Yoga, Barre, Pilates?

Yoga, Barre and Pilates – The Official Tell All for Their Differences.

In the fitness world that is saturated with so many variations of seemingly similar workout methods, it can be confusing to decide what is truly your ideal match. But don’t worry!  We’re here to bring you some clarity by discussing the differences and similarities of our top three… Yoga, Barre, and Pilates.

Here is The Yoga Barre’s comprehensive guide to distinguishing the difference.

Because We’re Yoga Fanatics at The Yoga Barre, Let’s Start Here!

Yoga is the practice of mindful movement and while it’s been around for thousands of years, it’s certainly become modernized over time. And not all yoga is the same! This practice offers a lot of variety depending on your needs and goals. Our favorite is Vinyasa, also known as Yoga Flow 2 here at The Yoga Barre. We add heat to protect your joints and muscles and to increase the benefits of yoga. Vinyasa focuses on breath to movement and is not what the stereotypes out there might suggest. A common misconception about yoga is that it is slow, and it’s even thought of as boring. Well, we challenge you to come in, give it a try and let us know at the end if you still think that.

When you walk into a Yoga Flow 2 class, be prepared to be challenged and willing to leave your ego (and phone) behind. It starts off slow, usually in a “child’s pose”. The teacher will invite you to let go and take it at your own pace. As the class moves on it builds in heat and intensity and becomes almost like a dance, this is what we call flow. On top of yoga poses we love to add in strength training drills like pushups, core work and other body weight movements. If you’re into being pushed out of your comfort zone this is a must try!  There’s no doubt you will build crazy amounts of strength and sweat buckets, but this class is so much more than that, through breath, poses and challenges, it teaches you how to handle the ups and downs of life.

If Yoga Flow 2 doesn’t sound like your jam, we here at The Yoga Barre offer slower paced and less strenuous options. Gentle Yoga Flow is a great place to start if you’re new to yoga or like less intensity. Gentle Yoga Flow is still Vinyasa style and the room is warm, because it is safer for our bodies, but not hot like our Yoga Flow 2.

For our super slow lovers – we recommend Restorative Yoga, we like to think of this one as adult nap time. This class is designed to alleviate soreness, create space in your body, and teaches us how to disconnect to reconnect.

Yoga is not a destination it is a journey, and everyone’s journey is different, and everyone’s yoga looks different. In a yoga class at The Yoga Barre we like to train for functional movement and life. It’s not about getting into a handstand or touching your toes, it’s what you learn along the way.

Interested in why hot yoga? click here

Next Up, We’ve Got Our Babe, Barre

This ballerina inspired workout is more fast paced and just as the name suggests, some exercises replicate ballet moves using the barre (don’t worry if you’ve never taken ballet as a kid, no experience is needed).

A barre class focuses on tiny movements, light weight, and high reps to work each muscle to exhaustion. At The Yoga Barre we like to keep it fresh and are always mixing it up using weights, resistance bands, and balls just to name a few. We proudly incorporate yoga, Pilates and even cardio bursts.

What you’ll be introduced to by the high reps, is the barre shake. The barre shake is when your body or a certain muscle group starts to shake uncontrollably. I used to think the shake meant I was weak. It is actually a sign you are pushing your body to greater strength.

If you notice on our schedule, we have a couple different types of Barre classes here at The Yoga Barre… In Cardio Barre we add in more heart pumping moves, in the Barre Fusion class expect more yoga and lots of variety, our traditional Barre class is the basics and a studio favorite. All are challenging and all are fun!

Learn more about the benefits of barre here

Pilates, Please!

With its post war origins, Joseph Pilates initially created this workout for rehabilitation and it has most recently taken social media by storm. Most recognize its reformer style, but there is a different variety on the mat as well. And just like Barre, some classes utilize bands, balls, and other fitness tools. In Pilates, the concentration is on deep and precise reps that require balance and focus. The workouts are low intensity and centered around control, building a strong core and all over muscle toning.

While The Yoga Barre doesn’t necessarily offer an official Pilates class, we certainly pull inspiration from it and love infusing it into our classes. And vice versa, I’ve been in plenty of Pilates classes that add in down dog and other yoga poses.

Yoga, Barre and Pilates are all powerhouses for healing, sculpting, and changing. There’s a lot of variations out there of similar workouts, however, the OG trio all have something special in common….

• They yield serious results in your body and overall health

• They are low impact, which is great for anyone wanting a challenge without risk

• They build confidence

• They emphasize the importance of breath

Regardless though, it’s important to remember that with any three of these methods, Yoga, Barre or Pilates – consistency is key.

At The Yoga Barre, we are always training, learning, and growing! We stay on top of fitness trends, hire only the best teachers, and take pride in bringing our community safe and mindful classes. We are in it for the long run and we hope you are too.

✌ Nicole