Yogalates. Yogilates, Yoga-laties – however you spell it, Yoga-laties is becoming more and more popular.

Pilates is an exercise system which was based on both yoga and modern exercise theory and so it is a fair enough to state that Yoga and Pilates have a lot of similarities. Yogilates was created in 1997 by certified Pilate’s instructor and personal trainer Jonathan Urla. This year, Louise Solomon published her own version, called Yogalates.

Yoga focuses on strength, flexibility, and is practiced as a form of meditation. Joseph Pilates designed his exercise system Pilates over 80 years ago. Pilates focuses on improving balance, strength and flexibility by building strength in the deep muscles of the abdominal region, the body’s core. Both practices have their own breathing technique.

As a Pilates instructor in Barcelona I have heard, many times, I prefer Yoga to Pilates or Pilates to Yoga. The majority of people tend to have their preference, I personally enjoy both and believe that both have a lot to offer. As a result I was excited to hear about Yoga-laties and after just one session – hooked!

Many people are skeptical of this funny sounding new exercise class. Beside its name, Yoga-lates is not a new fad. Cherryl Leone, a certified yoga instructor at Gentle Strength Yoga in Denver states “it’s built on very tried and true, historically proven forms of exercise,”

“There’s so much synergy between the two,” Leone explains. “The philosophies of both make blending the two very natural. You’re not mindlessly on a treadmill or exercise machine. The mind is very focused on the body, on breathing techniques.”

So – the obvious question – what exactly is Yoga-Pilates?

There are 40 different poses / exercises that can be incorporated into a Yoga-laties class, from the classic Pilate’s leg circles, planks and roll downs to yoga standards such as Downward-Facing Dog, Sun Salutation.

Both breathing techniques are used for the warm up, the body of exercises follow a flow and has the obligation to pause between many of the exercises so at first sight you might think you are watching a yoga class. The poses and the pauses lend Yoga-laties to give the practitioner a calming, meditative effect.

However, many of the exercises involved hold most of the basic Pilates principles such as pelvis placement, rib cage placement, deep core work and one will find that these are a lot more floor based exercises focusing on engaging the body in a safe method, following the body’s nature alignment.

“There’s a beautiful marriage of flow, from a yoga move to a Pilates move,” says Meg Jordan, PhD, RN, a spokeswoman for the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America. “Blending the two is time-efficient. You can address all the major muscle groups.”

As a fitness and Pilates instructor in Barcelona I have found people wanted to use Pilates to loose weight. Pilates is not a fat burning system, it focuses on improving tone, flexibility, balance, strength and general wellbeing. Whereas, Yoga-laties has a more cardio aspect to the class and as a result can be used to burn calories which achieving the benefits of Yoga and Pilates.

All in all Yoga-laties means you get the best of both worlds! For a mix of yoga and pilates in barcelona contact us by clicking here or fill in the form below

Enjoy Pilates in Barcelona!