Yogilates anyone??

[andesuma]

Has anyone attempted Yogilates at all?(or heard of it)

 

I've practiced it a number of times, it's just a complimentary combination

of Yoga and Pilates into one session/class.

Personally.. I didn't enjoy it as much as doing each seperately..

They are soo incredibly different(especially the breathing),

it's hard to equally combine the two into something that actually flows..

Pilates can be a very profound and deep exercise, but Yoga is more

spiritually based, & I just don't feel the two mix as well as some might.

 

 

One of my Pilates IT's(instructor trainers) had gone to a Yogilates

school on the east coast, and she absolutely loved it, and teaches it

to this day(30 years later)...

 

Regardless, it is still something to check out ; )

[loveliberate]

I've heard of it I think.... Doesn't Madonna have a song where she raps "I do Yoga & Pilates, surrounded by hard bodies..."

[yogita chiquita]

Hey there!

 

The pilates class that I attend a few times a week is actually a yogilates class and I must say that the way my instructors do it, it really flows quite nicely. We'll usually either jump right into pilates routines then use the yoga toward the end of class to stretch, or we'll warm up a bit with some gentle yoga before moving into the pilates exercises. The instructors make sure they remind us of the correct breathing when we're transitioning between the two - you're right, they are vastly different. I love that pilates breathing SO MUCH, it makes such a difference in how you experience the exercises.

 

So, thumbs up from me for the yogilates!

[Evan]

I don't know...Didn't pilates COME from yoga...I don't really see what the point of combining them is because I thought that Pilates was already a hybrid practice. I think the problem with Yogalates or PiYo as we call it here, is that people sign up for the class thinking it's yoga and it is SO totally not. Then they get put off on yoga and don't want to come back. That's been the experience at the activity center where I work. I took it one time because the yoga class had been cancelled and I did not like it. Had I been in the minddset for it, I think I would have but no one told me that it was PiYo, and the schedule said it would be Power Yoga meh

[YigalWeinstein]

Evan you are mistaken. Pilates was developed in Germany/England in the 19th and 20th century by German born Joseph Pilates who by the way had debilitating diseases; asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever, and created his exercises to overcome these diseases- he succeeded fabuously.

 

Yoga may have a similar interest but they have a different history and yoga which as many of you know means to root, yoke, unite etc. has a far more general meaning than Pilates. Yoga comes in all kinds of forms like Raja, Kundalini, and several other forms indians would understand as well as Ashtanga - which means 8 fold way which and therefore really has to do with all of Yoga but for some reason was used by Jois to mean a particular Vinyasa, or flowing sequence.

 

So no, Pilates does not come from Yoga although it may be rooted in the same stuff as parts of yoga.

[Evan]

yeah but didn't Joseph Pilates reference Yoga while developing his namesake exercise? That's what I had heard somewhere. aerobics + yoga = pilates...I know that's an over-simplification but that's how I understood it more or less. (not accounting for the spiritual aspect of yoga)

[yogita chiquita]

Evan, I do believe you're on the right track - wasn't "pilates" developed as a means of physical therapy of sorts, so as to strengthen and stretch the muscles all in the same exercises to keep them both strong and supple? That's what I've gathered from my instructor, anyhow, I haven't done any homework on the subject aside from what she's said. She also states that Joseph Pilates was influenced by the physical "asana" aspects of yoga as well as other strength training methods in the development of his practice. That could explain why some exercises are similar (some even have a similar name, like variations of "boat" are the same in yoga and pilates if I'm not mistaken) in both yoga and pilates, even if they're practiced differently or for different reasons.

 

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, that's just what I've heard. It makes sense to me. I personally practice bikram, ashtanga, and kripalu yogas as well as a yogilates sort of blend, and can appreciate the similarities and differences in them all. My body can, too!

[Rob]

Pilates definitely studied yoga and that influenced him, but he was also a boxer, circus performer, gymnast, skier, diver, and taught self-defense and bodybuilding. When he was a nurse in WWI, he developed rehab training for wounded soldiers - which is also why Pilates is an excellent exercise for people who have been injured and don't have full use of their limbs. Finally, it was the dance community in New York that also influenced his exercises and he opened his studio there in 1923.

 

Some have combined yoga and pilates in fitness studios to try and get the best of both and many people experience back pain with some of the yoga positions if their core isn't strong or they have a poor instructor, while Pilates focuses on core strength and stability and is (supposed to be) a cardiovascular workout. But both are mind-body exercises and it's a way of getting people listening to their bodies. I'd still recommend doing them separately though, until you have a grasp of the principles of each.

[yogita chiquita]

Rob, thanks for the great breakdown - I didn't know all that stuff!

 

As for my own personal experience, I started out with yoga, primarily Bikram for a long time. I bought a pilates DVD, but the thing wound up collecting dust. The exercises made me feel really uncoordinated and I didn't feel like I was targeting the right muscles. Obviously, I had a weak core, but you couldn't tell me that at the time!

 

It wasn't until I got more serious in my yoga practice that I decided to go to an actual pilates class - the same class that I take now that sort of supplements in the yoga, too. I will say gaining body awareness in yoga to begin with certainly helped me perform the pilates exercises correctly this time around, and having an instructor for guidance was a huge plus, too. As a result, with the strengthening of the core muscles from pilates, I've been able to deepen my yoga practice, too! Ah, full circle!

 

So, I guess I'm pretty much backing up what you're saying, Rob.

 

I will say this about both practices, because you're right, there's a mind/body connection that's supposed to be taking place. Every instructor out there says "listen to your body" and rightfully so. When we're in class looking around the room, though, it's pretty easy to get distracted by what others are doing in their practice and ignore our own limitations in an attempt to keep up. THAT'S what will lead to injury - not necessarily the exercise itself. Knowing when to back off is just as important as the exercises themselves. And if you do have an instructor that's trying to push you to do something that you know your body can't handle, RUN!

[Rob]

Rob, thanks for the great breakdown - I didn't know all that stuff!

I recently became certified as a Pilates mat instructor so I guess the info is still fresh!

 

it's pretty easy to get distracted by what others are doing in their practice and ignore our own limitations in an attempt to keep up. THAT'S what will lead to injury - not necessarily the exercise itself. Knowing when to back off is just as important as the exercises themselves. And if you do have an instructor that's trying to push you to do something that you know your body can't handle, RUN!

I agree completely. Unfortunately many people have a perception, especially about yoga, that they can't "do" it. Somehow, it's been perpetuated that yoga is achievement-oriented, and that if you can't attain one or more of the positions, then you can't do yoga. Lots of people can't do the lotus simply because of their bone structure. Who cares? The most important thing about these mind-body exercises that promote purification and rejuvenation is to go to your own edge of the movement and not be intimidated by others or your instructor. Anyone can do yoga and pilates, but giving yourself permission to move your body in your own way - now that's what this mind-body connection is all about!

 

So I guess I'm just backing up what you're saying too! I hope that anyone who does take these yogilates classes has a great instructor. I'd be interested to hear of others' experiences.

[hsorlando]

When I switched gyms I started a Yogilates class. I actually heard about Yogilaltes from The O.C. show. They had some great writng, at first anyway. Back to the topic though, I did the class for about 6 months and never really improved. I suppose my core got stronger, but some of the basic moves I still had a very difficult time with. I'm quite strong, but planks,and downward dogs were always difficult for me to stay in position for long. I also seem to have an issue with my balance, and agility, which makes Yoga, and Pilates hard to do. I am quite flexible though, I can touch my toes, and do some weird stretches too.

[crashnburn]

I did Turbo Kicboxing (1hr) followed by PiYo (1hr) for 3-4 months @ 24 hr fitness and it was very effective.

[SandyQ]

I do both yoga and pilates... started a while ago after i found this site... http://www.findyourdetour.com/... it has some really great tip on there

[gigachad]

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