When students are looking for that “eastern practice” which is good for the mind, body and soul, I’m often asked by them what the difference is between Pilates and yoga. Oftentimes, a student who practices one method seems to enjoy the other as well. You’ll find a similar sort of person heading to her Pilates class or toting her Luvmat across her back with organic Fair Trade clothing covering her curved, toned body. So the practices must be similar, right? What’s the difference anyhow? If you delve into both yoga and Pilates, you will realize that the physical practices often do mirror each other. Joseph Pilates, the man who spearheaded the movement he called “Contrology” and later named Pilates after his time, studied yoga himself. Many of the exercises he created have been influenced by classic asanas (poses). What Mr. Pilates called “Elephant” is very similar to what we all know as “Downward Facing Dog” and the list goes on. Contrary to what many people may believe, both practices center around spirituality. True, the seeds of yoga do have more history, but Mr. Pilates created his method with spirituality in mind as well. His practice revolves around tranquility. The exercises he created and the vigorous way he taught them were with a conscious intent to flush our systems; to provide us with a fresh breath of life, as we often find in our yoga practice. Mr. Pilates saw the attainment and maintenance of a “uniformly developed body” with a “sound mind,” fully capable of “naturally, easily and satisfactorily performing our many and varied daily tasks with spontaneous zest and pleasure.” He was very interested in a natural pathway and through that pathway he used fitness to achieve our own goals and to channel forms of energy. Many people associate the practice of yoga with only the poses. When they attend a class, they practice these different poses and try to contort their bodies into incredible states. However, just as Joseph Pilates taught his “internal shower” of sound body and mind, the ‘asana’ portion of our Yoga practice is only one of eight limbs of the practice as a whole. There is so much more to yoga then moving through the vinyasas. The intent of our yoga practice is to free ourselves from the distractions that flood our mind. To unite our body with our spirit. And ‘asanas’ is only the third limb of yoga. The rest are as follows: Yama (universal morality), Niyama (personal observances), Pranayama (breathing and control), Pratyahara (control of the senses), Dharana (concentration and cultivating inner awareness), Dhyana (devotion and meditation on the Divine), and finally, Samadhi (union with the Divine), as the eighth limb. A little more to your daily Sun Salutation than you thought, huh? Yoga is engraved in deep history, allowing it to contain an incredible depth. It’s all about union and becoming one with yourself, body, mind, and spirit. Although Pilates has not been around as long as yoga, there are parallels as you can see. The main difference between the two is that in a Pilates class or private lesson, you are sure to see equipment, which can also make the class a bit pricier than yoga. Mr. Pilates’ original routine was performed on a mat, similar to yoga. However, right away, he realized his plan was not going to work as well as he would have liked for every body. He saw that a majority of his clients were not able to get the necessary support they needed by solely using their bodies. Hence, he developed the equipment you see today. The equipment was developed in order to bring a spring into our bodies that he felt was needed in order for us to gain the excellent benefits the work. With the help of the equipment, we are now enabled to learn something we just can’t gain from the matwork alone. In addition, the equipment provides and do incredible amount of extension of our flexibility and range of motion. Another big difference between Pilates and yoga is that Pilates is often taught one-on-one or in smaller groups. Due to the necessary learning of new equipment and the focus on alignment, it is important for the teacher to be with as few pupils as possible, to minimize injury and expand awareness, understanding, and fitness. In a yoga class, without equipment, it may be easier for an instructor to observe a larger group. So, as you can see, yoga and Pilates do have many underlying common principles, making them similar practices, but at the same time there are certain elements which differ. If you want to try using equipment to get that extra spring into your body for added support to develop your posture, try Pilates. If you’re interested in embracing all 8 Limbs of your practice, try a yoga class. In the end, you can’t go wrong. Both Pilates and yoga have enormous benefits for your fitness, mental health, and spirituality. Hey, why not try both? To see this article in full click here