Wellness Workouts: Benefits for Your Mind, Body, and Spirit

1 You step into class and roll out your mat. You are ready to stretch and sweat a little. Are you in yoga or Pilates class? It’s true they are quite similar. They both offer total-body workouts, usually in group class settings. Their benefits are alike: increased strength, flexibility, control, and endurance. And creating overall health and well-being are key aims of both. While yoga and Pilates are indeed similar, they have subtle differences that help people achieve different health benefits: their origins, their goals, and their techniques.

2 Ancient - that is one way to describe yoga. The practice of standing, sitting, and prone postures that stretch and tone the body originated in India over 5,000 years ago. There are many different forms of yoga, from gentle hatha yoga to vigorous vinaysa, or flow-oriented practices. Yoga's main goal is to create spiritual well-being, with physical fitness coming a close second and resulting from this state of holistic wellness. Yoga incorporates meditation and specific breathing methods, which are outstanding for reducing stress with regular practice. Yoga techniques are unique in that poses are fluid; teachers instruct their students to move gracefully from one position to another. Also, only body weight is used for resistance and no equipment other than a yoga mat is necessary. Yoga poses, called asanas, aim to help increase flexibility, strength, and balance.

3 Pilates is a modern invention; it was created by Joseph Pilates in the early twentieth century. It was popularized in New York City in the 1960's when dancers and athletes began using it during training.  Pilates created a series of exercises to help rehabilitate the body from injuries and disease by strengthening and toning the muscles - especially the core muscles. Pilates designed specific exercises based on what he called the six Pilates principles: breath, concentration, centering, control, precision, and flow. His goal was to make the body strong from the inside out. He believed there was a strong connection between the mind and the body. Pilates' techniques center on "mat work," where exercises are done using body weight as well as other apparatus, such as weights, exercise balls, and bands for resistance. Some Pilates practitioners also incorporate body-conditioning machines into their practices, such as the Pilates Reformer, Cadillac, and Towers. These machines are designed with springs, straps, and cords and people use them in various ways to create different exercises and increase strength.

4 If your goals are whole body health, increased strength, and flexibility, why choose between yoga and Pilates? You might consider integrating both into your exercise routine and receive the diverse benefits of both practices.