The Differences Between Yoga and Pilates

Yoga vs. Pilates? We settle the score.

 By Nextfit Trainer Alycea Ungaro 

Yoga and Pilates Fusion Workouts

Wander into any gym or exercise studio and you are bound to find classes with interesting titles heralding some type of “fusion” workout. Yolates, PiYoga, and Yogilates are just a few examples of combined Yoga and Pilates routines that claim to offer the best of both worlds and profess to be bigger, better and more effective. But do they work? 

To determine if these hybrid routines are truly superior to the systems they combine, it’s important to understand the differences between Yoga and Pilates, and what is unique about each exercise system.

What are the Goals of Yoga?

Since it’s been around about 2000 years longer (if we’re fact-checking), let’s start with Yoga. The practice of Yoga has a rich history that spans the globe. Spiritually, Yoga reaches beyond our humble planet and extends into the heavens: The original mission of Yoga was to cleanse and purify the body to receive the Divine Power of God. Today, while many still preserve this as their practice goal, others use it to promote health, fitness, and mental stability.

To achieve the full benefits of this practice, Yoga practitioners push their bodies and minds to the limit through a variety of strategies. In a Yoga class, you can expect to hold challenging positions, assume difficult postures, regulate your breathing, and, perhaps most demanding of all, attempt to quiet your mind. Classes often incorporate chanting and always end with resting postures to prepare the body for re-entry into everyday activities.

What are the Goals of Pilates?

Developed only 90 years ago by Joseph Pilates, the Pilates method is a purely physical experience that
does not contain any spiritual or religious elements. Compared to Yoga, Pilates is a mere blip on the screen, yet the Pilates practice is a sound anatomical strengthening program which draws on modern wisdom about the human body.

Your typical Pilates workout includes mat exercises and apparatus routines with the primary goal of improving core strength. Pilates exercises move rapidly from one exercise to the next with a minimum of repetitions and absolutely no static postures. Quite the opposite of Yoga, the Pilates protocol is to exercise dynamically, taxing the muscles to perform in ways that translate directly into real life. Pair that type of routine with over a dozen spring-driven pieces of equipment and Pilates can seem as far away from Yoga as a six-pack of abs can get.

Similarities Between Yoga and Pilates

There are some similarities between Yoga and Pilates. Joseph Pilates drew upon his own practice of Yoga, among other things, to create his training system, which has often been called “yoga in motion.” Both Yoga, although devoid of equipment, and Pilates focus on developing a high degree of musculoskeletal control through focus and concentration. In fact, during Joseph Pilates’ lifetime, his method was never called “Pilates” but rather “Contrology,” which Pilates explained was “The Art of Control.”

The biggest difference between Pilates and Yoga is in the type of class you choose. A private Pilates session on Pilates equipment focuses on your specific needs and is tailored to address your strengths and weaknesses according to your instructor's assessment of your ability. A Yoga class, on the other hand, is a communal experience where you can be more independent in your practice while benefiting from the energy of a group environment.

Both Yoga and Pilates are systems of exercise intended for execution in a predetermined order. Purists argue that following order is essential to maintaining the integrity of each method and that exercises taken out of context or reconfigured may not be as effective. There is a reason that Sun Salutations follow a certain format and that the Pilates Abdominal series follows a precise order. Each method is organized to cycle through distinct movement patterns as well as particular muscle recruitment, similar to circuit training.

If you are interested in trying a fusion class before mastering the fundamentals of either Pilates or Yoga, you won’t be any worse for the wear. But if you’re hoping that you’ll get the maximum benefits of both in one nifty class, you may be disappointed since there is no perfect formula.

My advice is to stick with the original systems of Pilates and Yoga in their purest forms—we already know they work!