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Yoga This and Pilates That

Written on January 1, 2008 at 6:57 pm, by Eric Cressey

Ever since Mike Robertson and I introduced our Magnificent Mobility DVD, we’ve been inundated with email inquiries about how what we’re recommending is different from yoga and Pilates. And, those that actually appreciate the difference keep asking what we think about it.

Let me preface this entire article by saying that I’m all for anything that makes people enthusiastic about exercise, or gives individuals an outlet to relieve stress. If you’re not moving, you need to move – regardless of what it takes to make you do so. With that said, I gave these two modalities three strikes before I called them “out.” Here are my main issues with Yoga and Pilates:

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2 Responses to “Yoga This and Pilates That”

  1. sidharth Says:

    Hi Eric,

    i just read through the article on yoga and pilates although am not at all versed with pilates except for internet videos (never practiced myself) am pretty sure they cant be put in the same bracket, i can say that because i have practiced Yoga diligently as an education. Your arguments are anatomically convincing and i totally admire your work and thats specifically the reason i didn’t like this article. As in the vastness of the field of strength and conditioning through weights /barbell/sandbag/kettlebell or any protocols balance, co-ordination and a balance in program design (to avoid muscular imbalance :)) is important so is the case with yoga..the stability mobility question is equally important to yoga practitioners that is if they pursue it as an education (which means done wrongly its severly bad analogous too a rounded back deadlift :)) as you do with weight training for the simple reason that structure dictates function as u said it 🙂 .. i would never dare to call you ignorant bcos u definitely know wat ur talking about and your work speaks for that ..bt am getting an idea that you might be misinformed or maybe shown stuff that has been done wrongly and called yoga postures(so we gotta beware of many such yoga gurus there are a lot like that as you have in strength training)…a single posture doesnt make up yoga …its a series of meaningfull sequential postures aimed at seeking balance and more specifically a stability mobility continuum as mike robertson puts it :)…logically for me i try to seamlessly classify them as different movements in different situations across all disciplines …be it strength training , yoga ,pilates , kettlebell training….bad is bad irrespective of any situation so a lumbar hyperextension is bad in yoga or strength conditioning ….thats how it should be right …cuz its the primal design…no offense i just put this argument for yoga so that you might be open enough to evaluate and incorporate some postures/ideas from yoga which am sure going to help a lot of people , cure lot of issues/ problems people face physically or even strength wise,…and continue ur inspiring and good work!!!! … waiting for your reply 🙂

  2. Mark Koch Says:

    Eric, not sure if I’ve kept up with everything written on your site, but happened to notice this article on risks of yoga in the NYT and thought it would add to the discussion. It appears to totally vindicate most of your points and offer a rebuttal to the yoga teachers who have posted on this article.

    http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/08/magazine/how-yoga-can-wreck-your-body.html?smid=pl-share


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