Yoga vs Pilates

Great idea....both mediums are awesome. Pilates concentrates on core muscle groupings and it is better than strength training with weights. Stott Pilates, with a machine, is even better than that but as someone else said, the movements need to be precise to get the effect.

Yoga is all about balancing, relaxing, the quieting of the mind. It is a good practice to have as life gets stressful. I teach Svaroopa Yoga in Worcester which is on blankets and incorporates specific poses with props to release muscle tension along the spine. If you want to read about this not well known but hugely effective yoga for unflexible klutzes like me, go to www.masteryoga.com for more info. I am not listed there as an instructor yet since I only teach the beginner classes at my studio www.yogaatthesprinklerfactory.com but I have an awesome master teacher and other beginners like myself who help people feel better.

I wish I could recommend a gym for you to try Pilates. Don't know where you are situated....if you are near a Boston Sports Club they usually have the class and will often give you a 3 day or one week pass to try the facility. You could try all the yoga and pilates they have to offer to give you an idea of what suits you.

Good luck.

L.

They are a bit different and it depends on the type of yoga you want to do. There are more meditative yoga styles and then again more strenuous styles. Pilates is a good all around stretch and strenght. Would you be taking a class or a video at home? Maybe try both. Or google and see if you can find an example to view.

Denise Austin makes a nice combo yoga & pilates video for under $10
D.
Mom of 4 (16, 14, 12 & 8)

I can only comment on pilates. I took a class at a local gym just to try it and I really liked it. It definitely works your core muscles and after going for a few weeks I noticed a difference. It was a great no stress class and the instructor was fun. If you're in the Leominster/Fitchburg area it was out of Global Fitness with Julie Q.

Six years ago I bought a Mari Windsor pilates tape and I still do it three days a week. I love it. I did have a yoga tape too, and liked it, but found I could stick with the pilates more consistently. I am going to sound like I do PR for Mari Windsor here (and I swear, I don't! I have nothing to do with her at all!) but the workout really does do what she claims it does. And I really did see results within two weeks. What is so great is it only takes 20 minutes. I've reached the point where I've memorized the workout and do it on my own, without the tape, and now it only takes about 10 minutes, but still with the same results. I can't recommend it highly enough. If you want to try it before committing, see if your library has it and you can borrow it before you buy.

I would not say yoga OR pilates, but yoga AND pilates are both terrific and offer different strengths in their workouts. Yoga builds strength, balance and flexibility. Pilates focuses a bit more on strength and core.

The Gaiam AM/PM Yoga DVDs are great for beginning and end of day. Kathy Smith has a nice pilates DVD too.

I'd recommend taking an intro class to both! (before doing any tapes at home) It is so important that you are doing the right forms, or you can really strain your joints- and it helps to have someone who can watch and correct you as necessary. That being said, it does depend, as the previous poster wrote, which kind of yoga you check out. Vinyasa and ashtanga sp? are two very vigorous styles, while hatha tends to me more gentle, slower, and meditative. Both can be great workouts!