Yoga-Meditations

If you’re new to the scene, it may be difficult to understand the difference between a Pilates workout and a normal yoga session. Though there are many similarities, Pilates focuses more on expanding your range of motion than it does on breathing. If you combine your Pilates workout with your yoga session, you’ll see strengthened muscles and a much more peaceful mind. Studies show that when done regularly, Pilates not only increases ones lung capacity, but improves posture, coordination, balance, and flexibility.

This is exactly what it was meant to do! It was originally created by Joseph (a boxer) and Clara (a nurse) Pilates, in order to help bedridden patients reclaim their former vigor and mobility. As with anything good, it was modified and mass-produced so that people of all ages and fitness levels could benefit from it.

Recently a lot of yoga practitioners have started incorporating Pilates into their workout regiments. It makes perfect sense, considering both forms of exercise promote mental balance and wellbeing. If you’re a yoga-goer, you might want to consider adding a little Pilates to your routine, as it will help you to become even more aware of your physical limitations and give you an all new look on how your body works.

Because Pilates focuses more on strengthening ones core, (abdominal and back), you will see even more strength and flexibility in yourself. Not to mention how much your overall health will improve!
There are two ways that I’ve been able to incorporate Pilates into my yoga daily yoga workout. Once is to perform Pilates first, to warm up your muscles and strengthen your core without disrupting your peaceful yoga routine. The other is to modify yoga poses to be more like Pilates. Something I love to do (not too hard and yields amazing results) is to scoop my abdomen inward as I move into the Seated Forward Bend. It really does wonders.

I highly recommend checking out your local gyms to see if they have Pilates classes (A.K.A. Piyo). It only took once session for me to see what I’d been missing, and how much more I could achieve.