Core strength in your yoga practice
I used to live in the camp that when I heard the word “core”, I instantly thought of the most visible part of it - the anterior abdominals. Thinking that was the only part of it, core “crunches” were a part of my exercise regime, and during my early days as a yoga student, I figured if I did enough Navasana’s (Boat pose), I’d be sorted.
This is not wrong, and in fact this part of the core is important, but it only paints part of the picture. In fact, the core is more like a cylinder, or 3-dimensional, offering a vast network of muscles that work in tandem with each other. When working harmoniously, the circumference of our core supports daily life, movement, exercise, posture and breathing.
What is “the core”?
A relatively simple definition of the core could be:
“The makeup of muscles and structures that reside in the area of the abdomen/belly, the lower and the mid back. On the periphery, these muscles connect the hips, the shoulders and the neck”.
What is the role of “the core” in yoga?
If we reside to the concept that the core is 360 degrees, it then has front, back, a bottom, and within this container, exists a contralateral/diagonal pattern.
In yoga, the core muscles are vital when it comes to maintaining posture, finding balance and harmonising the movements of the body so we can execute posture safety. The main role of our core muscles is to act as a stabiliser, or resisting an external force (like gravity, in Plank pose).
Why is a balanced (and strong) core important?
If philosophically, one of the aims of yoga is to explore a state of equanimity or balance, then it’s important to apply that to our physical asana practice, and in this context, to the circumference of our core.
From a physical perspective, here’s a few reasons to keep your core circumference balanced, strong and active:
Balance and stability: from better posture, general back care to finding your body’s natural alignment, a balanced core promotes a healthy functioning of your entire system.
Injury prevention: a weak core often leads other structures within the body to work harder, leaving you more open to imbalance and possible injury.
Power generation: a strong core helps to support a range of different movements, which make day-to-day tasks like bending over, lifting upwards and moving side-to-side more manageable
Workshop: building a balanced + strong core
If you’d like to learn techniques that achieve balance in core strength, join me on Sunday 1 November for an interactive, all-levels workshop to explore this and more. Click here for bookings.