Daily Discussion Thread: 🔆🥵🍨Monday, 16 December,.2024
Daily Discussion Thread: 🔆🥵🍨Monday, 16 December,.2024
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Looking for a bit of advice from you good folk.
I am under very heavy suggestion to undertake some form of mindful, de-stressing activity that is not running or cycling (which I already do but tend to get a bit competitive with myself about).
Having never done either, can someone with practical experuence of both give me some idea of relative pros and cons of pilates and yoga? or what the hell all the different yoga types are and what is best for a novice??
edit: you guys rock, thanks heaps for all the info and ideas!
I'm a big fan of sound meditation. Or any meditation. You can download an app that can give you repetitive beat based meditations than should simulate the beat of your foot falls. Or swimming can provide a similar repetitive beat that you can focus on.
Pros of Yoga - flexibility, bit of strength building, balance, relaxation, core strength.
Cons of Yoga - realizing that you're shit at all of the above at the start.
Vinyasa and Ashtanga yoga are based on 'positional flow'. You go from one position to another and it can be taxing.
Start with yin or hatha, which are a bit generic and you tend to hold poses for longer.
Any begineer yoga program will be sufficient (even the vin and ashtanga) to get an understanding of it.
I did a fair bit over lockdowns and it was great. Really looking at getting back into it again in the new year.
If you don't want to try a studio, I used the Down Dog app (free trial and the subscription wasn't that pricey). Very customisable and you can taylor your experience to suit your needs.
Second swimming. Nice beach, a few waves, nice view, not many people (but some for safety). Completely changed my stress levels.
Cold water swimming for dat brown fat something or the other. (I will never do it but I got a taste when I had a cold shower this morning and felt warm afterwards)
Reformer pilates is strength-based and gives you a full body resistance workout with plenty of variety. I love it. Not competitive at all, very beginner friendly.
Yoga is more mind and body together. I do Yin yoga, which barely qualifies as exercise. You lie in one pose for a few minutes at a time and get into deep tissue or fascia or something- you feel all tingly afterwards, and nice and relaxed.
Vinyasa yoga is far more active and has lots of movement and active poses flowing into each other- it builds flexibility and some strength.
Other yoga forms are somewhere in between- hatha, slow flow, etc. All are accessible for a beginner, and not at all competitive.
something about the name "reformer" somehow made it seem quite a bit more intense than just "pilates".
thanks!
It's not. It's probably easier than floor pilates. The reformer machine is a sled that you lie on. It's got springs to adjust the difficulty, ropes to hold on to and a bar to push against with your feet. I found it partly felt like an exercise class but lying down. Low impact too.
Dance? Maybe a course of swing dance or classic rock & roll - excellent for balance, timing as well as aerobic/cardio. Quite a few short courses around - and most you don't need to bring a partner. Plus there's the music aspect. And its a whole lotta fun.
I've never done yoga, but there are a lot of different kinds - some are pretty extreme physically and some are more meditative. Pilates is popular and there's a lot of places around.
Contemporary dance classes are often solo if partnered dancing isn't your thing.
swimming?
From my limited experience:
Pilates is better if you’re hypermobile or prone to injury, you’re more stable and supported. The downside is the cost is higher and places are fewer/may be less conveniently located.
Yoga is cheaper and more plentiful but you have to watch more that you don’t overextend or twist funny.
Pilates can be done without equipment but it is good to have an exercise band and a mat for use at home. There may be other simple cheap pieces of equipment like a dumbbell, kettlebell, you could even buy an exercise ring from Kmart. But if you did it at a place (as I did for physio) they have equipment.
Yoga requires much less equipment if you don’t need any aids like blocks or extension bands. Mostly just the mat.
For both you would probably want a soft thick mat with plenty of grip. Kmart is fine for this too. I have both a soft thick mat and a thinner one that’s more for grip, but the thinner one on a hard floor is uncomfortable on my knees and spine.
If you want to suss out yoga, have a look at Yoga with Adrienne. It ranges from beginner to experienced and you can do it in your lounge room
Look for beginners yoga. Pilates is a bit more involved. Beginners yoga is really good for people who want to start off slow and build their way up.