Pilates is best likely described as a fast moving Yoga practice. In fact, the exercise gurus have thrown together the two exercises to create "Yolates or "piloga". Pilates focuses more on your physical body rather than spirit, and it's main benefits include:
Increased flexibility
Stronger core muscles
Weight loss while building lean muscle
Breathing techniques are acquired
Corrects posture and alignment
Increased agility and strength

Pilates has more benefits to offer, but the benefits range from person to person. Pilates is recommended for people of all ages, and is a good way to recover after an injury. Like Yoga, Pilates can be flexible in it's exercise routines allowing for people with lack of flexibility or joint pains to perform alternate movements.
Pilates focuses a lot on strengthening and maintaining your core muscles by doing various stretches and exercises. To a complete beginner who is completely out of shape, the best advice I can give you is to start out slowly. Buy the tape or DVD specified for Beginners so that you can follow along and be proud of your accomplishments. If you jump into the normal routine it will be practically impossible to keep up and you will lose interest after feeling discouraged.
Attempting Pilates beyond your level of physical fitness and Pilates skill will likely cause you to pull a muscle, or do something else to you body that's extremely painful. So heed that warning!
Since Pilates is a faster moving exercise than Yoga, it burns more calories. Pilates focuses on building a lot of lean muscle, and lean muscle burns fat. So which will shape your body into Angelina Jolie/Brad Pitt the fastest? Pilates. It's fun, it's easy, it burns tons of calories, just don't go beyond your body's limits at any time. It's never worth it.

 

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