Fitness
Yoga vs Pilates: A Comprehensive Guide to their Differences and Benefits
Yoga and Pilates, two popular forms of exercise, often get lumped together due to their low-impact movements, emphasis on mind-body connection, and shared use of similar poses. However, these two practices are built on fundamentally different principles and offer unique benefits to practitioners. This article delves into the distinctions between Yoga and Pilates and how to choose the practice that aligns with your physical and mental wellness goals.
Foundational Differences: Yoga and Pilates
Yoga is a spiritual practice with roots tracing back to 3000 B.C. in India and Pakistan. It seeks to balance the body, mind, and spirit, using a variety of poses and breathing techniques to improve flexibility and foster a sense of inner peace. On the other hand, Pilates, developed by Joseph H. Pilates after World War I, maintains a mind-body approach but with a specific focus on physical fitness. It aims to build core strength and stability while improving balance and posture.
The Role of Equipment
Another key difference lies in the equipment used. While yoga requires very little equipment, often just a mat and occasionally blocks or straps, Pilates often incorporates special equipment like reformers, chairs, and barrels. This equipment allows for a wider variation of poses and movements, which can enhance the workout’s effectiveness and add variety.
Benefits of Yoga and Pilates
Both yoga and Pilates offer numerous benefits, including improved flexibility, strength, body control, and stress relief. However, they each shine in different areas. Yoga, particularly more active forms, can aid in weight loss when combined with healthy eating habits, as it tends to burn more calories. Furthermore, practices like restorative yoga offer profound mental and physical relaxation, positively impacting the parasympathetic nervous system and cognitive function. On the other hand, Pilates is particularly beneficial for those recovering from injuries due to its focus on core strength and stability.
Choosing the Right Practice for You
Ultimately, the choice between yoga and Pilates depends on your personal goals. If you’re looking for a practice that promotes spiritual and mental well-being while also enhancing physical fitness, yoga might be the right choice for you. Conversely, if your primary goal is to build core strength, improve stability, and recover from or prevent injuries, Pilates could be more suitable. Both practices can be adapted to suit various fitness levels and can offer a holistic approach to exercise that combines physical movement with a mindful awareness of the body.
In conclusion, while yoga and Pilates share some similarities, they are distinct practices with unique benefits. Understanding these differences can help you make an informed decision about which practice aligns best with your wellness goals. Whether you choose yoga, Pilates, or a blend of both, you’re sure to reap the many physical and mental benefits these practices offer.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) – Finding time to work out as a mom with young kids can be a challenge in itself, especially when you’re new to an area and don’t know where to start. However, a new fitness option strolled into Sioux Falls today. iStroll offers moms the chance to work out and meet other moms all while their kids can play or even join alongside them.
iStroll is a national organization that has more than 35 locations in the country but this is the first time one opened in South Dakota. It’s a full body workout that incorporates dumbbells, body weight, and jogging strollers when the weather’s nice.
“I found iStroll in Oklahoma and fell in love,” said Kelsi Supek who started the affiliate in Sioux Falls. “We made friends. It became our entire social network. The kids loved it and then we moved to Arizona during COVID. And all the moms were stuck at home. They were inside with our kids and lonely, honestly. And we were like, why can’t we start an iStroll and be out at the parks with the kids every day? And it took off.”
When Supek moved to Sioux Falls, she was encouraged by her family to start an affiliate and own it herself.
“Gym daycares did not work out for my children,” said Supek. “I would get 10 minutes into a class and then I’d have that person trying to knock outside the yoga studio going, Can I have Kelsey and her kids screaming in daycare? And it just didn’t work for us. So at iStroll they could be with me or I could be breastfeeding the baby as I was teaching in class.”
Classes are planned to continue each Wednesday and Friday at We Rock the Spectrum and First Presbyterian Church. For a full schedule for January and February, you can look at their Facebook. The first class is also free and memberships are for the whole family.
“Letting the kids see you work out is, it’s similar to homeschooling where like, you know, how are they going to love working out if they don’t see you working out,” said Kelly Jardeleza, a stay-at-home mom of three kids. “Whereas at other gyms they put them in a room and they don’t get to watch you. And how are you going to inspire them if they’re not watching you do it?”
Copyright 2026 Dakota News Now. All rights reserved.
There’s no bad time to take a more active interest in your health, but the new year, for lots of us, feels like a fresh start. Maybe you’re planning to sign up for a 10k or finally have a go at bouldering, eat a bit better or learn to swing a kettlebell. Maybe you want to keep up with your grandkids — or just be a little bit more physically prepared for whatever life throws at you.
To help things along, Guardian Live invites you to a special event with public health expert Devi Sridhar, journalist and author Mariella Frostrup, and health and fitness columnist Joel Snape. They’ll be joining the Guardian’s Today in Focus presenter Annie Kelly to discuss simple, actionable ways to stay fit and healthy as you move through the second half of life: whether that means staying strong and mobile or stressing less and sleeping better.
To make the whole event as helpful as possible, we’d love to hear from you about what you find most challenging — or confusing — when it comes to health and exercise. What should you actually be eating, and how are you going to find the time to make it? What sort of exercise is best, and how often should you be doing it? Is Pilates worth the effort — and should we really all be drinking mugfuls of piping hot creatine?
Whether your question is about exercise, eating, or general wellness, post it below and we’ll put a selection to our panel on the night.
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Jan 6 (Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday that it will limit regulation of wearable devices and software designed to support healthy lifestyles, issuing new guidance to clarify its regulatory approach.
The guidance, along with comments from FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, adds to existing policy that classifies low-risk wellness tools, such as fitness apps and activity trackers that encourage exercise, as non-medical devices exempt from stringent regulation, provided they do not make claims related to disease diagnosis or treatment.
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“We have to promote these products and at the same time, just guard against major safety concerns,” Makary said in an interview with Fox Business about artificial intelligence software such as ChatGPT, adding that “if people are looking up a symptom on an AI-based tool, let’s have that conversation when they come in to see their doctor or do a virtual visit.”
“We want to let companies know, with very clear guidance, that if their device or software is simply providing information, they can do that without FDA regulation,” Makary told Fox Business.
“The only stipulation is if they make claims of something being medical grade … like blood pressure measurement. We don’t want people changing their medicines based on something that’s just a screening tool or an estimate of a physiologic parameter.”
The agency also sent out a broader warning to consumers about the risks posed by unauthorized devices.
Reporting by Puyaan Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Henderson and Sherry Jacob-Phillips
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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