Yoga Pilates

Yoga pilates, or yogilates, fuses two of the most popular forms of holistic fitness, Hatha yoga and pilates, into one challenging and revitalizing practice. Yogilates was founded by Jonathan Urla, a former pilates instructor who realized that he was able to achieve deeper hatha poses after practicing pilates. Yogilates combines the core, postural, and spine strengthening of pilates with the breathwork, meditation, and immersive poses of hatha.

During a Yogilates class, students will start with a few sun salutations to warm up, then proceed to mat-work—core exercises and resistance training that align and articulate the spine, strengthen the abdomen, and open the pelvis. Planks, the Pilates 100, curls, side and leg lifts are generally included in this portion of the class.

The second half of a typical Yogilates class, which focuses on legwork and balance, consists of a series of standing poses interspersed with squats, pliès, lifts, and bends. Poses are held for the same amount of time as in a traditional hatha class, and there are no breaks in between movements. Classes wind down with deep breathing exercises and meditation, allowing the body to recover in a way that Pilates alone does not.