Finding Your Center Through Pilates and Yoga While exercising at the gym is an excellent way to ensure a healthy body, it is also essential to engage in physical activities designed to center the mind in addition to helping the body. No other practices work to center the mind, body, and should quite like Pilates and yoga. What is Pilates? Pilates is a system of physical exercises that focuses on the core muscles of the body. Pilates helps to tighten and tone all areas of the body, but its primary focus is strengthening the core. What is Yoga? Yoga is a practice designed to develop control over one's body by practicing gentle stretching combined with deep breathing techniques. While yoga does not focus on the muscles in the same way that Pilates does, it is beneficial to all body parts. The Benefits of Pilates and Yoga: For many, the physical benefits of doing Pilates or yoga are sufficient enough for their fitness goals. However, for those that are looking for a more focused mental outlook on life, this is where Pilates and yoga really shine. The core of the Pilates system involves being able to perform one hundred consecutive situps. This process of doing situps repeatedly will have a profound impact on the mind. As the mind focuses more on controlling the body, it allows for all other tasks in life to be accomplished with greater ease. Similarly, yoga is a physical practice that requires focus and balance. Those new to practicing yoga will find themselves being tested mentally every time they try to do a new pose or hold a pose for a more extended period. Yoga works to improve the mind by allowing it to focus on controlling the body and nothing else. Where can Pilates and yoga be performed? The great part about Pilates and yoga is that they can be performed in any space that is open and clear of clutter. A quiet room or an area outside on a grassy field is excellent places to start. If you have enough space, setting up tape lines on the floor can help you follow your movements from one pose to the next with greater ease. Additionally, there are many yoga and Pilates Bronx classes one can take to learn how to perform the moves. Most of these classes are run by instructors that have many years of experience doing Pilates. Center yourself today with Pilates and yoga!