What is the difference between yoga, Pilates and stretching, and what to choose for themselves

To penetrate deeper into the essence of each discipline, in turn, see, what they are and what is the difference. Let's start with yoga, has its roots in the distant past.

Yoga for health, peace and harmony

Yoga - a set of spiritual, physical and mental practices that you can use to clean the karma and attain enlightenment, merging with the Absolute. Nobody knows exactly when there was yoga. The first mention of it is found in the ancient collection of hymns "Rigveda". In short, it was a very, very long time.

But we will consider yoga as a spiritual practice is not, but as a performing asanas and a short meditation at the end of classes.

Take yoga, cleanse it of all spiritual practices and virtues of meditation and obtain a set of asanas and breathing exercises.

Asanas and breathing exercises

Asana - a static body position, posture, you are saving for a certain time, usually 30-60 seconds. Precise execution of asanas - with an elongated spine, lack of creases in the neck properly distributed load - helps to get rid of some health problems and strengthen the body.

In everyday life we ​​use a strictly defined group of muscles, while others are rarely included in the work and lose their tone. This is a problem not only sedentary people, but also athletes involved in one sport and neglect stretching.

No less common problem - muscle clamps. When you save a long unnatural position of the body, such as sitting at a computer, some muscles are tense all the time. The constant tension of the muscles in the wrong position affects the bones (joint problems, spine), and the internal organs, creating pressure where it should not be.

During the execution of asanas (provided that they are done correctly) strain strictly certain groups of muscles, including those that are rarely engaged in everyday life. Other muscles that do not participate in a particular asana, while relaxed, so you do not waste energy on them.

Proper execution of asanas helps to rebuild the body, bring it back to normal, without clips and "distortions."

In addition, some yoga postures affect the internal organs, stimulating circulation and improving their work. Breathing exercises also stimulate the internal organs, helps to relax and improve concentration.

Matters and psychosomatic aspect. Removing the clamps in the body, it is possible to solve mental problems, such as stiffness, lack of self confidence, get rid of the restrictions in the different spheres of life.

Suitable for Yoga

You should choose a yoga if:

• you are looking for a comprehensive practice that will change your life through exercise, and are willing to work on themselves in all planes - physical, mental, spiritual;
• you have back problems, and you want to fix it;
• you have problems with the muscular system, there are clips and "distortions";
• you do not have enough calm;
• you want a better feel his body;
• you want to develop balance.

You should not choose yoga, if:

• you want to lose weight and decided to choose the "lesser evil" to and not too tense, and to engage in physical activity;
• you need to quickly stretch after a workout, your muscles are not sore;
• you do not agree to spend money on training and planning Tutor.

The last point will explain in more detail.

For the study of yoga need a mentor

Based on its experience, I can say that the development of asanas without a coach certainly lead to errors in their execution.

Two years ago I started to practice yoga at home, drawing on information from the Internet, applications, and videos with the asanas with the analysis technique. For six months I perform a set of favorite asanas every morning. This disciplined, it provides a feeling of good and right in the morning, improved flexibility. However, no effects on health, posture and mental state, I did not notice.

Recently I started to go for group yoga classes at the fitness center and realized that many asanas performed incorrectly. Six months of daily exercises wrong. Aware of it unpleasant.

During execution of asanas should not be shivering in the muscles and the discomfort, I'm accustomed to a certain sacrifice in the sport, performed for wear, with pressure, shivering and pain in the ligaments. In this case, the positive effect of exercise was lost. As a result, six months training had no effect on the thoracic kyphosis and scoliosis, which have remained with me.

So if you have decided to take up yoga, look for a coach. Only the coach will be able to explain your mistakes and give useful advice.

Pilates for strength and flexibility

Unlike yoga with a long history, tens of lines, meditation, and spiritual practices, Pilates is more simple and understandable to modern man.

This complex dynamic exercises for the development of the whole body has been developed in the XX century by Joseph Pilates.

The focus is on the development of the abdominal muscles, the so-called "skeleton strength." In addition, much attention is given to stretching the spine during exercise. Together with the strengthening of "the strength of the frame," it allows to get rid of violations of posture and secure the correct position of the body.

Matters and breathing, but, unlike yoga, there is a wide variety of breathing exercises. In Pilates practiced breast, or lateral, breathing, strengthens the intercostal muscles.

A similar feature yoga and Pilates - concentration during training. During Pilates athlete must concentrate on the position of the body, tension and relaxation of muscles, breathing. This feature, together with the smooth execution of exercises, avoids injury during training.

Unlike yoga Pilates greater dynamic movements with a certain number of repetitions. There are static exercises, for example, the famous strapBut most of the movements is still performed in the dynamics.

In this exercise linked in a single continuous chain - one end is the beginning of another. All this occurs smoothly and measured, with the concentration of the body position.

Suitable for Pilates

You should do Pilates if:

• you are set to regular classes (fast positive effect observed when part of the training - five times a week);
• you are looking for a system of exercises that will not only provide a good stretch, but also strengthen the muscles;
• you have problems with the spine, and muscle clips;
• you want to train on their own, according to information from the internet and video (as opposed to complex yoga asanas gentle Pilates exercises will not cause injuries and sprains, though, of course, with the coach any activity where effective);
• you are overweight, you are looking for a system of exercises that will not cause you to fall without force or withdraw from half an occupation;
• you're just ready to enter the world of sports and have poor physical fitness.

You should not try Pilates, if:

• you want without stretching exercise (e.g., weight training or after run);
• annoy you slow motion, you are looking for a more active physical activity;
• you need not only a system of physical exercise, but also philosophy.

Stretching for the flexible body and prevent injuries

In a nutshell, stretching - stretching it. Stretching can be engaged as a warm-up and cool-down, as well as separately from other loads, using it as an independent exercise to develop flexibility.

Stretching includes dynamic and static exercises to improve flexibility of the joints, muscles and ligaments. This includes stretching and strengthening the spine and splits, and exercises to increase joint mobility.

In this case no specific sequence of stretching movements in Pilates, and difficult to perform key as in yoga. If you want to pre-workout stretch specific muscle groups, there is nothing stopping to select four or five stretching exercises, and the rest left to cool down, or not done at all.

Stretching also no particular emphasis on breathing. During stretching it is important not to hold their breath, making smooth and deep breaths. But, as a rule, on the recommendation of the breath ends.

And one more difference between stretching from yoga and Pilates - the presence of paired exercises, when several participants stretch each other.

Suitable for stretching

You will enjoy stretching, if:

• you want to improve the flexibility and mobility of joints;
• you need a good stretch after the workout;
• you do not want to spend a lot of time stretching.

You will not be impressed by stretching, if:

• you already practice yoga or Pilates;
• you are looking for a comprehensive approach to the development of flexibility, endurance, muscle strength;
• you want to lose weight, and have chosen for this stretching.

It all depends on the coach

In conclusion I want to say that the very discipline and your impression of it strongly depends on the coach.

A good trainer stretching, of course, does not teach you how to meditate, but can do for your health is much more than amateur, held a two-week training courses and yoga. So choose wisely coach.

If after a workout you feel severe fatigue, stiffness or pain (except a little pain in the muscles of unusual loads), it means that something went wrong. Whether you are performing the exercises correctly, and coach you do not get better, or he does not know how to do it right.

And what do you prefer?