One of the most common questions we get asked is 'What is the difference between yoga and pilates?'. They have a lot of similarities and shared principles.
Yoga was developed up to 5,000 years ago in India as a comprehensive system for wellbeing on all levels: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. There are many different forms of yoga including hatha, iyengar, ashtanga, bikram and kundalini. Here, at The Crea Centre, we currently offer Hatha Yoga - a well-known system of postures and breathing techniques. Many people use various aspects of Yoga to help raise their quality of life in such diverse areas as fitness, stress relief, wellness, vitality, mental clarity, healing, peace of mind and spiritual growth. Yoga is a system, not of beliefs, but of techniques and guidance for enriched living and to promote wellbeing.
Pilates is a form of exercise designed to strengthen the body core (abdominal and spinal areas). This is achieved through a sequence of precise movements. This, together with the breath and relaxation, help re-balance the body and calm the mind. Due to its extremely low impact on the joints, Pilates is suitable for almost everyone. Pilates can be either mat or equipment focussed and is used to realign posture, strengthen core muscles, rehabilitation following surgery or injury and part of a sports conditioning programme.