Yoga vs Pilates
What’s the difference?
As a Pilates and yoga teacher for many years, I've frequently been asked: What's the difference between them? Should I do one or the other? Which one is better?
The simplest answer? Doing both regularly and consistently, along with some form of cardiovascular exercise, will provide you with the most physical and mental benefits and longevity. Although they have different effects on the mind and body, they complement each other perfectly.
But we're not comparing apples with apples here.
Pilates is an exercise method, whereas yoga is a complete series of lifestyle practices (of which the asanas — the postures or' yoga exercise' — is just ONE of these practices).
The purpose of yoga is to seek balance and harmony within the self, with others and all living things. To raise your very vibration and expand your consciousness. To connect with your true authentic self and find a sense of divine freedom.
By the way, the word 'yoga' is derived from the Sanskrit root 'Yuj', meaning 'to join' or 'to unite'. To practice yoga is literally to practice union. Union of the mind, body and spirit; union of the physical and energetical; union of the internal and external expression of oneself; union of the earthly experience and the divine.
Now you can see why we're not comparing apples with apples!
Even if you just practice yoga as a physical exercise, the very nature of yoga means you will naturally evolve into other areas of yoga. As your physical practice develops, so too does your mental, spiritual and energetical practice — opening you up to higher vibration, higher consciousness and new states of being, bringing about new yoga practices maybe without you even realising it.
But if yoga is such an amazing all-around exercise and journey, why do you need to do Pilates?
Why is Pilates so important right now?
Yoga, especially the asanas, is steeped in 10,000 years of history and knowledge passed down for generations. But the human body has evolved rapidly and exponentially over the last few centuries, especially in the past 100 years.
Our diet is far less nutritious and much higher in harmful content.
We drive cars.
We sit at desks.
We use our seeking mind all day for work and have forgotten how to use it as a receiver; it's disconnected from the body.
We have TVs and smartphones that affect our brain, our posture, our level of exercise and our breathing.
We're prescribed pills instead of movement and diet changes.
And we've forgotten how to breathe — as a culture and as a society.
Our posture has changed dramatically, and our bodies don't move the way they did hundreds of years ago. Yoga hasn't progressed to compensate for the rapidly evolving (or in some ways devolving) human body — and it's not meant to. So, this is where Pilates comes in.
Pilates is the body science that reconnects the mind and the body to be able, functional and strong. It's not a 'path to enlightenment'; it's a reawakening of physical consciousness that allows the modern-day human to get the most out of their physical life.
This form of exercise puts the modern human in a much better position to truly experience yoga and hopefully develop a deeper practice and find their higher power. Pilates is like the foundation course now required before doing the yoga university degree. While its scope is far simpler and bound to physical and mental exercise, its importance to the modern-day sedentary human is IMMEASURABLE.
Meet Owen
Owen is the author of this piece and the co-owner of Ebb&Flow. He lives and breathes yoga, Pilates and meditation. With 20 years of teaching experience, his journey started in his birth country Australia and has evolved from the biomechanics of Pilates and yoga to a deeper spiritual and energetical practice and teachings.
Find out more about Owen (and his double life!) here.
