Photo by Vicki Hansen from StoryCast

Yoga and Pilates - What Are The Benefits of Both?

Throughout my childhood and early adulthood, I was not at all good at any sport or physical activity. Clumsy, stiff, awkward and fearful, I was always the last one to be chosen for a team at school sport - one of my PE teachers wrote on my report card that I was afraid of the ball! I was!

Yoga

I disliked exercise of any kind - mainly due to lack of confidence in my ability, until I discovered yoga in my early 20's. The sense of awareness and confidence in my body that I gained from the practice and being introduced to pranayama (breathwork) and meditation (dhyana), was a life changer for me.

Yoga connects body, mind and spirit through poses, breathwork and meditation, cultivating strength, flexibility, compassion and presence.

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Pilates

In my 30's, life became busy with multiple responsibilities and I neglected to make time for my practice. Before I realised, I had left it behind.

Fast forward a few years and I was living with chronic back and joint pain from Ankylosing Spondylitis - an autoimmune disoder. My physiotherapist Carolyn introduced me to Pilates. At first, I didn't enjoy the exercises, but very soon my back pain had reduced significantly and I was standing taller and moving better than I ever had before.

Pilates builds core strength, improves posture and supports injury recovery through precise, mindful movement.

Benefits of practising both Yoga and Pilates

I inconsistently alternated between both practices of yoga and Pilates through my 30's and 40's and found I felt better when I regularly incorporated in to my routine - Pilates core work, yoga asana, breathwork (pranayama) and meditation (dhyana).

Since recommitting to both over the past decade, I am stronger, more flexible, calmer and more confident. Both yoga and Pilates have made me a better swimmer, dancer, cyclist and given me the courage in my ability to try physical activities I previously did not have the confidence to go near - solo bushwalks, kayaking, paddleboarding, pole dancing, cycling amidst traffic, cold water plunging, skateboarding, hula hooping, learning to ride a motorbike and 35km charity walks.

Practising yoga has made me better at Pilates, and practising Pilates has made me better at yoga!

In short, incorporating both yoga and Pilates into my routine has been a life changer for me.

Yoga and Pilates together will:

• increase strength, stability, mobility and coordination,

• enhance self awareness, calm, presence and mental clarity,

• improve posture, alignment, energy and vitality

• reduce tension, stiffness and chronic pain,

• increase emotional resilience and nervous system regulation through high vagal tone

Photo by Vicki Hansen from StoryCast

Where do you start?

What drew me to both yoga, pilates and mindful movement in general is that you don’t have to be fit, flexible or have a certain body type to practice. You can start where you are and poses can be modified to suit all abilities. Find an instructor who will work with you to help you get moving, breathing and feeling better.

At EmpowerMe Now, our classes are gentle, welcoming and nurturing. We've got you no matter whether you’re moving through pain, exhaustion, stress or simply want to get stronger, more flexible and feel more at ease, not just in your body, but in your whole self.

Try us here.

Movement is medicine, and when it's mindful, it becomes a path to healing and empowerment.