Hatha Yoga, an ancient exercise bringing the mind in line with the body and gaining strength, balance and flexibility at the same time (Yoga Journal). Hatha yoga was first practised in India in the 15th Century and remains a highly popular form of exercise today. Precisely what will the regular practice of yoga give a person? Yoga practitioners and diehard yoga supporters will say that yoga offers the ultimate mind-body workout and that after practising yoga, you will feel strong, flexible and completely relaxed. Is this true?
Yoga requires that you undertake poses (known as asanas) while you focus on controlling your breathing. This enables your mind to relax and prepare for meditation practice. Yoga asanas focus on poise, balance, strength and flexibility. This has benefits for your daily life as you will find that your posture becomes better (leading to less pain in muscles and joints), you are able to reach further for items on a high shelf, your stamina improves and your ability to manage stress in your day to day life improves greatly. Finally, if you are in a loving relationship, regular practice of yoga asanas can make it easier to spice up your bedroom action.
Pilates is a younger exercise when compared to yoga however it has many mind-body benefits including creating an awareness of your body and how it moves, gaining control of your muscles and improving your strength and coordination. Joseph Pilates developed exercises (originally called "contrology") in the early 20th Century. These exercises were a based on principles from callisthenics, yoga and ballet and focused on controlling the breathing and improving the strength of the abdominal muscles.
Pilates uses precise movements, controlled breathing and a mind focus on the movements of your muscles. Regular practise of Pilates will give you improved flexibility, strength (particularly from exercises where you are lifting your own body weight off the floor), stability and coordination. Your mind will also benefit as the concentration required to think about your muscles while they are performing the Pilates exercises leaves you no space for other thoughts to creep in. In your daily life, you will find that you will be able to lift heavier objects, have less muscle pain because your posture is improved and you are using your muscles to balance and will be able to turn your muscles on and off to improve your performance in other sports.
Which Exercise is Better?
That question is for you to decide as ultimately it will come down to personal choice. Both Pilates and yoga are excellent mind-body fitness activities, taking you away from the stresses of the day and asking you to focus only on the internal systems of your body working hard to make you move. Without you even being aware of it, the benefits of practising either yoga or Pilates will improve your life greatly. You will feel fitter, look thinner (without dieting), have more stamina and a greater ability to deal with stress in your life.
What are you waiting for? Try yoga or Pilates today!
Tracey Lloyd - Based in Australia, Tracey Lloyd is experienced in management & strategic development of community projects and non-profit ...
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