Pilates involves a series of slow movements with resistance. It works on your core muscle group, It takes a lot of moves from yoga. It involves keeping your shoulders down, your ribcage closed, your belly button pulled in to your spine , your pelvic muscles tight and your hamstrings engaged.
When you first start Pilates it all seems like alot of work, but it gets easier
if you have foxtel/austar up on discovery channel you can catch some pilate shows every so often