Pilates & Yoga – What’s the difference?1 Jun

Pilates is becoming a popular trend with its mention in the BAFTA and many celebrities swearing by its results. But if you haven’t tried it, you might be wondering what it is and how it compares to yoga.
Both Yoga and Pilates are low impact exercises which are great for those starting a new exercise routine or recovering from an injury or illness.

Here’s what we love about both workouts:

• Not only will your body get a workout, but these exercises will also give you a calm and confident mindset to support your overall mental wellbeing.
• You’ll need minimal if any, equipment to begin, so you’ll experience the power of a bodyweight workout in all its glory!
• You’re going to notice improvements to your overall strength and flexibility, both of which are perfect as your main workout, but even better for increasing your endurance and performance in other higher intensity workouts.

Fancy experiencing the Pilates hype for yourself?

Pilates concentrates on strengthening the body with an emphasis on your core and so not only is it highly rated for defining abs, but it is also incredibly supportive for all levels, rehabilitation after injuries or illnesses and is particularly popular during pregnancy and postnatal, by aiding recovery and improving general fitness and overall wellbeing.

Top 3 Benefits of Pilates

• Muscle Tone – You’ll notice some initial soreness because it uses muscles that you tend not to use daily. As muscle tone is usually lost with age and inactivity, it’s especially good for older people and office workers, or those who may be fairly sedate in their daily life. To support your recovery, you might choose to supplement your workout with additional vitamins and energy or protein drinks, and we’ve teamed up with MyProtein to bring you up to 36% discount when you use this link with the Code: MYPMYSTERY
• Flexibility – As we age, we tend to lose the flexibility we had when we were young. Pilates will restore your flexibility, gently at first of course. After a while though, you’ll be amazed at how much more flexible your body has become. This is especially important for avoiding injuries from falls.
• Good Posture – Pilates will teach you to gain and maintain good posture. The exercises require that your body is always in alignment so it’s especially beneficial if you suffer from lower back pain.

So how is this different to Yoga?

Working through a sequence of various grounding poses, a key principle of yoga is working with your chakras, the seven energy points within your body. There are 7 Chakras that run down your spine which are the energy centres in your body.Practising yoga helps to awaken and balance these Chakras which may be blocked and weaken your mental wellbeing.

Top 3 Benefits of Yoga

• Flexibility – With consistent sessions, you will see a difference in your overall flexibility increasing, and aches and pains reducing or even disappearing!
• Boosts Immunity – You’ll breathe through every movement during your yoga poses, and in turn that increases lymph drainage, which fights infections and boosts overall wellbeing.
• Builds Muscle Strength – Regular yoga sessions strengthen and build muscle to help improve your balance and posture, which can help protect us from arthritis and back pain.

Whilst we can outline a few of the benefits, there’s nothing quite like experiencing it first-hand, and we’ve got plenty of choice for you with classes at Brio across the whole of Cheshire West, just view our timetables to find your nearest!

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