What's best for stress relief? Yoga or Pilates?
Discussion
I have been told by my doctor that I now HAVE to chill out. Its no longer optional and I have to do it properly.
Clearly everyone raves about both yoga and pilates about how good they are at relaxing you and reliving stress, so after ages spent chasing round google and seemingly getting nowhere fast, I thought I'd check in here to see what everyone recommends.
I am mid 50's and reasonably fit, regularly walk three miles a day, teetotal, boring sod basically. So getting fitter would be a bonus but is not essential. I have recently developed a condition which means that I have to watch my heart but it is nothing to do with diet or lack of general fitness. There will be more on that later but not until the final tests have come in and I know 100% what will be happening going forward.
So any advice gratefully received!
Clearly everyone raves about both yoga and pilates about how good they are at relaxing you and reliving stress, so after ages spent chasing round google and seemingly getting nowhere fast, I thought I'd check in here to see what everyone recommends.
I am mid 50's and reasonably fit, regularly walk three miles a day, teetotal, boring sod basically. So getting fitter would be a bonus but is not essential. I have recently developed a condition which means that I have to watch my heart but it is nothing to do with diet or lack of general fitness. There will be more on that later but not until the final tests have come in and I know 100% what will be happening going forward.
So any advice gratefully received!
I have previously done some yoga. Never done pilates.
My experience of yoga is that it isn't all meditating and saying "om". In fact, even the gentle versions can be physically pretty demanding. Put it this way, it's the only time I've been sweating standing still.
I also have to watch my heart (like you, not diet or linked to fitness) and I thought it would be pretty gentle. I wore a heart rate monitor a few times to begin with and was surprised to find it going much higher than I expected. The fact I'm pretty overweight definitely didn't help. If I went back to yoga I would be careful with the style and type of class to avoid stressing my heart.
I would say that the benefit of yoga (and likely pilates) to the mind is not because it takes you somewhere else - try straight meditation for that - but because concentrating on holding an awkward pose while simultaneously trying not to fart or stare at the bum of the hot woman inches away from you tends to take the mind off the other stresses of life.
Lots of places run beginners classes - give it a try.
My experience of yoga is that it isn't all meditating and saying "om". In fact, even the gentle versions can be physically pretty demanding. Put it this way, it's the only time I've been sweating standing still.
I also have to watch my heart (like you, not diet or linked to fitness) and I thought it would be pretty gentle. I wore a heart rate monitor a few times to begin with and was surprised to find it going much higher than I expected. The fact I'm pretty overweight definitely didn't help. If I went back to yoga I would be careful with the style and type of class to avoid stressing my heart.
I would say that the benefit of yoga (and likely pilates) to the mind is not because it takes you somewhere else - try straight meditation for that - but because concentrating on holding an awkward pose while simultaneously trying not to fart or stare at the bum of the hot woman inches away from you tends to take the mind off the other stresses of life.
Lots of places run beginners classes - give it a try.
A more traditional yoga practice with meditation at the end will do what you want.
The physical part of the yoga will slow down the mind activity - in traditional yoga classes, you would sit in some for of quiet meditation for 5 to 15 minutes at the end. The physical (movement) part of the yoga doesn't need to be extremely strenuous or have you exert yourself in extreme ways - it's essentially to open the body and the more subtle parts of the energetic system which will allow you to relax more deeply.
Alternatively, go straight to a form of 'active' meditation. Active meaning there is an active component - before a still component.
I would personally recommend the iOsho app - it has a lot of very easily accessible meditations to get you straight to where you want to be and they have very good explanations to go with it.
If you have an active experienced yoga/meditation community then doing it with others is obviously a nicer way to get into it.
The physical part of the yoga will slow down the mind activity - in traditional yoga classes, you would sit in some for of quiet meditation for 5 to 15 minutes at the end. The physical (movement) part of the yoga doesn't need to be extremely strenuous or have you exert yourself in extreme ways - it's essentially to open the body and the more subtle parts of the energetic system which will allow you to relax more deeply.
Alternatively, go straight to a form of 'active' meditation. Active meaning there is an active component - before a still component.
I would personally recommend the iOsho app - it has a lot of very easily accessible meditations to get you straight to where you want to be and they have very good explanations to go with it.
If you have an active experienced yoga/meditation community then doing it with others is obviously a nicer way to get into it.
Mindfulness might work for you.
There’s a good app called headspace which gives you guided mindfulness sessions.
It’s not woo woo or religious mumbo jumbo just about reframing how you think about things. You just sit or lie there for 10 mins or whatever listening to it.
There’s introductory sessions free to see how you get on then there’s a subscription service with modules on all sorts like stress etc that might help.
Doing this on its own or with some yoga and you’d be the chillaxed to the max hypnotoad
There’s a good app called headspace which gives you guided mindfulness sessions.
It’s not woo woo or religious mumbo jumbo just about reframing how you think about things. You just sit or lie there for 10 mins or whatever listening to it.
There’s introductory sessions free to see how you get on then there’s a subscription service with modules on all sorts like stress etc that might help.
Doing this on its own or with some yoga and you’d be the chillaxed to the max hypnotoad
OMITN said:
I would say that the benefit of yoga (and likely pilates) to the mind is not because it takes you somewhere else - try straight meditation for that - but because concentrating on holding an awkward pose while simultaneously trying not to fart or stare at the bum of the hot woman inches away from you tends to take the mind off the other stresses of life.
This is exactly how I found it.
When I was young and fit I thought this is easy peasy so I'll go straight to medium level instead of starting and beginner level. How wrong I was. All these women moving swiftly and smoothly and I'm falling over like a clumsy oof.
Agree that yoga is harder work than it looks 
but for stress relief actually doing something active can be pretty good. I always found Jui Jitsu great for stress relief, nothing better than mashing each other in to the mat for a couple of hours to relieve a bit of exam stress when I was at uni. These days I run (slowly) and find it's a great way to switch my brain off for a bit and just plod along, plus it leaves me knackered and I sleep well.
but for stress relief actually doing something active can be pretty good. I always found Jui Jitsu great for stress relief, nothing better than mashing each other in to the mat for a couple of hours to relieve a bit of exam stress when I was at uni. These days I run (slowly) and find it's a great way to switch my brain off for a bit and just plod along, plus it leaves me knackered and I sleep well.I've done both. Whilst recognising that there are many different levels and types for both I'd say that Pilates is more focused on building core strength than finding one's inner zen which is better accommodated with Yoga. Though there's no harm in trying both.
The yoga I did was part of a P90X programme. A single session comprised 40 minutes strength and flexibility (holding various positions), 40 minutes balance and 10 minutes stretch. As others have noted, you'll be amazed at how much you sweat doing what appears to be very little. As tough as it was, I recall that when I did it, I ended up in the most pleasantly relaxed state afterwards. In fact, just typing this makes me think I may dig out the DVDs and get into it again.
For something a little left-field, you may want to have a look at something called Shinrin-Yoku - aka 'Forest Bathing'. A friend of mine who does life coaching has just qualified as a Shinrin-Yoku Master. From a PH perspective, it appears to be little more than guided tree-hugging. I must admit to thinking it was all West-Coast, hippie b
ks but he's taking a lot of bookings already and there does seem to be some worth to the idea.
The yoga I did was part of a P90X programme. A single session comprised 40 minutes strength and flexibility (holding various positions), 40 minutes balance and 10 minutes stretch. As others have noted, you'll be amazed at how much you sweat doing what appears to be very little. As tough as it was, I recall that when I did it, I ended up in the most pleasantly relaxed state afterwards. In fact, just typing this makes me think I may dig out the DVDs and get into it again.
For something a little left-field, you may want to have a look at something called Shinrin-Yoku - aka 'Forest Bathing'. A friend of mine who does life coaching has just qualified as a Shinrin-Yoku Master. From a PH perspective, it appears to be little more than guided tree-hugging. I must admit to thinking it was all West-Coast, hippie b
ks but he's taking a lot of bookings already and there does seem to be some worth to the idea.Wim Hof Method 
Short term induced stress - good
Long-term imposed stress - very bad
I've been doing the WHM for just over 12 months and it really helped with the 2 and 3 lockdowns and to my surprise a few colleagues had been doing it also.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC59640...
Short term induced stress - good
Long-term imposed stress - very bad
I've been doing the WHM for just over 12 months and it really helped with the 2 and 3 lockdowns and to my surprise a few colleagues had been doing it also.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC59640...
Edited by davey83 on Tuesday 11th January 18:49
Scrump said:
I have done Pilates with various teachers. Some classes are very close to yoga (and are very relaxing) whilst others are more like keep fit aerobics (very much not relaxing).
There seems to a huge variation in what is called Pilates so choose your teacher/classes carefully.
Agree with this - the teacher we use does different classes with a different focus so you choose which works best.There seems to a huge variation in what is called Pilates so choose your teacher/classes carefully.
Not done Yoga as such although as above some Pilates I have done are more yoga based. I wouldn’t call them relaxing per se!
Tai chi might be worth a look and as others have said a mindfulness type thing to let you just chill.
A walk in the fresh air can also be relaxing providing no traffic to worry about
IME all exercise helps with stress relief. Pilates is great for my back, but it's no more or less of a stress buster than walking.
Try different types of exercise, find some that suit, you don't want it dull or repetitive.
ETA,
One of my stress busters is volunteering at a forestry Trust.
Outside.
Diverse team, all levels of age, sex, ethnicity, enthusiasm and skills.
Physical, mental & social.
Varied tasks.
No pressure or commitment.
Valued.
If for some reason I can't attend I miss it, although they do have some solo, online, office and tasks too.
Try different types of exercise, find some that suit, you don't want it dull or repetitive.
ETA,
One of my stress busters is volunteering at a forestry Trust.
Outside.
Diverse team, all levels of age, sex, ethnicity, enthusiasm and skills.
Physical, mental & social.
Varied tasks.
No pressure or commitment.
Valued.
If for some reason I can't attend I miss it, although they do have some solo, online, office and tasks too.
Edited by PositronicRay on Wednesday 12th January 08:35
I guess in answer to the question, yoga as a broader study beyond being flexible for Instagram does have the spiritual element to it which includes the study of mindfulness, with topics such as acceptance and focusing on the present moment so you don't think about the stuff that makes you anxious, stressed etc.
AFAIK pilates is purely a physical form of exercise to keep you in good condition.
But any exercise (walking, tennis, lifting, yoga, pilates, golf) can be a form of mindfulness and stress reduction if you stop trying and just enjoy the process of whatever it is you're doing.
AFAIK pilates is purely a physical form of exercise to keep you in good condition.
But any exercise (walking, tennis, lifting, yoga, pilates, golf) can be a form of mindfulness and stress reduction if you stop trying and just enjoy the process of whatever it is you're doing.
Four Litre said:
Jogging / running is the best for me. I find it slows my brain down as you cant concentrate on anything else if your running outside as your always looking where your going. I can leave the house in a low mood, come back on a high, just out of breath!
Good point, forgot about how much you need to pay attention compared to a treadmill.I like hopping from rock to rock when I'm at the seaside. Really have to focus!
OMITN said:
I have previously done some yoga. Never done pilates.
My experience of yoga is that it isn't all meditating and saying "om". In fact, even the gentle versions can be physically pretty demanding. Put it this way, it's the only time I've been sweating standing still.
I also have to watch my heart (like you, not diet or linked to fitness) and I thought it would be pretty gentle. I wore a heart rate monitor a few times to begin with and was surprised to find it going much higher than I expected. The fact I'm pretty overweight definitely didn't help. If I went back to yoga I would be careful with the style and type of class to avoid stressing my heart.
I would say that the benefit of yoga (and likely pilates) to the mind is not because it takes you somewhere else - try straight meditation for that - but because concentrating on holding an awkward pose while simultaneously trying not to fart or stare at the bum of the hot woman inches away from you tends to take the mind off the other stresses of life.
Lots of places run beginners classes - give it a try.
Best for stress release IMHO is to take alcohol or preferably non-addictive substances such as herbs like ashwagandha. On a plus side with ashwagandha, if you take it two hours before bedtime you have the MOST AMAZING VIVID DREAMS and whats more this is a perfectly legal product, you can buy it on Amazon... My experience of yoga is that it isn't all meditating and saying "om". In fact, even the gentle versions can be physically pretty demanding. Put it this way, it's the only time I've been sweating standing still.
I also have to watch my heart (like you, not diet or linked to fitness) and I thought it would be pretty gentle. I wore a heart rate monitor a few times to begin with and was surprised to find it going much higher than I expected. The fact I'm pretty overweight definitely didn't help. If I went back to yoga I would be careful with the style and type of class to avoid stressing my heart.
I would say that the benefit of yoga (and likely pilates) to the mind is not because it takes you somewhere else - try straight meditation for that - but because concentrating on holding an awkward pose while simultaneously trying not to fart or stare at the bum of the hot woman inches away from you tends to take the mind off the other stresses of life.
Lots of places run beginners classes - give it a try.
You are welcome.
silverthorn2151 said:
So how did you get on?
I'm enjoying it. 
In at the deep end with a mixed abilities class but the teacher is seems to be very good at making sure I don't get left behind. Got to be honest, at the end of the first lesson I was lying on the mat doing a very good impression of a beached seal! On that side of it, I wake up the next morning knowing I've done something but clearly not as serious as a gym work out. Some 'positions' I can get into really easily but others not a cat in hells chance until I've got a bit more supple.
On relaxation side of it, I sleep like a ton of bricks after each lesson so that is good. Need to find away being able to do that without having gone to a class.
So a positive start.
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