Posts Tagged ‘pilates’

Since renewing my yoga addiction this summer, I’ve heard a few of the same questions from non-yogis about yoga – will I lose weight? What is the difference between yoga and pilates?. It is difficult to explain how something so zen is also a powerful workout, so I thought I’d give Angel Lucia of Bindu Yoga Studio the chance to share some of the benefits of her practice.

Angel Lucia of Bindu Yoga Studio

Will yoga help you lose weight, or only tone muscle?
The most obvious physical benefits of yoga practice include loosening of muscles that have been tightened by inactivity, tension, and stress. Asana practice also increases the range of motion of joints, enhances flexibility, and can help correct postural problems that may have resulted from weight gain.

Any style of yoga helps tone, lengthen, and strengthen the muscles, which can contribute to the sculpting of the body, but not necessarily to weight loss.

On a physiological level, certain styles of yoga could be more appropriate for students who have weight loss as a primary intention. Vinyasa-style class, where movement and breath link poses together, can build heat and potentially result in greater calorie burn. This style of practice could supplement other aerobic exercise that you’re involved in, such as walking, running, biking, or swimming.

Proper diet along with a regular yoga practice will help with digestion, elimination, circulation, muscle tone, flexibility, strength, and an over all sense of well-being. I believe that yoga has the potential to be very transformative on many levels for each individual, with the physical body being a doorway to the more profound gifts of the practice.

Does yoga address core muscles?
Absolutely, yoga addresses the core muscles on many levels. the core needs to be strong for many poses to be accessible. We are engaging the muscles of the core thru many of our poses in order to just move the body in these directions. Even some of the simplest poses like standing at the top of our mat with proper alignment will engage the lower belly known as our uddiyana bandha (belly lock). All breath-work is a great way to become familiar with the different muscles in the belly as well as begin the strengthening process along with a myriad of poses that will target this area.

What are the various styles of yoga, and how do they differ? How do you know which is right for you?
There are so many styles of yoga and many hybrids of yoga today. All differ in various ways, yet all with the same intention to bring the body, mind, and spirit into harmony. The only way to know what’s right for you is to experiment. You will know its right for you when you feel it stirring deep in your soul and it calls you back time and time again.

What is the difference between yoga and pilates?
Yoga is the best and most time-tested path to physical and mental well-being known to mankind. Yoga is a complete system for overall health and well-being. It includes everything from physical postures, personal hygiene, and a healthy diet to meditation, breathing, and relaxation techniques.

Pilates focuses mainly on cultivating core strength in the body and lengthening the spine.

How often should I practice yoga?
2-3 times a week is optimal if you want to see your practice develop. But of course it depends on each individuals schedule and level of commitment.

What are the long-term (and perhaps surprising?) benefits of yoga?
The greatest benefits of yoga come from their profound effects on the internal systems of the body. By bending, stretching, twisting, and flexing in the various postures, you bathe your internal organs with oxygenated blood and prana, also known as life force energy. Yoga asanas soothe and tone your nerves and regulate the endocrine system, which is responsible for the production of hormones—one of the keys to both physical and mental health. They also improve digestion and elimination, strengthen the respiratory system, and tone the reproductive organs. Yoga techniques like asanas, breathing, and relaxation are also extremely effective in relieving stress. Along with your final savasana and meditation deep-seated stress and anxiety are released, enabling you to experience spiritual happiness and inner peace which then allows one to interact with other on a more compassionate level.

What do you say to people who tell you they are too wired or frenetic for yoga?
When people tell me they are to wired for yoga I usually ask a few questions about their lifestyle to see if there are other contributing factors. And suggest they begin with a practice that will keep them moving so they are not able to hang out in the mind stuff. Once they get somewhat comfortable in their practice I can then begin to introduce more techniques to slow down the frenetic pace of the mind. Breathing techniques are incredibly useful in calming the mind if one is patient in the practice. We are actually way more productive in our daily lives when we feel balanced in both body and mind!

Related Reading:

The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts

Yoga for Beginners: The Daily Guide of Basic Yoga Poses and Exercises for Beginning Students (Private Yoga Lessons) (Volume 1)

Yoga Sequencing: Designing Transformative Yoga Classes

Clean -- Expanded Edition: The Revolutionary Program to Restore the Body's Natural Ability to Heal Itself

Yoga For Weight Loss For Beginners: A Step-By-Step Picture Guide To 90 Slimming Yoga Poses

WHAT: PILATES MAT CLASS
WHERE: LEGACY FINE ART GALLERY – 330 CLEMATIS STREET, WPB
WHEN: WEDNESDAYS 6 PM-7 PM
COST: $5 PER CLASS / PRE-PAY $30 FOR 5 CLASSES

Join instructor Madeline Schwartz on Wednesday evenings for a private Pilates Mat Class — beginners and experienced students are welcome — at Legacy Fine Art Gallery. All you need is a yoga mat (towels are optional for extra padding) and water to enjoy a great core workout in the gallery.

Space is limited. E-mail MadelineLegacy@aol.com to reserve your spot.

What is Pilates?
Pilates is an exercise system developed by Joseph Pilates to strengthen muscles, increase flexibility and improve overall health. Exercises are performed on a mat and on specially designed equipment. The Pilates system includes exercises for every part of the body and applications for every kind of activity. Created in the early part of the 20th century, Pilates was so far ahead of it’s time that it did not begin to achieve popular recognition until the first few years of the 21st century. More than 10 million people are now practicing Pilates in the United States and the numbers are growing every year.