Yogalates
The New Fusion Exercise
By Arlene Gross

By now almost everyone has at some point tried yoga, and at least heard of Pilates. Now there’s Yogalates—a fusion of the two disciplines with exercises geared to developing core strength, helping tone muscles and increasing flexibility, resulting in both stress and weight reduction.

Although developed 11 years ago by Australian fitness instructor, Louise Solomon, Yogalates, today, is offered at gyms around the country and is perfect for home practice. It is low impact, low cost and easy to learn.

Yoga unlocks energy flow while increasing flexibility, moving through one static posture to the next without repetitions. Pilates, a conditioning technique, requires you to set a posture and then challenge the torso by moving the limbs in a repetitious manner, helping to develop a stable body core. In Yogalates, you take the yoga poses and, utilizing the Pilates principles of alignment, add some movement to them.

Barbara Pantino, owner of Forever Fitness Pilates, in Massapequa has recently infused yoga into her Pilates instruction. “There is a specific breath to yoga—belly breathing—breathing into the belly and splaying out the belly,” she says. “Stretching and static poses [holding the same position for some time], de-stresses and makes you feel revived at the end of the class.”

Breathing toward the lower sides of your rib cage, Pilates requires movements that align the body. “It’s about holding the rib cage stable, in line with the hip bone,” says Pantino. “It’s about the posture.”