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Yoga vs Pilates
Hi I am looking into starting up yoga or Pilates classes. Do any of you guys do Pilates or yoga or both? Can you tell me the benefits for each and/or the differences. Is one better than the other for pole related moves specifically??
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13 Replies
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Hi Shariya. Great topic. I've trained in both on and off for years and there is a definite difference but there is also a lot of similarities. It depends on which discipline of yoga you are doing – there are so many!
Ananda, Kripalu and Anusara yoga – very spiritual, focuses on breathing and posture, connecting to "spirit" or "divine energy".
Kali Ray TriYoga, Ashtanga and Power Yoga – a flowing series of movements and poses, focuses on improving circulation, flexibility and stamina. Very physicially demanding.
Intergral, Kundalini and ISHTA yoga – meditation, visualizations, focus is on energy and stress managment
Iyengar Yoga – focus is on strength, flexibility and balance. Poses are held for longer periods of time and props like cushions and straps are often used.
Bikram Yoga – uses a heated environment to improve circulation, flexibility and detoxification.
There are many more disciplines, but you get the idea – choose one which suits your goals, wether they be balance and coordination, strength and flexibility or psychological healing.
Personally I like a little bit of meditation and breathing exercises, but if the poses are too static I become bored and cold, I really like dynamic movements, where my body can really warm up and loosen up.
Pilates is more about building core strength and doesn't incooporate the spiritual/mental side. Depending on who your instructor is, you may focus on all major muscle groups by doing squats and lunges for hamstrings, quads and glutes, or you may just focus on strengthening spine and abdominals through leg raises, superman kicks and planks etc. I love pilates because its intense, you realy feel the workout and your muscles burn. Yoga can be a little too gentle and relaxing for me, but it depends what you want. If you want something clam and relaxing, go yoga. If you want something that will make your muscles sore the next day, go for pilates. Im not saying yoga isnt a great work out, but the emphasis is more on breathing, blanacing and stretching. Gosh its so hard to fully differentiate them though: both are about core stabilization, control and precision.
For pole dancing…. I think either will be beneficial, but try both at a few different places if you can. Sometimes the instructors can make it or break it.
What I am finding to be a fantastic workout especially in conjunction with pole is Acrobatics. Ive been doing it for two months now and LOVE it. We work on balance, contortion and power tricks, and I really feel my muscles becoming more powerful and strong. Highly recommend it!!!!!! 😀
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@scarlettoney Can you tell more about what you do in Acrobatics lessons?
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Sure! Well I do two different acrobatics classes a week. One is based at a dance studio, the other at a circus school.
The former goes like this: We warm up by doing little jumps, then we work on our handstands in various forms (stags, split legs etc). So far the instructor has given me soooo many helpful tips on keeping my balance… I'm so much more in control of my body already as far as stability is concerned. And this is helpful for handstands on pole, ayshas and any other pole move that requires good balance.
Then we practice cartwheels, and we've been learning how to do no-hand cartwheels… (you see them in contemporary dance all the time). Scary stuff, but after just 6 weeks ive actually done it! Its all about using the power in your legs and angling your body….. man its such a thrill when you finally fly through the air upside down without touching the ground! 😀
Then we work on some contortion and back flexibility – arches and bridges, back bends, back mounts (helpful if you want your extended butterfly (ballerina?) to ever look like Felix Cane's :P) .
We also work on our walk overs, bakward and forward… so handstand, arch, pull up…
My other acro class at circus school is a bit more diverse…. they have silks and slings and trapezes, which has been fun to experiment with, but what i really love is the lyra hoop. We also do alot of acro-balancing… walking on our hands, building human pyramids etc, which is all hilarious.
Acrobatics is great because its kind of a more entertaining playful form of gymnastics. It incorporates heaps of different skills, but controlling your body, being self-aware, core stabilization, flexibility, strength and agility are what you are really exercising. And these skills can be applies to dance and aerial arts, like pole dance. 🙂
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Also, just to brag a little: My instructor actually worked with Cirque du Soleil for years!!! He was a trapeze acrobatic……. ahhhhh so cool! haha 😀
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@scarletthoney It sounds amazing 🙂 I really can see how that kind of lesson would help your poling! We have Acrobatics classes too in my studio (not with an ex – Cirque du Soleil performer, though!) I think I will try them as well…
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i am a HUGE fan of pilates, and i know quite a few instructors in the NYC area that also teach pole. if you need any kind of rehab/strengthenging for the shoulder girdle, GET TO PILATES. i wrote a whole entry about it here:
http://aerialamy.com/blog/2012/02/20/pilates/
hope that helps! xo
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Thanks soo much guys you were really helpful!!!
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@scarlett: Who is it? Tell me you go to Nastix with Ebon!
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@scarlett: Who is it? Tell me you go to Nastix with Ebon!
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And scarlethoney I will def look into acrobatics more. I have already a little but the closest studios r a few hrs away :/ il keep searching tho lol it sounds like sooo much fun!!!!!
And Amy ur blog was soo helpful and great thanks a bunch!!!
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And scarlethoney I will def look into acrobatics more. I have already a little but the closest studios r a few hrs away :/ il keep searching tho lol it sounds like sooo much fun!!!!!
And Amy ur blog was soo helpful and great thanks a bunch!!!
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miamishyner – no his name is marco and he lives in australia now. I think he's South American…. or maybe European/Spanish. I'll have to ask! He showed us some vidso n youtube of him training back in his prime days, but i cant remember what they were called… ill try to find them!
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I'm partial to Pilates when you are able to work on the equipment relative to Pole. I do not know that much about Yoga. A good Pilates instructor should NOT make you very sore. The concept of Pilates is to train the muscles you already have, not to cause tissue damage to the muscles like a "weight training workout." Pilates is intended to work you from the weakest link out and to not go to fatigue in the muscle. Pilates used in the way it was intended to be used is a great way to balance your body out and prevent injury. I would also recommend a class other than Pilates for deep stretching. In a Pilates class one of the goals is funtional flexibility (most polers want to go beyond that point with their flexibility) and is very linear type of workout.
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