# Pilates or Yoga?



## livelovelaughride (Sep 13, 2011)

I have a strength background and for my age, am pretty strong (bench over my body weight). It does translate quite well into riding fitness, but I am noticing these days I need to include more flexibility in my day.

I've got friends who are into pilates big time, but what I notice is their lack of core conditioning even when they've been going for ages. I've tried the "reformer' for several months and didn't really get into it. I thought the number of reps (5) per exercise were hard to learn and I like repetition when I'm learning new stuff. My friend's pilates instructor told her all dressage riders have a locked down thoracic spine...huh? If that is the case, then wouldn't yoga be better to mobilize the thoracics? 

I was advised that yoga would do more to improve my spinal rotation and lateral side bending range of movement about the vertebral discs. I had nerve and disc pain radiating down my left leg, and find if I don't maintain my yoga practice, the left leg will begin to complain at some point. I need to do 3 hours a week to keep my improvement in my spine. What about you all??
Yoga or pilates. Who has time for both!?


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## ~*~anebel~*~ (Aug 21, 2008)

I tried Pilates... Not only was it as fru fru pansy as I thought it would be - I ended up with some pretty gnarly back pain afterwards.

I've been doing hot yoga for a while, and I absolutely love it! I find it really helps my strength, and flexibility. It really requires you to synchronize your body and breathing and use all the little stabilizer muscles that are tough to get at. Plus the heated room is so underrated. It's the best cardio I've ever done.
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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Yoga... it's so helpful in many ways.


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## SEAmom (Jan 8, 2011)

I did both together for many months and was very glad I did that. The yoga I did seemed to complement the pilates very nicely. The instructor makes a huge difference, as does knowing the boundaries of your body.
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## livelovelaughride (Sep 13, 2011)

I find the best instructors are the ones who are either a kinesiologist, or have studied anatomy extensively, and understands how joints perform. Yoga has gotten some bad press recently with the advent of so many 'impingement' hip injuries from over straining or pushing a range of movement in the hip. The instructor can make or break a class, or injure a person. Unfortunate that many people attend and assume the instructor really knows her stuff...


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