Is Pilates dance? Aren’t dancing, Pilates and yoga all pretty much the same thing? The answer is definitely no. Though all three of those types of activities can help you get in great shape. They’re all designed to tone muscles and exercise the body without adding muscle bulk like a body builder might. Pilates, dance and yoga are designed to lengthen and tone the muscles and strengthen the body that way, though concentrated movement.
Some people do use the term “Pilates dance” because of the fluid and graceful movements used in Pilates. Whether you’re exercising on a machine or doing the movements on your own, there is a rhythm and a flow to the movements that are like a dance routine.
Joseph Pilates, the creator of the exercises, studied dancers to create his movements so there is a definite dance element to the workout. Yoga also has very concentrated and controlled movements, but with more of an emphasis on holding poses and positions than Pilates. Pilates is more concerned with the movements you make than the positions you hold, though both are important.
Dance is concerned with movement, but can combine yoga-like poses and the intensity of Pilates movement to give you a great workout. If you enjoy Pilates, dance and yoga would probably also be exercises you enjoy. You may be able to combine all three or take separate exercises classes for each one, depending on what’s offered in your area.
Some yoga classes are more actively aerobic than others, almost like a type of yoga dance. So there may be classes offered in your area that are more like a type of Pilates dance instead of just one or the other.
As part of your regular exercise routine, Pilates or yoga dance type classes could be the perfect combination to get you the muscle toning benefits as well as the aerobic and fat-burning properties of dancing. Dancing is a little more high impact that Pilates or yoga, though some dance exercises can be very low impact and even tailored to those who need to take special care with their ankles or knees.
Pilates or yoga can really be ideal for almost anyone who wants to exercise. Certain aspects of Pilates can be modified, if necessary, should knees or other joints cause a problem, without making the exercises ineffective.
Yoga is very forgiving of such problems, too. Often someone with stiff joints starts doing yoga and only goes as far as possible or holds certain poses for a short time. The more yoga is practiced, the easier the movements become and the longer the person can hold the beneficial poses.
Dance requires a certain amount of control that Pilates and yoga can help develop, though when you’re doing it for exercise rather than performance, you should worry less about how you appear than how you feel while doing the exercises. Pilates, dance and yoga aren’t the same, but they can go hand in hand for great exercise, and developing balance and strength.