Alternative exercises
Tuesday 15 January 2008
Ever wanted to do yoga or pilates but didn’t have a clue what they’re all about? n2k investigates these alternative exercises, where they come from and their benefits.
Yoga
Originating from India more than 5000 years ago, yoga is one of the most popular choices for fitness today. Although it was originally a spiritual practice, today, especially in Western culture, it is also seen as a way to stay in shape and to relax.
The benefits
The idea behind yoga is that a healthy spine creates balance both in the body and mind. The movements involved stimulate the nerves running along the spine and also move the vertebrae slightly apart, giving the blood and your energy, sometimes called ‘chi’, a clear passageway to circulate in a healthy way.
During puberty and the later teen years, enormous changes are taking place in the body. Yoga practitioners believe that regular practice of yoga can help to maintain balance, build strength, and improve flexibility and posture.
Another great reward from yoga is being able to relieve stress a lot easier and a calmer approach to everyday life.
A typical session of yoga will take you through a variety of ‘postures’ – these all work alongside each other to give a gentle but strenuous workout. Don’t strain yourself and start off easy. Here are some moves to start you off. Also check out a list of yoga centres in the UK.
Pilates
Formed by Joseph Pilates during the First World War, the exercises were originally for the rehabilitation of soldiers. These were soon adopted by dancers who wanted to heal injuries quicker. The pilates exercises are designed to build your body’s core strength, which basically means your back, abdominal and pelvic muscles.
The benefits
Most of the exercises aim to re-align your spine so the main rewards from pilates are improved posture and relief from back strain. It also claims to give you a better night’s sleep by stretching your muscles and triggering your natural sleep responses. Both pilates and yoga are also good if you have injured a certain part of your body, but this is best done supervised by a qualified teacher.
The difference
Both practices involve a lot of similar postures but they are actually very different in nature. Yoga is seen as a way of life, its philosophies are encouraged to guide you every day; when relaxing, stretching and breathing. Pilates, on the other hand focuses almost entirely on the physical rewards you can get from the exercises, such as building the core strength and elongating your body. Even though they are different from each other, there isn’t a rule that says you can’t mix and match in your workout, just make sure you always take it slow!
