Following due to the great courses recommended.
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It’s taken me a long time to develop the ‘feel’ for correctness on the mat at home. I definitely feel more correct in my workouts now, and see a marked improvement in my body.
And who knows, I might still be doing things wrong. I’ve always wanted to take a class simply to see how far off I am with my movements and positioning, but I like the privacy of home, and there are no shops near my home.
I do yoga, mat Pilates and Equipment Pilates… together, they have made a huge difference in my riding, particularly when I added the once a week equipment sessions. Yoga fixes my mind/body connection. Pilates builds Balanced strength - this is what I needed - injuries resulted in my left side being weaker and less balanced than my right.
both are fantastic, but just like in starting any activity, it s a good idea to start with an in-person instructor or class so you get a good feel for the basics before trying to replicate what you see on youtube / dvd. Most studios offer a 30 day discount intro period for new students, so take advantage of this and take as many classes as you can to get a feel for it at a discounted rate.
There are about 8 - 10 different types of yoga so a quick google can tell you what type might appeal to you. Personally, I have taken classes in Iygenar, Restorative and Vinyasa and each has a purpose and appeals to me for different reasons. Most generic ‘yoga’ classes offered a at gym or community center are likely to be a form of Vinyasa, but call ahead and ask the instructor what type of yoga the class will focus on. Even within a style, some teachers are more inclined towards more athletic poses, and others are more relaxed. IME yoga teachers want to help your body and keep you safe and prevent injury, so speak to them BEFORE class starts about any worries or injuries that you are dealing with. They want you to have a good experience and will help you modify poses so you are comfortable.
My first intro to pilates was at a great yoga/pilates studio, so I had the benefit of my yoga teacher also being my Pilates teacher. This small studio was a little more ‘hippie’ than ‘gym rat’ so even though I really felt my body working, it never got super duper intense. Just like finding the right boarding barn or riding instructor, you’ll have to try a few on until you find the right fit, but you really can’t go wrong with either pilates or yoga.
Thank you for this!
I used to belong to a gym where I took mat Pilates and Zumba classes 2x a week, and went to a Yoga (Ashtanga) studio once a week and I was in great shape and pain-free. I’ve let it lapse due to losing my job and other personal reasons and now my back hurts, my left wrist hurts, my core strength is gone…time to do something about it all! I have found a gym near me where my favorite Zumba instructor teaches, and I will sign up again at the Yoga studio, but I will go back to Pilates with the free videos in the meantime!
I would make your choice based on your best available local instructor. I think it (often) easier to hurt yourself doing pilates incorrectly from a DVD than yoga, but YMMV. I’m a long time practitioner of both, trained as a yoga instructor. Many people find one or the other modality more challenging (physically or mentally) to start with.
Use both, both are excellent. For yoga, absolutely recommend a good Iyengar program/teacher. It addresses alignment as well as flexibility. Wasn’t a fan of yoga until I found this, I was always overdoing it and the flow went too quickly from one to another for me so I didn’t gain as much awareness of where I needed help. Its sequences and poses fantastic for riding. Pilates is terrific for symmetry and sidedness issues, Iyengar has helped incredibly with those, added flexibility and also for past injuries. Agree with others, find a one on one at least to start, then you can do more work on own.
I agree that both are helpful. For those (like me) who can’t stomach the price of Pilates, I have found a barre class that is like “Pilates light” but for less than half the price.
I have definitely benefited from my Pilates classes. I’m amazed how much stronger I am with just two classes a week.
In my town, you can drop into a good mat Pilates class for $12. It’s worth it to have some help with your alignment, position and posture for a while. I’ve started taking the equipment classes and love them even more.
However, after you’ve got a grasp of the basics (or even if you don’t), Amazon prime has free Pilates mat videos that are pretty good. I use roku to bring them up on my tv and watch the videos in my living room.
I use Jennifer Kries total body workout. It has exercises from Pilates, Yoga and Ballet. It is all done lying on a mat. You don’t need any other equipment.
She exercises everything, lungs, eyes, fingers, toes, etc
Wow, that’s awesome! In my town, group pilates is low $40s… even my barre class is over $20 for a drop in price.
You do know you are responding to a 2-year-old post, right??
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