Pilates and Yoga

Pilates and Yoga are two methods to improve the physical and mental conditions

Although there are no real technique connections to each other they try a find common goal with different approaches. The common factors are their mental focus and breathe control during exercise. Some call it yoga with movement or machines.

George Pilates from Germany created a method to improve his health, which was not the best when he was young with special exercise programs. He was in the medical service during WWI and tried to help the internees.

During that period he developed exercises to improve the physical conditions of the prisoners of war in the camps. In 1926 he together with his wife started a training camp in New York and trying to move the body improvement into the everyday world to keep people fit. In the beginning mainly dancers were his clients who found his method a good approach to balance and improve their bodies. 

The main idea is to keep a healthy posture while exercising the muscles 

supporting the spine. He also developed some breathing techniques to keep the whole system focused on posture and balance. People found all this make sense and today there are almost one thousand training centers throughout the world offering workouts using his

way to do it. 

Until now many Pilates machines where more or less invented to stimulate and improve the body in various ways. Some are quite complicated; they use weights, springs, balls, mats

and other things we know from mainstream fitness centers. 

The program seems to work because many people enroll for the training and the real hit is to merge the whole with the various yoga ideas to offer an integrated approach

A personal view of, 

when I see this machines I must make a comment, my technique is (it works) to fill up 2 big two liter bottles and dance with movements just coming at the spot. After I take a 6 pack of one and a half liter bottles put it on the head and make 20 knee bends two times a day at home, to my opinion that's enough, wont cost money and lets me walk on tiptoes. The thing is the combined movement of upper body and legs. 

What is the real thing? You must do it two or three times a day.