Yoga and Pilates for Better Health

It is estimated that as many as 20 million Americans participate in some form of Yoga as a part of their workout routines. Many people consider Yoga a highly beneficial and proven path to mental health and physical well-being. The practice has its roots in ancient India beginning nearly 5000 years ago. In the past two decades, it has become a global Phenomenon. There are several types of Yoga, including Bhakti Yoga, Karma Yoga, Raja Yoga and Hatha Yoga.

Although Pilates has been around since World War I, it has become fairly popular in the last decade. It is named after Joseph Pilates who, as a child living in Germany, was afflicted with various disorders, including rickets, asthma and pneumatic fever. These illnesses motivated him to focus his life on the development of the physical body. Before long, Pilates had developed a reputation in the sports of diving, skiing and weight-lifting. He went on to become a physical therapist and further developed his system to patients who were confined to exercising to recover their muscle strength.

The most popular form of Yoga that is practiced in the West is called Hatha Yoga. It is composed of three components: asanas, meditation and pranayama. Each element is believed to have specific health benefits. For example asanas, which are different poses, help align the spine, improve blood circulation and educe a state of relaxation. Meditation has been shown to bring on a relaxed condition in the nervous system as well as assist in the enhancement of the body's immune system. The third element Pranayama is a Sanskrit word, which refers to the control of breath. "Prana" means life force. In Yoga, interference with prana from stress, toxins or improper nutrition creates blockages that have a detrimental effect on the body's mental emotional and physical well-being.

Pranayama, which typically concentrates on deep abdominal breathing techniques, dissipates these obstructions. There have been many studies published about the positive benefits the practice have had in health. Generally, a Yoga session begins with a mediation exercise. The participant then performs a series of asanas, in conjunction with breathing exercises. The workout may be designed to work on a specific facet, such as flexibility, balance or strength. Sometimes, it is intended to address a combination of the three elements.

One of the early studies on the association between Yoga-related activity and health benefits was 1968 documented by Harvard Medical School cardiologists Robert Keith Wallace and Herbert Benson. They reported that participants in their research, who were students of Transcendental Meditation, had a decrease in their metabolic, heart and respiratory rate while engaging in mantra meditation. This involves repeating the same sound over and over again.

Research published in one of the foremost medical journals in the world, The Lancer (1990), cites that patients participating in Yoga breathing techniques lessen the incidence of asthma attacks. Researchers at the Menninger Foundation reports that Yoga meditation influences the heart and helps improve blood circulation. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (April 2005), reported that practicing yoga could help make small improvements in risk factors that are associated with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, including glucose levels and total cholesterol.

In 1965, at age 86, Joseph Pilates made the following statement: "I must be right. Never an aspirin. Never injured a day in my life. The whole country, the whole world, should be doing my exercises. They'd be happier."

The great thing about Pilates is the freedom to design workout routines that are customized according to an individual's fitness and health condition. Many people have claimed an expanded range of motion and improved flexibility, circulation, form and abdominal muscles. They also reported a decrease in neck, back and joint pain. Like Yoga, Pilates has three key elements that generate health benefits: body awareness, body core and body control.

Pilates workouts may last as long as 90 minutes. A session can take the form of a mat-based exercises, or equipment-based routines. The workout may include several drills that involve maneuvering your body into unstable or awkward positions. The next step is to test and challenge your body by moving the limbs. The routines are usually conducted a specific number of repetitions and in sets of five to ten.

The objective behind Pilates is to become more aware of your body and to strengthen it by targeting the spine and abdominal section. The techniques are very pliable and can be adjusted for different fitness and health phases. Much like Yoga, Pilates involves the coordination of the mind body and breath. Siri Dharma Galliano is one of the leading Pilates trainers in the West. She is also certified in Kundalini Yoga.

Galliano states that Pilates" is an education in body awareness" and that it "teaches you how to train your mind and build symmetry and coordination in the body." Many Pilates trainers emphasize the health benefits of Pilates, especially for developing a strong and healthy back. A muscular back, in turn, leads to the development stronger abdominal muscles. A study conducted by the American Council on Exercise concluded that "Pilates has a long list of benefits including improved body mechanics, balance, coordination, strength and flexibility." The same research cites limited cardiovascular benefits.

In recent years, many fitness professionals have started incorporating the different attributes of Yoga and Pilates into a comprehensive routine for improving all aspects of mental and physical health. A new term has been coined to describe this workout; it is called "yogilaties." The basic objective remains the same, which is to promote further body awareness and to develop a more balance approach to strengthening the physical body.

Whether practiced alone, or in combination, Yoga and Pilates are being used by millions of devotees to train their minds and bodies for higher performance. Many people claim to experience a more relax state of mind and better over all health. Many preliminary studies as well as anecdotal evidence seem to back up their assertions.
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