Spring Break
Pilates: the workout that takes yoga up a level
Charlotte Young/Contributing Writer
Issue date: 3/9/08 Section: Health
For most beginners, the very first session can leave the body feeling sore and full of aches and pains the next day.
"Controlling your movement with precision and efficiency, staying with the breath and being aware in the moment, can all be difficult!" Johanna Nichols, a yoga and Pilates instructor at Flow Yoga Center said. "All of the poses, when done correctly, should be challenging."
Athlete-turned-Pilates instructor, Donald Ali, agrees. "Pilates is not easy," he said. "I found that this is harder than it looks … but once I did it, I enjoyed it."
Ali, an instructor at Shakti Mind Body Studio has been teaching Pilates for nine months, enjoys it as an alternative to lifting weights to strengthen the body. "It helps you control your body," he said. "A lot of people walk around without control of their body."
Pilates was created by Joseph Pilates, a German native who as a sickly child, found an interest in body strengthening. He drew from the ancient principles of yoga, Zen and Greek principles, among other studies to design a sequence of movements which is now known as mat Pilates, in the 1920s.
While interning in England during World War I, he improved his technique to help patients, using bed springs as light resistance exercises. This became the foundation for Pilates Apparatus. Pilates later moved to New York where he opened the first New York Pilates Studio in 1926.
With regular practice, Pilates yields numerous benefits including improved core strength, back health, balance, and flexibility. Athletes often use Pilates in training and those injured often use it for rehabilitation.
"Pilates is very popular at our studio with most of the classes filling up in advance," Nichols said. "We leave a limited number of spots for walk-ins, most of the students sign up in advance on line."
With its roots in yoga, the similarities the two share are brought together to create a class called Mat Fusion at Shakti.
"I can definitely tell that my core is stronger," Jessica Woods, a student in the class said. Woods, who has been doing Pilates for a year and yoga for five years, believes Pilates is harder. "I feel like the benefits in Pilates are purely physical. Yoga is more psychological with a mind body focus," she said.
"Controlling your movement with precision and efficiency, staying with the breath and being aware in the moment, can all be difficult!" Johanna Nichols, a yoga and Pilates instructor at Flow Yoga Center said. "All of the poses, when done correctly, should be challenging."
Athlete-turned-Pilates instructor, Donald Ali, agrees. "Pilates is not easy," he said. "I found that this is harder than it looks … but once I did it, I enjoyed it."
Ali, an instructor at Shakti Mind Body Studio has been teaching Pilates for nine months, enjoys it as an alternative to lifting weights to strengthen the body. "It helps you control your body," he said. "A lot of people walk around without control of their body."
Pilates was created by Joseph Pilates, a German native who as a sickly child, found an interest in body strengthening. He drew from the ancient principles of yoga, Zen and Greek principles, among other studies to design a sequence of movements which is now known as mat Pilates, in the 1920s.
While interning in England during World War I, he improved his technique to help patients, using bed springs as light resistance exercises. This became the foundation for Pilates Apparatus. Pilates later moved to New York where he opened the first New York Pilates Studio in 1926.
With regular practice, Pilates yields numerous benefits including improved core strength, back health, balance, and flexibility. Athletes often use Pilates in training and those injured often use it for rehabilitation.
"Pilates is very popular at our studio with most of the classes filling up in advance," Nichols said. "We leave a limited number of spots for walk-ins, most of the students sign up in advance on line."
With its roots in yoga, the similarities the two share are brought together to create a class called Mat Fusion at Shakti.
"I can definitely tell that my core is stronger," Jessica Woods, a student in the class said. Woods, who has been doing Pilates for a year and yoga for five years, believes Pilates is harder. "I feel like the benefits in Pilates are purely physical. Yoga is more psychological with a mind body focus," she said.
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