Pilates vs Yoga

October 3, 2025

You teach yoga, right? Aaa rrrr nope- never have, Hi, I’m Heidi Garcia, and I’ve been a Pilates instructor since 2003 so, yea very much Pilates very NOT Yoga. Typically, I let this oversight run off my back, but there are times when I’m like, how long have you known me? Slip of the tongue, I guess... Well, anywho, the next thing that runs with that is what’s the difference? Let's run through some of the differences. The breath is different, the focus is different, the movements are different and Pilates has equipment, yoga has small props, but Pilates has solid equipment that tones the body to do the Mat work ...among a lot of other things. Pilates has also entered into the rehabilitation world, so it’s quite versatile in that way. So, working with bodies for just a good workout that focuses on the technique of the exercises or working with bodies coming out of injuries, the method will deliver exactly what you want out of it. Overall, Pilates is all about core connection, core meaning all the core muscles not just the “six pack”, stability, flexibility, and precision. I LOVE how Romana used these three words to describe the Pilates exercises: “you can define Pilates exercises in three words: Strength, Stretch and Control". In EVERY Pilates exercise you can find those three words. Yoga is more about flexibility, balance, breath and meditation. You won’t find anyone sleeping during a Pilates Mat Class, well maybe after. 


Xo Heidi

Orange maple leaf on a dark, blurred forest floor in autumn light
By Heidi • September 30, 2026
Free intro classes at our Oct 9 and 10 Open House, weekly Sound Bath with Heather, October mat classes, and new videos in the online Pilates library.
Woman exercising on Pilates reformer as trainer assists in a pink studio
By Heidi • September 21, 2026
Personal Pilates Training is harder than you think. That’s actually the point. Most people don’t know what actually happens in a personal Pilates private session. It’s not just the exercises. It’s a process. It’s starts before you even get on the apparatus. When you first come in, you fill out a questionnaire that gives me good information about you. We talk about what your goals are. What are your needs and want? From there I do a body analysis that lets me see your posture, how does your body move doing small movements, it also tells me where your imbalances are. This is all important information so that I know how to build your body strong. The more I know and learn about your body, the more you will get out of your Pilates journey. We will have a real conversation about where your body is right now. Then we build your foundation. Firstly, you learn the Fundamentals. When we start that process, it's teaching me how you learn. What needs attention first? Are there any past injuries that are showing up when you move? Everyone’s Private Pilates session looks different from one another. You have your own unique body and unique way that you learn and move. It should look different because you are coming to me for your reason and not theirs. There is no comparing. The other nice thing about doing Privates is that you are on your own road to go through the exercises. Some times what took one client 3 weeks to learn another could take 6-8 weeks to learn. There is no rush. That’s how transformation actually happens. Just you, learning to move from within. The more I know about the you, the better I know how to train you. Before you know it, you are feeling better in your body, have a better understanding of the Pilates Method and are learning the Pilates exercises.
By Heidi • September 17, 2026
Open House
Three people doing Pilates leg lifts on purple mats in a studio with a reformer and pink walls
By Heidi • September 14, 2026
Mat Classes Who are they for and what to expect. These questions will be answered differently by different studios and teachers. After years of teaching, what I have found is that those who invest in the fundamentals of Pilates will go further. Starting in a beginning mat class builds the foundation that actually helps you progress. Sure, there are movers who can do a plank, but are you doing it in the best alignment that will protect your shoulders? Can you isolate body parts? Are you aware of where your body is in space? That's what a Mat class is really about. This is a mind body experience. You're not just moving. You're thinking about how you're moving. Every exercise is whole body. If Joe Pilates himself were asked what any single exercise was for, his answer was always the whole body. That's exactly how I teach it; head to toe, and what you get out of it, is exactly what you put in. Think of it at like a martial art. There is focus awareness, strength, and stretch. If you walk in thinking it will be like a gym exercise class, you are going to be disappointed.
Open office gym area with workout equipment, wooden flooring, and a brick wall.
By Heidi • September 4, 2026
Where’s Your Studio? Over the years of teaching, I have taught at other Pilates studios, in a back house, my garage studio, two store fronts, in my home and now Downtown in Wenatchee in a store front. A fellow teacher said, it’s the home studios where you’re going to find the golden teacher; I think all of my clients would agree with the statement. Growing up, I had baton lessons in a garage studio and in a living room and both times when it came to competitions..we/ I always placed. When I won my Dance Title, my teacher was in a rec center 45 minutes away from San Jose in Half Moon Bay, California. I’ll go to a back alley or to some far away land if I’m going to get a good lesson from a good teacher. Where I teach has nothing to do with my knowledge, that goes with me wherever I go. I loved having my studio in my home. I was spoiled with having everything I need right in the next room. 8pm workouts, roll outs or stretches were normal for me. It was my safe haven. I loved how bright it was. It gave me more so that I can give back to my clients. The tug of leaving my home was too much to ignore anymore. It was time to separate my personal life from my professional one, and having my own space outside of home, made that possible. When I started looking, I saw my new space with the sign in the window and honestly, my first thought was, “that’s too good to be true.” So, I drove pass it… for more times than I’d like to admit. My self-made due date was coming up and the pressure at home was becoming too much to bear, so I just started calling and just like that, I got the space. Oh gosh, it’s a dream. Every studio I taught in taught me something different, and I carried all of it here. The brick wall with the windows gives natural light, that my soul needs. The three independent spaces allow for gathering times for clients to meet, a space for Mat Classes or workshops and my apparatus room is my main working space. I love that I can see the mountains, the Pybus market and watch the busyness of the world pass me by.  Would you like to come, is it? Did you know that I offer Free 30-minute Pilates Demos? You can book right through Vagaro. You can also book yourself a mat class or come in for Personal Training. I would love to show you the space. Come check it out.
Heidi in a standing side bend, one hand reaching to the floor and the other arm extended overhead
By Heidi • August 27, 2026
Back in rhythm with new posts on shoulder, neck and hip pain, plus September Thera-Band mat classes, the 3-week Saturday Series and the online Pilates video library.