce a union of body and mind that is literally attention-free by design. Correcting the body’s imbalances, counteracting its weaknesses, using it to its greatest advantages, and making the most of its strengths, are the goals of Pilates.

Pilates requires that you pay constant attention to your body while performing these movements. This is seen as being so vital to the technique, that this is viewed as being more important than any other facet of the movements. Joseph Pilates felt that his method embodied a philosophical yet theoretical foundation. It is not only a compilation of exercises, but it is a method that has been developed and refined throughout its over 80 year lifespan.

The Pilates-Yoga debate has raged on for many years in an effort to determine which technique is truly the more beneficial of the two. So which is the better discipline?

First of all, bringing the body, mind, and soul together is the ultimate goal of practicing Yoga. Yoga comes in numerous varieties and each one focuses on a different specific and unique benefit for the body and soul. Unlike Pilates, Yoga is considered to be a form of healing the body and soul. This is done a unity or “oneness” with the earth. Yoga requires complete and total focus since it is so physically demanding.

Pilates is described as being more physical than Yoga yet far less spiritual despite the fact that it does require a great deal of concentration of both the body and the mind. Due to the incorporation of machines in the technique, Pilates is said to be more physically demanding, but it is beneficial to strengthening the body’s trunk – namely the abdomen, buttocks, and the lower back.

Typically what happens with individuals who cannot choose which discipline to practice is that they endeavor to participate in both methods. The best advice to help you make up your mind as to which discipline to follow is to try Pilates one day, then Yoga the next, continually alternating until one becomes your discipline of choice.

In the end, exercise is what the body requires and both Pilates and Yoga help you achieve that.