Dan's Papers - April 17, 2009 - Gearing Up for Summer with Yoga and Pilates

Now that spring is here, if you're looking to get in shape for the summer, then instead of hitting the gym, you might want to consider looking into the many yoga and pilates classes that are available in our area. The benefits of including either in your fitness regimen can last you a lifetime.

When choosing between the two, you need to figure out what is most important to you. Yoga, which primarily focuses on meditation and spirituality, is great for flexibility said Debbie Rudoy of Sag Harbor Pilates, but pilates helps with strength training as well as flexibility. "It's core based," she said. "It's more about mind/body than about spirituality." And while yoga is primarily done on a mat on the floor, pilates utilizes various apparatuses.

The best part is, anyone can do it - from the youngest person in your family to the oldest, and they can help myriad problems from stress to rehabilitation to back problems. "My youngest client is 9 or 10 years old and my oldest is 70," Rudoy said. "I have children with back issues, like scoliosis, and I work with older clients who have osteoporosis. It goes from one extreme to the other." And, she says, as the weather gets nicer and you might be interested in working on the minor aches and pains that will affect your golf or tennis game. So she actually sees a lot of men interested in yoga and pilates as well. "It really will change anyone's game."

And this is the time of year, as everyone realizes summer is fast approaching, that Rudoy sees people clamoring not only to the East End, in order to enjoy their summer homes and all the area has to offer, but also to yoga and pilates classes, rivaling the period after New Year's when people seek to uphold their resolutions. "Now people are gearing up for the summer season," she said. "They think, 'Oh, I'm going to start wearing shorts,' or 'Oh, I'm going to start wearing bikinis.' ... So it's that time of year when you see more people taking these classes - it's the weather, season and the influx of people coming to the East End."

There are many classes available for you to choose from, and, Rudoy says, you should remember that yoga is often taught to big groups while many East End pilates classes are one-on-one training, including Sag Harbor Pilates, Living Well Yoga and Fitness and Art of Fitness, both in Montauk.

And in these tough economic times, there are some inexpensive ways to get your yoga and pilates fix. Several centers offer free classes at specific times, such as Mandala Yoga in Amagansett. Many instructors also offer books and videos on the topic for you to enjoy at home, which you can pick up at a local bookstore or, even, a library. Or you can check out yogatoday.com, a Web site that offers free yoga videos on a daily basis.

So, as you gear up for summer, make sure you include yoga or pilates in your daily routine.