The Wonderful Benefits of Doing Yoga and Pilates Together
Countless studies show us that physical exercise is very important for the body. Exercise is physical activity that enhances physical fitness. There are a lot of benefits associated with regular exercise such as reducing the risk of diseases such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer. Exercise also increases oxygen and blood supply to the muscles and organs of the body. It reduces bad cholesterol (LDL cholesterol) and increases good cholesterol (HDL cholesterol). Exercise is also a great mood enhancer because it helps to reduce depression and anxiety according to research studies. These are just some of the many benefits of exercising. Incorporating lifestyle changes like exercising can go a long way in improving health and increasing longevity.
Yoga and Pilates are two different exercises that have common goals. Improving flexibility, building strength and developing control in the body. I’m a big believer in the benefits of exercise. I do aerobic exercise and strength training but today I’ve decided to add yoga and Pilates to the mix as if my life isn’t busy enough as it is! So I’ll just discuss both because they are both totally powerful!
Yoga
Yoga is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices that originated from India. There are many Yoga practices, the most common being Hatha yoga and Rāja yoga.
Benefits of Yoga
Weight Loss: It’s great for weight loss because you burn a lot of calories when stretching and toning your body. You’re losing weight while having fun. What’s better than that?
Yoga improves your body by tightening, toning and strengthening it. It also makes it more flexible at the same time.
Mental Health Improvement: Yoga helps to improve mental health as studies show that regular yoga practice increases brain GABA levels, improves mood and anxiety more than some other exercises like walking. Increased relaxation is very beneficial for reducing stress.
Asthma Symptom Reduction: It has been shown to reduce symptoms of asthma in asthmatics. It improves heart health. It may reduce high blood pressure, improve symptoms of heart failure, enhance cardiac rehabilitation, and lower cardiovascular risk factors.
Back Pain Treatment: Yoga is also great for treating chronic low back pain. The Yoga for Healthy Lower Backs program has been found 30% more beneficial than usual care alone in a clinical trial. Pain for yoga participants decreased by a third, while the standard treatment group had only a 5% drop. Yoga participants also had a drop of 80% in the use of pain medication.
Complementary cancer treatment: Yoga is used as a complementary intervention for cancer patients to decrease depression, anxiety, insomnia, pain and fatigue.
Complementary treatment for schizophrenia: Yoga has been studied as a complementary treatment for schizophrenia. It may help alleviate symptoms of schizophrenia and improve quality of life. It has been shown to produce cognitive functioning (executive functioning, including inhibitory control) acute benefits.
Pilates
There are many exercise you can do but few focus on the core, breathing and control like Pilates. Pilates is a physical fitness system developed in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates who called his method “Contrology”. It is practiced all over the world especially in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.
Doing Pilates can improve flexibility and build strength in the body. It can help develop control and endurance in the body. It also helps to improves breathing, body alignment and it can help you develop a strong core and improve coordination and balance.
The muscles of the abdomen, low back and hips are known as the core of the body also referred to as the “powerhouse”. The core is believed to be the key to a person’s stability. Correct posture while doing Pilates exercises helps to correct muscle imbalances and optimize coordination. Pilates can be increased in intensity over time as the body adapts itself to the exercises.
The Principles of Pilates
Breathing: Full inhalation and complete exhalation are encouraged and deemed important when doing Pilates exercises. Pilates felt that this encouraged the intake of oxygen and the circulation of this oxygenated blood to every part of the body. Pilates breathing is described as a posterior lateral breathing into the lower rib cage. Pilates instructors try to properly coordinate this breathing practice with movement.
Concentration: Intense focus is imperative and considered more important than the more important than the exercises themselves.
Control: All Pilates movements should be controlled and within your capabilities. This ensures proper alignment and stability throughout the body.
Centering: The center of the body is the focal point of the Pilates method. The center consists of the group of muscles in the center of the body—the abdomen, lower and upper back, hips, buttocks, and inner thigh. All Pilates movements begin from the center and move outward to the limbs.
Flow: Pilates should create flow leading to elegance of movement in the body. Exercises should flow into each other in order to build strength and stamina through coordinated movements of the limbs.
Precision: In Pilates, the focus is normally on doing one precise and perfect movement instead of many incorrect ones.
Benefits of Pilates
Body Awareness: Precision with every movement helps create accurate awareness of your body.
Improved Core Strength: Pilates strengthen the core and this is one of the most important benefits of doing Pilates.
Increased Strength in Extremities: Once body awareness is developed you can begin to build strength. your muscles become strong and lean, not bulky and that works for a lot of us who don’t want bulky muscles.
Increased Flexibility: It increases the flexibility in the limbs and body as a whole and this helps improve movement leading to easier, more graceful, agile movements.
Improved Posture: Overall posture improves when you do Pilates and this helps with movement as well. You’re able to stand taller and straighter, possibly even adding an inch or less!
Improved Stamina: Movements becomes more efficient with increased precision and this increases stamina.
Relaxation: Pilates enhances relaxation which improves mental concentration.
Doing Pilates is amazing in helping make your core strong which in turn makes your body powerful and that’s what we all want to achieve. Yoga is amazing in making the body more flexible tightens, tones.
Both yoga and Pilates have wonderful benefits but according to a 2019 study, Pilates showed greater improvement in functional movement and individual health level among the participants compared to yoga. I plan to start yoga and Pilates this week, adding both to my already incredibly busy life. Wish me luck!
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