Pilates vs Yoga.

It's a question that we get asked frequently so here goes.

They can be very similar but have some key differences, so let's look at both

Pilates

Pilates is a form of exercise that was developed in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates. It focuses on strengthening the core muscles, improving posture, and enhancing body awareness.

Pilates exercises can be performed on a mat at home or in more advanced setting using special equipment such as a reformer.

One of the key benefits of Pilates is that it focuses on the core muscles, which are important for maintaining good posture and overall body stability. By strengthening these muscles, it is thought that Pilates can help prevent injuries and improve balance and coordination.

We certainly use it a lot in our exercise prescription for helping people recovering from back injuries. 

Pilates (or a form of) is widely used as part of our plans which we ask you to do as part of your rehab (a big emphasis here is on the ASK part- as some of you will know, you may not actually do them.........).

Pilates exercises however should be tailored to each person's individual needs and goals, making it a great option for for those patients who may have specific limitations or areas of weakness that need to be addressed.  Almost all of you will have some of these imbalances with our increasing sedentary lifestyle and working positions.....

So overall gets the big tick from us, however ...it does need to be specific and tailored for you to be functional to replicate what activity or exercise you are trying to get back to do.  

Yoga

Yoga is a form of exercise that has been practiced for thousands of years and is widely recognised for its physical and mental health benefits.

Very simply put it gets you moving and hopefully more aware of your body.

A lot of mobility and stretching exercise we give out on a daily basis have some links or are very similar to some traditional yoga poses.

Our body was move to move not be stationary, so there are many obvious benefits of yoga with this in mind.

One of the key benefits of yoga is that like Pilates it can be adapted to meet the specific needs of each patient.

Yoga poses can be modified to accommodate injuries or limitations, making it an ideal exercise option for people with chronic pain or injuries.

Yoga has been shown to be effective in reducing pain and improving function in patients with conditions such as low back pain, osteoarthritis, and fibromyalgia. 

Apart from the physical benefits of regular yoga, it is also widely used for mental health benefits and has shown to be effective on reducing stress anxiety and depression. 

Our thoughts

So, they both seem great with various studies showing great results for both, we use them both when designing our rehab plans for you all, so if that's the case, why isn't one better than the other, and why don't they work for everyone?

In my 20 +years of being a physio, I've learned over the years that it is never that simple and there are always a multitude of factors involved.
What works for one person doesn't necessarily work for another.

Now this is just my 2 cents worth.....

Specific exercises (both pilates and yoga based) are great when you have identified a problem and are trying to fix something around it- i.e some tightness here, some weakness here, the funny thing is....you need to actually do them.....

In a perfect world you would have a mix of both, yoga for your flexibility and Pilates for your strength and control but I think a lot of it at comes down to two key things:
1). Enjoyment - this will also give you some routine
2). It needs to link to what you are doing (or want to get back to doing).

Rehab exercises can be dull boring and hard to do - see my previous blog on this here 

https://www.urbanathlete.co.nz/blog/the-mental-stress-of-injuries-is-this-why-doing-your-rehab-is-so-hard

https://www.urbanathlete.co.nz/blog/the-mental-stress-of-injuries-part-two-the-reason-why-doing-your-physio-rehab-exercises-is-so-hard

So which ever you decide to focus on (Pilates, Yoga or even better -a bit of both) both achieve great things but only when done consistently.

So, number one it should be enjoyable!

If it's enjoyable you're more likely to continue with it as part of a regular routine and that's when you'll get the real benefit.