If you have done pilates before and are now considering yoga Newport in New South Wales (NSW) then you need to take into consideration the difference between pilates and yoga. Both are fantastic exercise forms. Pilates focuses totally on the body. You work out the different parts of the body, doing different exercises, sometimes using machines and sometimes using a ball, weights or a block. Yoga focuses on both the body and the mind. Whatever you are doing with your body, and you also use different parts of the body, you are also applying your mind. Yoga is about reaching a state of strength, physically and mentally. Pilates on the other hand is about reaching a state of strength, physically. Yoga incorporates mindfulness whereas pilates does not really. Both are excellent forms of exercise though so you need to consider what you need.
Why yoga?
During the pandemic and the different lockdowns, many people started yoga classes. Yoga was a big thing pre-pandemic, but became an even bigger thing during the pandemic. People needed somewhere to put their thoughts. They needed to somehow turn inward. They needed to let go of the worry and the stress. Yoga does this. Yoga, while being an excellent physical fitness form, is an excellent stress reliever. When you do yoga, and this is the whole point, you empty your mind. You let go of your thoughts. You have an hour, or an hour and a half, depending on your yoga studio, of pure bliss. And perhaps that is what yoga gives you, that pilates does not give you. One simple word – bliss.
Yoga and diet
Do you do yoga to get thin? No, but yoga definitely helps you to stay strong and to lose weight through motivation. When you do any form of exercise, you are motivated. Does pilates get you thin? Again, no but it also helps you to stay strong and to lose weight through motivation. It is not really advisable to have a full meal before either yoga or pilates, and in fact a yoga teacher will suggest you don’t eat anything for an hour before a yoga class. Yoga is a ‘clean exercise’and in a way, you practice clean eating because of it.
Teacher training
Both yoga teachers and pilates teachers go through specific teacher training before they get their certificates and are able to teach. Yoga teachers keep learning as yoga has the saying of ‘you can always learn more.’ Yoga is not competitive and in a class you will have yogis of different abilities, although sometimes there are beginner, intermediate or expert classes, and the same with pilates too. When you join a studio you can try out different classes to see which class is right for you. Many studios also offer trial classes. There are different kinds of yoga so chat to the studio about what kind of yoga you should be doing. And if you are looking for yoga Newport NSW, there are yoga studios all over.
