Yoga or Pilates?

Do you know the difference between yoga and Pilates? It’s not a trick question, but the answer is not always simple.

As a teacher of both, I think about this often.

In a nutshell, although yoga is a fantastic movement practice, its aim is a spiritual one- to prepare you for meditation. Pilates, on the other hand, is a purely physical movement practice that happens to have benefits to mental health (from the focus you require to move and breathe in harmony).

Yoga influenced Joseph Pilates, as did marshall arts, boxing and ballet as he created his method on the mat, and on Pilates equipment, such as the reformer, the Cadillac and the chair.

You might think of yoga including more stretch and Pilates incorporating more strengthening movements, but both mirror each other in many aspects.

So what about yoga versus Pilates when it comes to pregnancy and postnatal? 

This is deeply personal. During my pregnancy I was drawn to yoga as a way to rest, to find relief from aches and pains and to connect with my baby. I also practised Pilates on the reformer enabling me to keep strong and to to work out in a way that I could not do on the mat alone.

After my babies were born, I found myself very drawn to Pilates. I wanted to rebuild re-strengthen, to draw inwards.  With the chaos that comes with children and babies in a busy house I also found it hard to make some sacred space for my yoga practice. 

As I move further down my postnatal period (my son is two now) I am once again drawn to my yoga practice, allowing me to find some time to down regulate. 

So which one do you need? Both! Just like the pelvic floor needs to be able to fully contract, so too should it be able to release. Any kind of movement, practice or exercise should be varied and include both strengthening, stretching, stability, work, and conditioning. 

What have I missed? Anything else to add to the differences? Which do you prefer during pregnancy and postnatal?