Difference Between Pilates and Yoga

What Is Pilates?

Both Pilates and yoga are low impact exercises, but there is one important difference. When practicing yoga, you typically adopt a position and hold it, or flow into a different position. In Pilates, you adopt a position and then challenge your core by moving your arms or legs. Both approaches increase strength and flexibility

The story of Pilates begins with a sickly child named Joseph Pilates who was born in Germany in 1883. He wanted to improve his health by studying yoga, and other disciplines involving the mind and body. He became more interested in body movement during the first World War when he worked with injured soldiers. After the war, he brought his style of exercise to New York City, where dancers, actors, and athletes embraced it.‌

Pilates moves require stabilizing your core before going through a series of range-of-motion exercises. Although some Pilates studios use specially designed machines, you can also do Pilates on a mat without special equipment.

What is Yoga?

Yoga is an ancient spiritual practice rooted in India. As a fitness strategy, it blends physical poses (asanas) with pranayama - breathing technique. Because it has some elements of mindfulness yoga is sometimes called meditative movement. It is popular in the United States. A 2017 survey showed that one in seven adults had practiced it during the preceding year. About 94% of those who do yoga say they do it to improve their overall wellness.