The connection between pilates and yoga

At first glance, Pilates and yoga seem to have a lot in common. Both condition mind and body through precise movements and measured breathing. In fact, the similarities between pilates and yoga work are not completely coincidental. Joseph H. Pilates, the founder of the Pilates Method, studied yoga and martial arts extensively, and integrated the mind-body aspects of these practices into his new body conditioning exercises and routines.

The differences between pilates and yoga stem from their different birth places; hence their overall philosophies, and objectives are as different as East and West. Pilates is a Western-based approach that concentrates specifically on building the strength of the body’s core muscle group, which includes the hips, back and abdominal area. While yoga does incorporate many aspects of fitness which are often used in pilates, those who practice yoga see it as more of a lifestyle than an activity. Yoga is thus a vast collection of spiritual techniques and practices all aimed at integrating mind, body and spirit and achieving a state of oneness with the universe. Its eight-limbed approach (ashtanga) talks of the importance of cleansing the body through various kriyas and cleansing the mind through ethical and moral righteousness, like speaking the truth and not coveting others' property. The body movements and breathing techniques are a means to arouse the energy trapped in the body's chakras, or nerve centers, and bring harmony between the body, mind and spirit. Yoga's ultimate goal is to bring about the union of individual self with universal consciousness (samadhi) through meditation.

Pilates, in contrast, was created in the 1920s by Joseph Pilates, who developed the discipline to help World War I soldiers recover from injuries. Pilates uses exercise machines, such as the Universal Reformer and the Cadillac. The Reformer has a bed fitted with a frame with springs to adjust resistance, and cables, bars, straps, and pulleys to allow the exercises to be done from various positions. Using cables and trolleys and special body positioning, Pilates exercises stretch and strengthen the body and are unique in their ability to encourage coordination between the muscles that stabilize the body and lengthen the spine. The abdominal muscles, lower back and buttocks ("powerhouse") serve as the center of all movement, allowing the rest of the body to move freely. Pilates techniques are a hit with dancers, as it improves body awareness and alignment and promotes graceful, fluid motion. Machine-based Pilates actually has more in common with weight training than with yoga, but the Pilates mat class, with its callisthenic-style exercises and stretches, is more similar to a yoga class. A pilates mat session uses both passive and active stretching. While the active stretching is similar in both yoga and pilates, the passive stretching is unique to pilates, where the instructor moves and presses the practitioner's body to stretch and elongate the muscles.

Both yoga and pilates place a certain emphasis on the breathing patterns of an individual. There is a slight difference between the two breathing methods that the differing practices recommend: in Pilates, the participator is told to inhale through the nose, and exhale through the mouth. In yoga, on the other hand, breathing is only permissible in through the nose, and out through the nose.

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