As Denice and I continue to commit to the practice of   Pilates, we are really learning about the focus of this exercise. During an in-depth interview with Jeff Fairley, the owner and director of the Body Center in Claremont, we gathered some great details about the uniqueness of Pilates and how it differs from yoga.

Beauty Chat: What is the main difference between Pilates and yoga?

Jeff Fairley: I think that first and foremost I should stimulate that I am a doctor of physical therapy, a functional movement expert, but I would not call myself a certified Pilates instructor because I’m not. I haven’t dug into the background and history of all the different holds of these exercises. I take a biomechanical approach and a neuromuscular control approach to Pilates, meaning I look at how the brain controls these muscle groups.

In general, yoga takes it’s origins many of thousands of years ago in India as a kind of exercise, but also part of an awakening and the introspection that comes with it. Many of the Pilates positions and activities are similar to many of the yoga poses; the work originally came from Joseph Pilates. He had some ideas about how the body should move and how you could heal yourself by having better control over your body; and how to do different exercises to try and help you get some of that control. So I think that there are definitely some parallels and similarities between the two.

B.C.: Why does the Body Center choose Pilates over yoga?

J.F.: That is a good question as well. Well it is interesting, a brief history: my wife and I purchased this studio approximately a year ago and it was called the Body Studio previously. When they [the Body Studio] planned the center they did yoga as well as Pilates and physical therapy. They made a business decision to slowly fade their yoga out of their business model, and so they added the reformer Pilates and physical therapy. We [the Body Center] tried a couple of different ways to introduce yoga, and we recently have introduced it again. 

 So we do have it a couple of nights a week because there is a crowd of people who want yoga. You know, my experience with yoga is that the challenge is slightly different then even with the mat or with the reformer Pilates machine. There is a more of an asymmetrical kind of sustained positioning; a bit different focus in the breathing, a little bit different mental focus, and I think my personal experience is that Pilates is more focused on being precise, and more controlled in the movements. With yoga, I kind of feel like I’m backing away and kind of…

B.C: Just letting it guide you?

J.F.: Yes.

Denice and I go onto agree that with Pilates, you can’t let your mind relax if you want to get as much as you can out of the exercise. Yoga, on the other hand (in its many forms), seems to losing yourself in the relaxation of it all.

Beauty Chat will bring you more interviews with Jeff from the Body Center. Be sure to follow our personal journeys towards getting fit, firm, and fabulous bodies!

We’re curious: Did you know the difference between Pilates and Yoga? If so, which do you prefer?

~ Elana

Photo Credits: www.bodyandmindworks.com and www.worth1000.com