The Pilates and Ayurveda Connection
You may have heard that Ayurveda is Yoga's 'sister science'.
And it is, by virtue of its origins in the ancient traditions of India. I love yoga. I practice it and am certified to teach it. But yoga isn’t the only movement practice that is compatible with an Ayurvedic lifestyle.
When you dive deeper into Joseph Pilates’ philosophy through his writings, it’s interesting to see how the practices of Pilates and Ayurveda can complement each other. While Joe is known for his exercise system and equipment, he was clear that movement is only one strand of a larger web of healthy daily and seasonal practices.
• Pilates emphasized that “proper diet and sufficient sleep must supplement our exercise,” echoing Ayurveda’s foundational teachings around aligned routines.
• Both systems recognize the value of gentle movement after meals to support digestion and circulation, and both view recuperative sleep as essential for mental calm and nervous system balance.
• Pilates stated that the body “breathes through the pores of your skin,” which resonates with Ayurvedic practices that support circulation. His advocacy for dry brushing parallels Ayurveda’s use of garshana to stimulate lymph, awaken the tissues, and counter stagnation.
• Pilates’ seasonal advice, such as winter’s call to breathe properly, walk briskly, and move with intention, mirrors Ayurveda’s seasonal adjustments to routine and intensity.
• Most importantly, while the Pilates movement sequences remains relatively fixed, subtle energetic shifts in quality of movement and even choice of apparatus day to day and season to season can also harmonize with seasonal living the way that Ayurveda and yoga do.
Just as you don’t need to eat Indian food to have a diet that follows Ayurvedic principles, you don’t have to do yoga postures to incorporate Ayurvedic principles into your movement practice.
With both Ayurveda and Pilates, you are making decisions based on principles and elements. In my Pilates training, I was taught to ask every client, “how is your body TODAY”? We work within the system but adapt our cuing, pacing, focus, and apparatus choices to the answer to that question. And by knowing what time of day we are practicing, what the weather and season is outside, and by inquiring also about state of mind, Ayurveda can be entwined into a Pilates workout session.
Seen through this lens, Pilates becomes not just a fixed method but a living practice, one that can be adapted to daily and seasonal shifts and be practiced as a wholistic lifestyle. Practiced this way, Pilates and Ayurveda work in harmony, each reinforcing the other’s goal of cultivating resilience, clarity, and balanced vitality throughout the year.
Do you incorporate seasonal and elemental considerations into your movement practice? I'd genuinely love to hear from you.
Yours in living intentionally, imperfectly -
Laura
