Which Do You Do More: Yoga or Pilates?

Get the best of POPSUGAR
Fitness — in your inbox!

Help us customize your newsletter by selecting your interests (optional):

Yoga Working Out Running Weight Loss

Which Do You Do More: Yoga or Pilates?

April 9, 2009

Yoga and Pilates have a lot in common. Both are great forms of strength training, and both practices will increase your flexibility, but yoga more so than Pilates. Breath and breathing patterns are central to both practices, and both are considered mind/body exercises since they encourage you to focus on that connection. However, yogic philosophy includes a strong spiritual aspect that is not present in the Pilates method at all.

Seeing as these are so similar, I'm sure many of you do both, but I'm wondering . . .

Source

43 Comments

Yogaforlife 3 years 45 weeks

I do both: I alternate between Yoga and Pilates each morning and then do yoga every night. My morning yoga loosens me up befor I go sit at work all day. Morning pilates strengthens me and energizes me for the day. Evening yoga makes me feel calm and relaxed and I can really feel that it has loosened up my muscles which get stiff from my office job. Oh - and both are great for relieving and eliminating back pain!

Yogaforlife 3 years 45 weeks

ilovecandyfloss 3 years 47 weeks

Yoga all the way! But I'm a yoga teacher, so I'm probably a little biased...

biarose 4 years 2 weeks

I do yoga more often- generally every day- because the type i do is quite gentle and mainly stretching the body, while pilates I only do a couple times a week because it is more muscle work, so the muscles need time to repair before you work them again.

angell23 4 years 5 weeks

I do yoga regularly. I love the physical benefits and the way it has changed my body since I started practicing regularly 4 years ago. However, I primarily keep it up because of the spiritual aspect.

angell23 4 years 5 weeks

I do yoga regularly. I love the physical benefits and the way it has changed my body since I started practicing regularly 4 years ago. However, I primarily keep it up because of the spiritual aspect.

HMBowling 4 years 5 weeks

Pilates makes my belly skinny!

AZDaisy 4 years 5 weeks

I like both, but I think I like Pilates better. The frustrating thing is that the 24 Hour Fitness I go to only offers 1 Pilates class a week, and Yoga every day! What's with that?!

georgie 4 years 5 weeks

Pilates is probably more my thing but currently yoga is a lot more accessible due to location and schedules so I do yoga.

BabyNorbert 4 years 5 weeks

Yoga. I haven't tried Pilates yet, but I'd love to try it out!

palomiis 4 years 6 weeks

Yoga =)

palomiis 4 years 6 weeks

Yoga =)

Aurora 87 4 years 6 weeks

I like both but Pilates. Yoga is more calming and Pilates give you an good workout.

cnyc1a 4 years 6 weeks

Yoga everyday! I do Vinyasa, Bhakti, Hatha, Forrest Yoga, etc anything that challenges me. Yoga changed my body

rysher 4 years 6 weeks

I'm new to both, but right now I'm leaning toward pilates. I really want to take a yoga class though! I think taking a class is essential for starting yoga, whereas pilates can easily be done with a DVD. Ana Caban is great.

equestriennechic 4 years 6 weeks

I've never tried either, and I want to take a class next semester, but I don't know which one to take! They seem so similar...

kikidawn 4 years 6 weeks

I've joined a gym that has free pilates classes so I'm going to start those ... and then when I go back to school in the fall I am taking a yoga class so I'll be doing that then :)

yasdnil 4 years 6 weeks

Both, I alternate in between days.

Lo Lo 4 years 6 weeks

Yoga makes me nauseous. I adore pilates. So addicted!

plus_2_kid 4 years 6 weeks

I was doing nothing but yoga, and when I first got pregnant I was doing both, but now I only do pilates. I just haven't developed the trust needed with my yoga instructors and there were too many deep twists. At this stage in my life I just feel more comfortable with pilates, but I miss yoga!!