Yoga Pilates and The Busy Woman Pilates

Pilates teaches balance and control of the body, and that capacity spills over into other areas of one's life.

Pilates is gaining in popularity alongside yoga exercise. Although Pilates is considered a physical activity, its not considered a cardiovascular workout.

Pilates and yoga share the same techniques to develop, tone and strengthen the muscles of the entire body - such as the arms, legs, abdomen and back - by using the bodys own resistance to build power during movement.

Compared to yoga postures, Pilates poses are strikingly similar, yet there are some profound differences.

Yoga is a wonderful way to help you keep fit, relieve stress, and ease your everyday experiences.

The Pilates method is a complicated system of effective but gentle, whole-body conditioning and corrective exercises. It was first practiced by dancers and gained mass attention in recent years because of its largely aesthetic body sculpting effects.

Yoga is more of a lifestyle,rather then simply an exercise. Its known as the path to both physical and mental well-being. It includes everything from physical postures and healthy diet to breathing, relaxation and meditation skills.

Pilates mainly concentrates on cultivating core strength in the body and lengthening the spine.Also, Pilates is a valuable tool for increasing strength, definition and proper posture.

Yoga aims to work the body equally and unite the body with mind and spirit. Yoga is often considered therapeutic, when compared to Pilates,as it helps people find harmony and release stress.

Although I will tell you whatever form of exercise you chose to use whether Pilates, Yoga, Weight Training, Interval Training or whatever can be very therapeutic.

One of the great things about exercise is you can throw yourself into your workout and shut out everything else you have going on in your life.

Breathing and concentration are fundamental to both practices; however yoga employs breath on a deeper level.

Practiced faithfully, Pilates yields numerous benefits. Increased lung capacity and circulation through deep, healthy breathing is a primary focus.

The slight difference between them is that Pilates instructs one to inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouth.

While in yoga, one is taught to inhale and exhale through the nose only.

Some Pilates forms tout five basic principles, while others stress nine fundamentals.

Essentially, the Pilates principles are as follows:

Concentration - That all-important mind-body connection. Conscious control of movement enhances body awareness.

Control/Precision - It's not about intensity or multiple "reps," it's more about proper form for safe, effective results.

Centering - A mental focus within the body calms the spirit. A particular focus on the torso (abs, pelvic girdle, lower back, glutes),as develops a strong core and enables the rest of the body to function efficiently. All action initiates from the trunk and flows outwards to the extremities.

Stabilizing - Before you move you have to be still. Makes for a safe starting place for mobility.

Breathing - Deep, coordinated, conscious diaphragmatic patterns of inhales and exhales initiate movement, help activate deep muscles and
keep you focused.

Alignment - Proper alignment is key to good posture. You'll be aware of the position of your head and neck on the spine and pelvis, right down through the legs and toes.

Fluidity - Smooth, continuous motion rather than jarring repetitions. Pilates has a grace and elegance to it.

Integration - Several different muscle groups are engaged simultaneously to control and support movement. All principles come together, making for a holistic mind-body workout and a sensible approach to health and wellness.

Pilates conditions the body from head to toe with a no- to low-impact approach suitable for all ages and abilities. It requires patience and practice, but results will follow.

Beware of Pilates programs that promise dramatic weight loss or overnight transformations. That's not what pure Pilates is about.

Although many Pilates classes focus on matwork, there are also several good pieces of equipment, taking workouts to a whole new level. These include the reformer, the wunda chair and the cadillac.

Most good Pilates studios will have this equipment and it is important to find a qualified instructor, as learning the correct moves is essential.

Pilates matwork is a series of exercises performed in a specific order. Going through the series in order and completing a whole workout is important.

Joseph Pilates, who developed these exercises, understood a great deal about the body's muscle balance. He developed a series of exercises that make sense to the body when done in the correct order starting with an exercise to warm up the spine, followed by exercises that bend the spine in one direction then by movements that reverse the action and so on.

Before starting any form of exercise, it is essential to warm-up properly. This warm-up process supplies blood to various parts of the body, prepares them for exercise and protects from any potential injuries.

Stretching also helps increase flexibility and avoids over-extension injuries. As muscles and tendons are naturally flexible, stretching helps extend them so they do not experience any unnecessary stress during exercise.

Stretching should be done slowly and smoothly. Jerking movements will not help relax muscles or extend them to their limit. Ten minutes of warming up and ten minutes of stretching is enough for most people unless you have an injury that may require more. One minute per exercise is generally enough.

The following are basic Pilates warm-up exercises and include a mix of standing warm-up exercises as well as seated and mat warm-up exercises:

Shoulder and Neck Warm-up
Knee Bends
Pilates Bridge
Half Roll-down - Upper Spine Mobility
Full Roll-down - Spine Mobility
Lateral Stretch
Cervical Nod - Supine
Chest Floating - Supine
Arm Cross
Pectoral Stretch
Shoulder Stretch

Criss cross focuses on the abdominals with a special emphasis on the obliques. The obliques aid in posture stabilization to some degree, but they are more involved in flexion and rotation of the spine. One benefit of working the obliques is that they help define the waist.

Prepare
Lie on your back in neutral spine.

Bend your knees and bring your shins up so that they are parallel to the floor.

Place your hands behind your head, supporting the base of the skull. Keep the elbows wide.

Use an exhale to pull your abs into a deep scoop, and leaving the pelvis in a neutral position (not tucked or tipped), curl the chin and shoulders off the mat up to the base of the shoulder blades.

Tip: Keep a lot of length between your shoulders and your ears. Imagine that your back is very wide and that your shoulder blades are sliding down your back as you are raising up off the mat.

Inhale: Your upper body is in a full curve, your abs are pulling your bellybutton down to your spine, and your legs are in tabletop position.

Exhale: Reach your left leg out long, and as you keep the elbows wide, rotate your torso toward the bent right knee so that your left armpit is reaching toward the knee.

Inhale: Inhale as you switch legs and bring the trunk through center

Exhale: Extend the right leg. Rotate your upper body toward the left knee. Keep your chest open and elbows wide the whole time. Resist the urge to hold yourself up with your arms. Make this exercise about the abs.

Repetitions: Start with 6 and work your way up to 10.

Tip: You must keep a stable, neutral pelvis as you rotate the spine. No tucking, tilting, or rocking please!