Pilates vs. Yoga: Is Pilates More Beneficial Than Yoga? Comparison, Benefits

Yoga and Pilates have some similarities between them such as both the methods concentrate on working both your mind and body and emphasize on breathing and relaxing. The difference between the two is that Pilates involves more physical movements such as seen in a physical therapy program, whereas Yoga revolves more around spiritual well being. Given below are some similarities and differences between yoga and Pilates.

Is Pilates More Beneficial Than Yoga?

• Yoga: Yoga gives little cardio benefit; however, doing power yoga helps you in giving a better cardio workout where the heart gets the same aerobic workout as a brisk stroll.
• Pilates: In Pilates, your body may feel the speed with exercises such as “the hundred,” but your heart doesn’t. A beginner’s Pilates workout gives only a minor aerobic challenge such as seen in a slow walk. However, in an advanced Pilates class, the workout is better at increasing your heart rate to reach the speed of walking.

• Yoga: About a 50-minute hatha yoga class will help in burning around 145 calories; whereas a power yoga class burns about 250 calories.
• Pilates: A 50-minute beginner’s workout helps in burning about 175 calories; whereas an advanced Pilates’ workout helps in burning around 255 to 375 calories. For losing and maintaining your weight, advanced workout for 45 to 60 minutes for at least four days a week is recommended.

• Yoga: Yoga helps in increasing your flexibility and strength, but not as much as Pilates does. Yoga is better at stress and anxiety reduction.
• Pilates: Pilates is better than yoga if you want to increase your flexibility and strength. Pilates is also better at strengthening the abdominal muscles and tightening the obliques which is hard to achieve in other workouts. Pilates results in improvement in overall flexibility especially the back, hips, and hamstrings.

• Yoga: With yoga, you can attain inner peace, as yoga helps in lowering cortisol levels, which is a stress hormone, just after one session. Yoga also helps in reducing the intensity and frequency of hot flashes by about 30%. Other benefits of yoga are relieving back pain and arthritis pain.
• Pilates: Pilates will not lengthen your muscles per se, as the muscles can’t grow longer, but helps in strengthening the back and abdominal muscles, improving core strength, along with increasing flexibility, improving posture thus giving you an appearance of taller and leaner body. Pilates benefits by giving you an improved balance, flexibility, gives you a complete body workout, enhances your postural alignment, improves muscles tone and strength, improves body awareness, helps in rehabilitation, weight loss and decreasing your stress along with preventing and relieving back pain.

Depending on your needs, you can select either Pilates or yoga. If you are looking for increased flexibility and relaxation with spiritual well being, then Yoga is best for you. If you are looking for toning, strengthening focusing on your core and back along with rehabilitating your body, then go for Pilates. You can also do both, i.e. combine yoga with Pilates.