Uniting mind and body through yoga and pilates

Both yoga and pilates classes offer plenty of benefits and practitioners can choose what serves them well.

People are always asking me the differences between yoga and pilates. Which is a better class to take, and which one trims the body the fastest? ‘Can I get a yoga butt, or a pilates stomach?’ are some of the questions thrown at me frequently.

As an instructor of both, I can tell you that yoga and pilates benefit the body and mind. Depending on how often you’re taking classes and how hard you’re willing to work, results can be achieved rather quickly.

Let’s discuss the ancestry of these two systems of exercise.

An ancient discipline

Yoga is rooted in spiritual, meditative practice, although most contemporary classes only focus on mastering the physical aspect that is the asana (posture) and pranayama (breathing).

When the sage Patanjali wrote the Yoga Sutra (aphorisms), he suggested ways to live a life with purpose and meaning, uniting the body, mind and spirit.

This sacred text describes the inner workings of the mind and provides an eight-step blueprint for controlling its restlessness so we can enjoy lasting peace.

The core of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra is an eight-limbed path (called ashtanga) that forms the structural framework for yoga practice. The limbs are yama (universal morality), niyama (personal observances), asana, pranayama, pratyahara (control of the senses), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation) and samadhi (union with the divine or ecstasy!).

The practice of moving the body into postures has widespread benefits; of these, the most basic are improved health, strength, balance and flexibility.

On a deeper level, the practice of asana is used as a tool to calm the mind. It’s impossible to get into a posture with an unfocused or angry mind.

The challenging poses offer the practitioner the opportunity to explore and control all aspects of their emotions, concentration, intent, faith, and unity between the physical and the ethereal body.

It is believed that Patanjali never created any exercises, except to say that one has to be in a steady and comfortable pose to begin meditation. The posture may be varied but you should be able to get into it easily.

Other sages eventually devised exercises, and pretty soon, different yogis advocated their own styles, naming it after themselves, e.g. Iyengar Yoga, Bikram Yoga, etc.

However, the root of all asanas comes from hatha yoga, which is the physical practise of yoga.

Hatha is most often used to describe gentle, basic classes with no flow between poses. A hatha class is most likely a slow-paced stretching class with some simple breathing exercises, and perhaps, seated meditation.

This is a good way for beginners to learn easy asanas, relaxation techniques, and become comfortable with yoga.

Any Tom, Dick and Harry can do pranayama and reap some rewards. It’s a purification action that develops the lungs and increases airflow through the nasal passage to improve blood circulation to various body parts.

I must have taught the basics to a thousand people, including my 90-year-old music teacher! It’s fairly simple and you can even do it lying down.

If you recall, when someone gets angry, we often tell them to take a deep breath. Reason: It calms the mind, slows down the heart rate and reduces tension. With clarity of mind, one tends to thinks better.

A method for body control

Joseph Pilates, the founder of pilates, was a sickly child who took up yoga bodybuilding and gymnastics. His health turned around and he attributed this to proper breathing techniques and correct posture.

Later, he devised a series of exercises to maintain the well-being he had fought so hard to gain.

In the early years, his method was called contrology. It was grounded in a series of exercises that called for stretching, pulling and contracting parts of the body to strengthen muscles in the abdomen and pelvic area, and to foster proper spinal alignment, while simultaneously practising rhythmic breathing.

Today, the pilates method focuses on the “powerhouse”, the muscles of the abdomen, low back, pelvic floor and the glutes (butt muscles). These muscles work together to form a supportive corset for your trunk.

The pilates classes offered nowadays have progressed much compared to the classes I took at university more than a decade ago. New apparatus and fitness elements have been researched and introduced, though at most local gyms, only mat classes are offered.

What to choose?

For those with muscle and joint problems, I usually recommend pilates classes to strengthen the weak areas first, before enrolling in a yoga class. Because pilates emphasises control, precision and concentration, movements are not performed rapidly or repeated excessively.

Instead, the focus is on quality, not quantity.

I have a number of pilates students who have gotten injured from attending sessions of power yoga, a more vigorous form of yoga to improve cardiovascular endurance.

Of course, one can get injured anywhere, doing anything, but the tendency to get injured in a pilates class is slightly lower than a yoga class.

Any exercise is better than nothing, so marketing various versions of exercises seem to be the trendy thing to do these days.

If you want a combination of both, try out Yogilates.

Created by American personal trainer and pilates instructor Jonathan Urla, it integrates the Pilates methodology into the practice of hatha yoga for a more complete system of exercise.

Later, Australian Louise Solomon published her own fusion version called Yogalates. I’m not sure how either works as I’ve yet to try a class.

The breathing for both methods differs. In yoga, the breathing is carried out, for the most part, through the nose, while in pilates, the inhalation is through the nose and exhalation is via the mouth.

While both offer plenty of benefits, doing pilates or yoga alone is not going to fix all your ailments and provide you with the elixir of youth. For example, if you have spinal disc issues, you still have to do rehabilitative exercises suggested by the doctor or physiotherapist that specifically address your needs.

Like the foods we eat, variety is the spice of life. Roti canai may be the love of your life but if you were served it 24/7, you’ll soon be repulsed at the sight of the calorie-laden food.

Similarly, doing a variety of exercise is more enjoyable than constantly striving to outdo yourself at the same thing and expecting amazing results.

For the best outcome, vary your workouts but incorporate yoga and pilates at least twice a week, paying close attention to form and technique. Add pranayama in daily and observe how much calmer and focused you will become.

The writer is a certified fitness trainer who tries to battle gravity and continues to dance, but longs for some bulk and flesh in the right places. For further information, please e-mail [e-mail].