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WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE? Yoga and Pilates are similar, but there are some important differences. You may end up liking one more than the other, so check out both! Yoga is the older tradition with ancient roots that stretch back many thousands of years. When you practice yoga, you complete a series of postures called asanas . Every posture has a name in Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language, as well as in English. The names often cor- respond to what the poses make your body look like, such as cobra, cat, or triangle poses. Different poses can be done standing up, sitting down, or lying down. Breathing is very important in yoga. You’ll focus on your inhalations and exhalations to make them deeper and steadier, which affects all sorts of things like heart rate and stress. You may be asked to “breathe into” your muscles during poses, which will help you relax into them. There’s more to yoga than just physical movements and breathing. Meditation and even spirituality can be important components of yoga too. Meditation is the practice of relaxing the mind and concentration on the present moment. People can practice meditation without practic- ing yoga, but you will get a taste of meditation from doing yoga. Most yoga practices end with something called savasana —a short meditative pose that involves lying down relaxed on the ground. Pilates is a more modern invention, and was actually inspired partly by yoga. Pilates also involves going through a series of poses, although they do not have Sanskrit names. The poses in Pilates are more focused on the core muscles (the ones in the center of your body rather than the muscles in the arms and legs). Most Pilates poses are done while lying on the ground. Breathing is significant in Pilates as in yoga, but physical movement ends up being the most important thing to concentrate on. Meditation also doesn’t have a central place in Pilates, although a connection be- tween the body and the mind is still important.

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What Are Yoga and Pilates?