Does anyone know the difference between pilates and yoga or is it close to the same.
My reason for asking is because when I had lost alot of weight before (10 years ago) and have gained more back I always enjoyed the cardio dvd's but now on a program again I have since pulled the facia muscle in the bottom of my foot and it is very painful to do alot of the walking and running.
I guess I am looking for an alternative way to exercise because I am now in my 5th week on JC and this foot problem will not be going away any time soon and I really want and need to get more active and am tired of my foot pain holding me back.
There are other ways of moving and burning calories without alot of running and walking and looking for some advice.
I have lost 13 pound in my first month without alot of exercise (walking my dog until my foot really starts hurting)but I know there are other things I can be doing.
Cid

Yoga is a body movement strenght training type exercise.
Pilates is more joint stabilization it also is body movement but I think of Pilates rings and balls more than I think of Yoga accesories.
Both are good for using body weight to strength train.
I hear of Pilates more with physical therapy than I do yoga.
Does that help?

Thanks so much whatcoloristhesky, yes it was very helpful.
Cid

Pilates focus more on the "core" - the back and abs. There are also classes that are strictly on the mat, which could be good for foot/knee/leg injuries. Yoga is more the entire body. Both are great!

From the DVDs I've used, the yoga was a lot more on your feet and they don't encourage using shoes, so pilates might be easier on the injured bits

Given my screen name, I know a little bit about yoga. I have been practicing yoga for several years now and have done many different types of yoga as well - from a very intense Bikram (Hot) yoga to a very gentle form of yoga called Svaroopa yoga which can be done sitting on the floor, on a chair, or standing depending on your level of fitness. Yoga asana is used as a way to connect body and mind through diffenet methods of breathing. Notice that I say asana which are the poses that everyone associates with yoga but yoga goes much deeper than just poses. If you are interested in looking into yoga you can look at Yoga Journal's website www.yogajournal.com.
Pilates on the otherhand is a way of toning and lengthening muscles by developing your core muscle groups (Abs and back)through resistance training on the muscle groups involved but all the time your are concentrating on the core muscles because without a strong core you cannot support your body.
I would suggest looking into classes in your area to see what form of toning would be best for your body. It is best if you at least start at a live class for either so that a trained instructor helps you with your positioning to reduce your chances of injury from doing exercises incorrectly. Once you are familiar, get some tapes and go for it!!!

I haven't had a ton of experience with Yoga but I have taken Pilates on the reformer for several months.
Pilates was developed as a rehabilitative exercise program which is why it is often used in physical therapy for back, neck and other injuries. Basically the theory is that the core (from just below your chest down to your knees) is the center of your power and strenght. In order to be healthy and in proper alignment and balance all activity eminates from the core muscle groups.
Pilates will tone muscle and increase flexibility as well. I had the same kind of heel problems you do and I found it very valuable for stretching out my calf muscles and making my whole body much stronger. While Pilates does focus on your "core" no body part is really left out of the overall program. The key with it is quality over quantity. While the exercises look relatively simple they require a lot of concentration and encourage body consciousness to do them correctely.
All in all - I loved it! I'm going to go back to it once I'm done with the trainer I have and have lost some more weight so I can fine tune my body.
By the way a good starter DVD is Pilates for Dummies - despite the name.

Just out of curiousity, could you use something like the Gazelle for your cardio? Your feet don't really leave the pedal-things. I would think it would be okay and not painful.