Yoga & pilates: Ancient traditions or modern fitness?

Tl;dr

Yoga and Pilates are often talked about as though they are treatments for lower back pain. But before asking whether either can help your back, it’s worth understanding what they actually are.

Traditional yoga was centred around stillness and meditation, while modern yoga developed into a much more physical practice. Pilates was developed as an exercise system by Joseph Pilates. Both involve principles such as controlled movement, breathing and postural awareness, but neither should automatically be considered a medical treatment for lower back pain.

Is yoga really an ancient form of exercise?

When most people think about yoga today, they probably picture movement, stretching and different physical poses.

But there is an important distinction between traditional yoga and modern yoga. Traditional yoga wasn't primarily about movement or stretching. It was centred around stillness and meditation.

The word asana, for example, is associated today with the different postures used in yoga. But traditionally, it was used to describe the posture of sitting comfortably for meditation. When yoga was brought to the West, the term began to be used for the different physical postures we now associate with the practice.

So, the yoga that many of us recognise today isn't necessarily the same thing as traditional yoga.

Where did modern yoga come from?

Modern yoga was heavily influenced by gymnastics and the physical culture that developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. I know this may not be a popular thing to say, but I’ve heard this discussed on a BBC Radio 4 programme about the history of yoga. So this is not a niche opinion.

My point here, isn't to dismiss modern yoga, it's about putting it into context.

Modern yoga is a physical practice, but that doesn't mean that physical movement was the original purpose of traditional yoga. Understanding that distinction is useful when we start talking about yoga as a form of exercise. And particularly when we start asking whether it can help with lower back pain.

What is Pilates actually based on?

Pilates has a somewhat different history.

Joseph Pilates was the originator of Pilates and his method was influenced by German gymnastics.

He developed Pilates as an exercise system consisting originally of 34 exercises, which were organised into workouts rather than necessarily being performed all together.

These exercises were intended to form a structured exercise programme, with workouts performed several times a week. And this original system was documented in his book Contrology.

So, while yoga and Pilates have very different histories and traditions, both have evolved into physical exercise systems that are now widely used as forms of modern fitness.

What do yoga and Pilates have in common?

Although the two practices have different origins, there are some principles that run through both.

These include controlled movement, breathing and postural awareness.

These principles can certainly be useful when you're exercising but that isn’t necessarily the same as being a treatment for lower back pain.

Can yoga or Pilates treat lower back pain?

This is where things become more complicated.

Yoga and Pilates are exercise systems. They aren't necessarily medical treatments.

And when it comes to lower back pain, simply choosing an exercise system isn't enough to tell you whether it is appropriate for your particular back. That's because lower back pain isn't one single condition.

It's an umbrella term for pain around the lower back and hip area. And there can be different reasons for that pain.

What are the different types of lower back pain?

Lower back pain can be divided into two broad categories: specific lower back pain and non-specific lower back pain.

Specific lower back pain is where the cause is known. One example is a disc herniation where the disc is touching a nerve. With non-specific lower back pain there isn't a clear identified cause.

The important point here is that if we understand more about where the pain is coming from and what is contributing to it, we can make better decisions about rehabilitation.

Because different problems require different approaches.

Why does this matter if you're doing yoga or Pilates for back pain?

Because the question shouldn't simply be:

“Is yoga good for lower back pain?”

Or:

“Is Pilates good for lower back pain?”

The more useful question is:

“Is this particular exercise appropriate for my particular back?”

Yoga and Pilates contain many different movements and exercises. Whether those movements are useful to you depends on your individual situation.

This is why understanding your lower back pain comes before simply choosing an exercise method.

Rather than assuming that yoga or Pilates will fix your back because they're often recommended for back pain, it makes more sense to understand what you're dealing with first and then work out where these forms of exercise might fit.

The useful principles within both practices, such as controlled movement, breathing and postural awareness, are worth understanding.

But ultimately, both can be useful as forms of exercise, but neither should automatically be treated as a solution to lower back pain.