The 3 Week Diet

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Should You Attempt Yoga or Pilates?

By Philip Vincent


In the search to get a low impact, effective exercise programme, people are deluged with many various types which boast physical and psychological effects and appear to have their roots in Eastern customs. Many folks try to find something outside of the standard pulsing music and monotony of the gymnasium and that can be done by all fitness levels, and even people subjected to infirmities such as joint issues. Two of the most typical are Yoga and Pilates. But what's the most significant difference between them and which is correct for you?

Yoga is a mental and physical practice that originated in India and is associated with meditation practiced in Buddhism and Hinduism. Yoga came to the awareness of Western cultures in the 19th century together with Hinduism. There are many differing types of yoga with different focuses on meditation and physical movement but the one most Westerners know of and practice is hatha yoga which follows a sequence of postures in specific sequences. Today, yoga classes are offered just about everywhere and most instructors can tailor the classes to meet different physical fitness levels The 3 main focuses of hatha yoga are exercise, meditation, and respiring and has been proved useful to many different types of ailments.

Pilates is a way more modern exercise program, developed in the early 20th century in Europe and the United States. Very like yoga, it was designed with a body/mind balance with the assumption the mind controlled the body. It is focused on building adaptability and enlarging strength, endurance, and coordination between the arms, legs, abs and back. It was first developed by Joseph Pilates who was a physical culturist. All the movements in Pilates concentrate on a strong core.

It is done both on a mat and then with one or two apparatuses for specific moves and exercises with weight training. There are two main types of Pilates currently taught. The Classical form teaches the exercise in a particular order that does not vary from class to class and only use equipment built to Joseph Pilates ' specifications. Modern Pilates breaks down the method into different parts and the exercises differ from class to class. Pilates needs focus and precision and is less religious with less of attention on meditation as yoga.

While both offer a raised level of fitness and challenge, Yoga obviously has a focus on meditation and energy flow while Pilates focuses more on the physical. Either way, if you are trying to find safe and efficient exercise programs with a mind/body balance, you can't get it wrong with Yoga or Pilates.




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