Yoga And Pilates Weight Loss Diet Nutrition Tips Guide

Yoga And Pilates Compliment Your Normal Exercise Routine

By Veronica Tripplethorn

Yoga and pilates can have a profound impact on the body -- not just by reshaping muscles or helping you to relax, but also by providing the organs with clean oxygenated blood and stimulating beta-endorphin release.

Practitioners in India have known yoga to be the key to mental and physical wellness for thousands of years. Now that the practice has come to the Western world, many celebrities, athletes and everyday people are adding a yoga pilates class to their work week.

Yoga and pilates are often lumped together as one. They both compliment a normal exercise routine by sculpting the body and improving strength, flexibility and coordination.

Adding Pilates To Your Yoga Practice

They both involve stretching, slow deliberate and repetitive motions, regulated breathing processes and establishing an overall sense of wellbeing. In a fast-paced society full of various athletes, strength training and weight machines are an American pastime in many gyms. Therefore, many modern Western instructors and athletic trainers review their options and work pilates into their yoga practice, to change things up a bit.

Clear differences between yoga and pilates include some of the following: First, yoga is an ancient Indian practice that dates back approximately 5,000 years, whereas pilates is an adaptation of yoga dating back eighty years to a German athlete, Joseph Pilate.

Yoga Is A Holistic Program

Secondly, in addition to physical activity, yoga is an entire holistic program that encompasses diet, meditation, breathing techniques, religious edict and a moral code; Pilates is simply a form of exercise and body sculpting technique.

Thirdly, yoga aims to unite mind and body, as well as cleanse the body of toxins, while pilates is fashioned to strengthen, define and improve posture. Additionally, in yoga, you are taught to inhale and exhale through the nose, whereas pilates employs the traditional athletic mode of breathing in through the nose and out through the mouth while performing an action.

Specific Machinery Is Used For Pilates

Lastly, yoga can generally be done with just a mat (although sometimes props are used), while instructors ensure everyone’s in proper form; pilates, on the other hand, has specific machinery designed to assist practitioners.

Athletes and dancers often engage in "pilates for sports" classes, either in large groups or one-on-one with an instructor. However, one needn’t attend a class to get started with pilates -- in fact, there are many videos (Eleonora Goya, Dian Ramirez, Leslie Sansone, Kathy Smith, Denise Austin, Karen Voight, The Method yoga, MTV, Prevention, etc).

Of course, you won’t get quite the same workout without the elaborate weight systems, but it could be a good launching point for people who are curious but not quite ready to commit to a gym or studio.

Popular Yoga Videos

Some of the most popular yoga videos include: "Yoga Zone," "Living Yoga - AM/PM," "Basic Yoga Workout For Dummies," "Total Yoga: The Flow Series," "Yoga: Mind & Body with Ali Macgraw," "Crunch Yoga Mama: Prenatal Yoga," "Yoga Practice For Strength," "Ashtanga Yoga with Richard Freeman," "The Power of Hatha Yoga" and "Kundalini Yoga: With Grace and Strength."

For yoga practitioners seeking spiritual teaching as well, classes and yoga center training are best. Choosing between yoga and pilates classes or videos is all just a matter of preference.

This Article was about Yoga And Pilates.

Please Note: All information given on this site is for general information purposes and is not to replace any medical opinion or medical diagnosis given by a qualified medical doctor, a dietitian/nutritional expert or any other medical expert, as individual circumstances may vary. Please see your medical doctor, before any action is taken to alleviate symptoms.

About the Author:
Veronica Tripplethorn is an author of yoga, meditation, health, nutrition, dieting and weight loss articles including Celiac Disease, Holistic Health, Hollywood 48-Hour Miracle Diet, Massage Therapy.
Keep a lookout for more of her articles coming soon.

More Facts Yoga

Perhaps more than any other form of exercise, Yoga has been around the longest. Originating in India, this popular form of exercise has been practiced around the world. Why? The physical portion of the workout is very low-impact and can be performed by anyone of any age.

The same cannot be said of kick boxing classes or Jazzercise. But there is more to Yoga than just working out the body. It is also a lifestyle that can bring clarity to the mind through spiritual exercises of meditation and concentration. Are you ready to begin your path to a healthy body and mind?