Yoga and Pilates

Comment: This article about yoga and pilates concerns pregnancy, but it's a good article to read if you are trying to understand what yoga is all about. After a long respite from my yoga classes because of complications of menopause, I'm back and once again seeing the incredible rewards of this incredible exercise program. Yoga increases balance, energy, core strength, muscle tone, and the weight drop is dramatic over a very short period of time. It allows younger people the body they want and it allows older people the flexibility and stamina they had in their twenties and thirties. It takes about three months to see a remarkable change.

From Baby Fit
A Winning Fitness Combo
-- By Sara Hambridge, Physical Therapist

Yoga and Pilates are two very popular forms of exercise today, and for good reason. Each has wonderful benefits, including many for the expectant mother. Both originated long ago and have since been adapted into many different forms, such as yogalaties and power yoga, to name a few. Yoga, started in India more than 5000 years ago and springing from a Sanskrit word meaning “union,” has many forms but generally centers around techniques for breathing (pranayama), postures (asanas), flexibility, and meditation (such as the techique called dhyana). It can be very spiritual, linking the mind, body, and spirit. Other popular types seen today in videos and in gyms include:

• Hatha: Involves basic introductory yoga poses, usually gentle and slow-paced.
• Vinyasa: A version that uses more aggressive stretching, with focus on sun salutations and connecting breathing to movement.
• Ashtanga: Fast-paced and more intense (sometimes referred to as "power yoga"), this form focuses on constant movement from one pose to the next in a specific order.
• Bikram: Also referred to as "hot yoga," this form is intended to be practiced in an environment where the temperature is 95-100 degrees, to promote intense sweating that will loosen tight muscles and facilitate cleansing of the body. (Please note that this form is NOT recommended during pregnancy.)

Pilates was first practiced in the early 1900’s by Joseph Pilates, who as a young boy suffered from rickets, asthma, and rheumatic fever. He developed a system of exercise to help recover from his illness, emphasizing moves that would strengthen and elongate muscles without adding bulk.

Once little known, Pilates is increasingly popular with dancers, therapists, athletes, and fitness enthusiasts who want to develop a strong flexible body. Pilates movements are generally taught either through reformer classes, using a pulley-based machine and providing more one-on-one instructor time (more expensive and not as easily accessible), or as mat exercises (more popular, since all you need is floor space).

Both categories focus on the core muscles to improve posture and flexibility, and strengthen muscles in the abdomen and back. Pilates is similar to yoga in that breathing, flexibility, and strength are emphasized, but yoga involves more static poses, while Pilates combines dynamic movements originating from the core that are more precise and controlled. Pilates can be described as an abdominal workout integrating moves with the upper and lower body to create firmer, longer, leaner body tone.

So how do yoga and Pilates help during pregnancy? As the body changes through each trimester, aches and pains can become more prevalent. Studies have shown that exercise during pregnancy can alleviate many discomforts, such as backache, fatigue, nausea, and cramping, as well as assist in an easier delivery and quicker recovery. Both yoga and Pilates focus on many of the key areas that need work during pregnancy-- areas such as flexibility, abdominal muscles, and pelvic floor strength, of utmost importance in carrying and delivering a baby.

How to choose which is for you, yoga or Pilates? It’s an individual choice but keep in mind that both provide different but excellent benefits. You may want to reap both the strengthening of Pilates and the relaxing, stress-reducing effects of yoga. Either way, consider your individual situation, both during pregnancy and postpartum, and ALWAYS check with your doctor first to make sure you have no reason to avoid exercise (bleeding, past miscarriages, placenta previa, and so on). Then follow these Do’s and Don’t’s:

• Avoid prolonged moves lying on the back-- try to modify poses or positions to an incline, if feasible.
• Never hold your breath!
• Avoid holding positions for prolonged periods, especially positions where the head is lower than the heart (such as “the downward dog”). This can cause dizziness when coming out of the pose.
• Always check for the condition of diastisis recti (separation of the midline abdominal wall) before doing any abdominal exercise – if you have this problem, avoid Pilates to prevent the separation from worsening.
• Stop doing any exercise that causes dizziness, shortness of breath, pain, or nausea. Some moves can also cause heartburn; if you discover any affecting you in this way, avoid them.
• Avoid exercises that “stretch” the abdomen (for example, “the upward-facing dog,” “the bow,” or standing back extensions).
• Avoid exercises that enhance forward head and shoulder postures (such as “the plow” or shoulder stands).
• Beware of poses that require a great deal of balance-- you lose some balancing ability as your center of gravity changes during pregnancy.
• If you’re a beginner, try to find a “prenatal” class or video to ensure proper instruction.
• Always go at your own pace and remember to listen to your body.
• Avoid inverted poses for several weeks postpartum to avoid air embolism.
• Drink lots of water and be careful not to get overheated.

The gains achieved from yoga and Pilates are extremely beneficial for the pregnant woman. Many women say they’ve alleviated back pain, feel more prepared for delivery, or just plain feel better about their changing bodies. Although there are many options available today for the exercise enthusiast, yoga and Pilates top the list for great prenatal and postpartum workouts.