Chi Ingledew
Mar 20, 20214 min
Updated: Jan 31, 2022
This is a question I am asked more often than I can comprehend!
Yoga was created for both men and women in India over 5 000 years ago with the purpose of connecting human consciousness with the universal consciousness through physical activity. Yoga was designed to improve physical health, emotional health and spiritual health. Through repetitive movement, yoga focuses on flexibility and broad muscle groups while proving to be extremely therapeutic. Many types of yoga involve meditation and deep breathing, which aids in relaxation. The meditative part of yoga tends to attract people who are seeking a little extra mental health.
There are many different types of yoga that range from relaxing to more of a physical benefit:
Hatha yoga. It’s all about the basics in these slower moving classes that require you to hold each pose for a few breaths. Hatha classes are considered to be more gentle as it’s slower in pace. It is often more ideal for beginners.
Vinyasa yoga. This type of yoga links breathing with dance-like movements. You won’t linger long in each pose, so this is a great way to increase your heart rate. There is often fun music and a fast-paced environment.
Ashtanga yoga. This type of yoga is ideal for perfectionists seeking an orderly approach. It consists of six series of specific yoga poses, you’ll flow and breathe through each pose to build internal heat. The result is improved circulation, a calm mind, and a light yet strong body.
Iyengar yoga. This type of yoga is about precision and proper body alignment. Each posture is held for a period of time, and the use of blocks, straps, and ropes are common. This type of yoga is good for those with injuries, but always consult a doctor before you begin.
Bikram yoga. Bikram is practised in a room heated to over 100 degrees and 40 per cent humidity. All Bikram studios practise the same 90-minute sequence so you’ll know exactly what to do once you unroll your mat. Be sure to stay hydrated as the vigorous exercise combined with the hot room can feel strenuous.
Hot yoga. Hot yoga is similar to Bikram in that it takes place in a heated room, but the movements are different. The heat will make you feel like you can take your poses to the next level, so be sure to take it easy and don’t push beyond your skill level.
Kundalini yoga. This type of yoga is physically and mentally challenging and looks very different from a typical yoga class. You’ll take part in repetitive movements coupled with intense breathing exercises while also chanting, singing and meditating. The goal is to achieve a higher level of self-awareness.
Restorative yoga. If you want a hardcore workout, this isn’t the yoga class for you. Meant to be mellow, this slow-moving practise with longer holds allows for deeper relaxation. You’ll use a variety of props including bolsters, blankets, and blocks to support your body in each pose.
Yin yoga. This meditative practice is designed to help stretch your connective tissue around the joints, restoring length and elasticity. Yin yoga involves variations of supine and seated poses typically held for several minutes, accessing deeper layers of fascia. Props are commonly used so your body can release into the pose instead of actively flexing the muscles.
Pilates is a physical fitness system that was invented in the early 20th century by a man named Joseph Pilates. Pilates was formed during World War I with the intention of helping injured soldiers regain their health by strengthening, stretching, and stabilising certain muscles. Joseph Pilates studied Eastern and Western forms of exercise and philosophies and was greatly influenced by Ancient Greece and Romans. Joseph Pilates regarded his method as a way of life, a holistic approach, a lifelong process to total health rather than merely a series of exercises for physical fitness. Out of this body conditioning BASI (Body Arts and Science International) Pilates emerged from Rael Isocowitz. He recognised all that Pilates stood for. BASI Pilates included the ever-evolving science and knowledge we now have about the body and mind with a little extra flow within each movement.
BASI Pilates uses fewer, more precise movements in order to achieve the BASI Pilates principles for good alignment: awareness, breathe, balance, centering, concentration, control, efficiency, precision, harmony and flow. In every single exercise and between exercises these principles are incorporated for best mind-body work.
Like yoga, there are many benefits of the movement. BASI Pilates helps increase strength, flexibility, and lean muscle tone with an emphasis on aligning and lengthening the body. There is an emphasis on safe and functional everyday movement while keeping the integrity and quality of the original work. What is safe and beneficial to one person’s body may well be different from another. BASI Pilates honours these differences allowing each person to benefit and get a full-body workout.
There are several other benefits that you can achieve by incorporating Pilates into your routine:
Awareness - You will become more aware of individual needs, and movement habits. This will help you to retrain your mind and body to move more efficiently and effectively. A client is able to improve on strengths and work on imbalances within the body.
Functional posture and alignment - By focusing on corrective body alignment and posture, you will eventually hold yourself differently by standing taller, sitting straighter, and moving with better coordination and balance. This also allows our internal organs to function optimally.
Mindful movement - The mind-body connection, along with an emphasis on breath gives Pilates a meditative quality that calms the mind.
Longer, leaner muscle functioning - During Pilates movements, the focus on strengthening and lengthening the muscles at the same time produces long, lean, strong overall muscle tone. This is functional for everyday movement and efficiency. This means that muscles move and work in balance and harmony.
More energy - A release of endorphins will leave you feeling good about yourself from your Pilates workout. You will have an increase in energy with a clear, focused mind.
Overall health benefits - With regular Pilates workouts, you may begin to see/feel improvements in your digestion system, pelvic floor function, lung capacity, bone density, other internal organ functioning, an increased metabolic rate and a healthier immune system.
Pilates also provides an abundance of other benefits including improvements to bone density, pelvic floor function, and lung capacity among many others.
Pilates and Yoga are somewhat different in intention and form but as you can see there are also many similarities.