Pilates & Yoga – Which One Should You Try?

There are two fitness practices that are on health-conscious girls’ minds today and a (few men to mention as well!) and that is Yoga and Pilates. However, the great advantage of practicing pilates is that it really helps with body posture and core strength. Healthy movements are everything. Pilates can also really help when it comes to recovering from an injury and learning correct movements again.

However, as with everything,  fitness practice and sport, if you’re going to be learning something, then it’s worth learning correctly. The La Dolce Studio in Fulham agrees with this principle. There are many pilates classes out there and knowing which one to choose is really important to meet your fitness goals. 

Injuries can happen or be made worse without the correct guidance. So here are a few tips when it comes to choosing a pilates instructor.

Time Makes the Best Teacher. 

It goes without saying that practice makes perfect and pilates is no exception. The more experience your Pilates teacher has, the greater their ability to teach you and give you what you need to know. 

Sometimes there are Pilates teachers who are giving new classes here in London and here in Fulham, but without experience. A weekend course or a training certificate is just not enough. It can take over a year to gain a professional pilates qualification. Even then, you would hope that your Pilates teacher has more experience than that. 

Every teacher has to start somewhere, but ideally they should be working within a team of more experienced instructors. An ideal instructor will have years of experience. Mastering Pilates can take a lifetime. That’s why you want to train in a studio with a decent reputation. 

Moving Beyond the Matt. 

A good piece of advice that I’ve always heard said is that a Pilates instructor will move beyond the matt. What does that mean exactly? 

Your pilates instructor cannot spend the whole session on their matt. When it comes to Yoga classes, a teacher can lead at the front of the class by example. When it comes to Pilates, there needs to be more of an intervention. 

Your Instructor will ideally be weaving in and between students to help guide their movements. If your instructor isn’t doing this, then you may not have the correct posture or rotating your muscles in the correct way. 

Moving beyond the matt doesn’t just mean teacher – student interaction. Whilst some pilates training certificates can be gained almost entirely from practicing on a matt, an experienced pilates instructor will know how to teach pilates on a reformer machine as well. Whether it’s a megaformer or an aeroformer, your instructor will know how to guide you on each. 

Tailoring the Service. 

Now I know what I’m about to say is a little bit counter intuitive and not what you would expect…

It’s not such a good thing when you see Pilates classes offered by levels of experience. Any fitness practice, whether Yoga or learning a Martial Art, will make this differentiation. A beginner will go to the beginner class. The more seasoned practitioner will go to the Advanced class.

La Dolce Studio does not agree with this approach. There are a few very valid reasons why. The first reason is that student’s experiences and skills will vary greatly. This means that some practitioners who think they are at a beginner level will start practicing with a beginner class. 

However, they will be slowed down but those who are less experienced. If they then try to proceed to a more advanced class, they may find themselves being unable to keep up. 

But it gets even more complicated. Since there are so many students coming from different schools and backgrounds, there are some who just have poor technique. This is always due to not being taught correctly. If there are amateur pilates instructors out there, (and there are) then this will definitely happen. 

Classes that are divided into three categories will never have the homogeneity needed. Those who have poor technique will be overlooked as the focus of the class is one of the advanced techniques. 

Therefore, a great and resourceful idea that has been established is that Pilates classes should be taught as one, and ‘Layered’. What is layering exactly?

Well it’s quite simple. The class has every level of student. From the beginner to the most initiated. The class begins with basic techniques and those techniques are taught correctly. The instructor will interact with students and make sure movements are properly carried out. 

Then, the instructor will take everyone, regardless of their experience into more advanced movements. This ‘tailoring’ of classes is just magic. If someone has been taught badly, then they get retaught quickly and effectively. The ‘layering’ comes in when the new, more sophisticated movements are literally layered onto the basic ones. 

What is the result? A class that effectively remolds beginners’ experiences correctly, whilst providing advanced practitioners with the same instruction. Beginners are seamlessly integrated with those who are more advanced. 

Remembering these key points will always serve you well when looking to practice pilates in an experienced environment. Fulham has a great Pilates scene and this premier studio is simply the top. 

Guest Blogger

Brett Rumbak is one of our diligent and widely read content writers. He is working for Pearl Lemon Properties Whilst having a background in managing Amazon ads, he loves Ancient History, Politics and sampling Hamburger restaurants in the Middle East!