What Is Yogalates? A Brief Overview

You've probably already heard of Yogalates - it is the newest trend in fitness in health clubs, spas, and yoga and Pilates studios. But let's start with the basics: what is Yogalates?

Yogalates, also spelled Yogilates, is a combination of Pilates and yoga, which blends the emphasis that yoga puts on flexibility and meditation with the benefits of core strengthening that you get with Pilates training.

Yogilates was created in the late 1990's by Jonathan Urla, a Pilates and yoga instructor, who realized that some of the same basic principles are shared in both yoga and Pilates - like proper breathing, alignment, strengthening and flexibility - and could be combined to glean some of the benefits of both.

Why take a Yogalates class? It's a great way to get some of the benefits of both practices if you don't have time to attend both yoga and Pilates classes. If you're splitting your time between the two types of classes, you may not be getting the full benefits of either or learning the proper form through dedicated practice.

Yogalates is also great if you're getting bored with your current practice and looking to try something new, or challenge your body in new ways.

Traditional Yogalates classes start with warm-up yoga poses like downward dog, which gets your body warmed up and started on proper breathing and form in the yoga poses. Then, the class moves into more challenging yoga poses that require greater movement, which sets the tone for the body's muscles as you move into Pilates poses. Pilates exercises follow to further challenge the body and emphasize core strength.

What are some of the disadvantages of Yogalates? Not surprisingly, you only get half of the benefits of taking a full yoga or Pilates class because you're splitting your time between the two. You won't work your core as hard as you would in a traditional Pilates class - the same goes for the meditative benefits of a full yoga class.

Jillian is a certified Pilates instructor who enjoys practicing Pilates and yoga, especially the IM=X Pilates Method. She enjoys writing about the benefits of Pilates, practicing Pilates and learning how to become a Pilates instructor at pilatescertificationhq.com pilatescertificationhq.com.