Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Foreign.
[00:00:11] Welcome to Deep in your yoga practice. I am Lauren leduc, the owner and founder of True Love Yoga in Kansas City, Missouri. And today we are deepening our yoga practices by talking about what it means to engage your core. So if someone tells you to engage your core, what does that mean to you? Are you gripping your abs? Does it make you hold your breath? Do you feel it in your low back if you're in the plank? If you have pelvic floor systems, are you quietly panicking? I will let you know. In this episode, we'll talk about what it actually means, that it's actually not one thing. That it's a spectrum of strategies that depend on the pose, the breath, the load, and your body in history.
[00:00:50] So today we'll talk about what the core actually includes, three to four different engagement strategies and when to use them, how bandas fit into this and where they get misused. We'll also cover some safety notes like low back pelvic floor diastasis, recti, hernias, hypertension, etc. And we'll also talk about better cues that create longevity instead of bracing. So what is the core? It is not just abs. The core is a pressure and stability system in our body that coordinates our diaphragm. So our major breathing muscle that runs underneath the lungs, our pelvic floor, so the base of the pelvis, all those beautiful muscles there, our abdominal wall, that is the front and sides of the abdominals, including the rectus abdominis, the internal and external obliques, the transverse abdominis as well, and also the deep back stabilizers. This can be multifidus and its friends. So it's not just your abs. It's a lot of muscles in combination, and their function are to stabilize, to transfer force through the body, aid in breath as well as to aid in posture. So rather than developing abs, you know, which can be a nice thing that can happen with core work, we're actually looking to stabilize efficiently and to breathe well. So let's break down these muscles a little bit more. So, so we'll start with the abdominal wall. So these different abdominal muscles, first being the transverse abdominis, this is the corset layer. So often when we are talking about your deep core, this is what we're talking about, although we'll get to. That's actually not the deepest layer. We can think of it as Uddiyana bandha often as well. So we're drawing the navel in and up toward the spine and knitting the front ribs together. And that's typically how we might cue engaging this area, it involves tension and pressure management and it helps create a sense of containment and safety. We also have the internal and external obliques. They are these side muscles in the waist that aid in rotation, in side bending, also in anti rotation. So there are different postures we might do where we're trying to stabilize the core and not let our torsos rotate. So they help with that and. And they also help us brace the core. So if we're doing some heavy lifting, let's say we're doing a deadlift or something like that. We certainly want to use all of these abdominal wall muscles, including the tva, but we are using the obliques as well. You might feel them most succinctly in something like a side plank. We also have rectus abdominis. We can think of this as our six pack muscles in the front. These aid in trunk flexion, so they help us and forward folding. Or you can think cat pose in yoga. It also helps us resist extension. So it keeps us from flaring our ribs out and going into a backbend and keeps us stable in something like plank too. So it keeps us from going into extension and potentially hurting our lumbar spine. Those are our abdominal wall muscles. We also have our deep spine stabilizers. Typically we're talking about the multifidus. This helps with stabilizing different segments of the spine. So this is really where core work becomes spine care. These can be hard to feel or locate in our bodies, but we can exercise them through things like bird dogs, dead bugs and pelvic tilts as well. Also have this deep inner core and what anatomist Tom Meyers would call the inner core or the deep front line of the diaphragm and iliopsoas and pelvic floor. These co activate during postural tasks and can sustain increased intra abdominal pressure. We use these also for breathing. We use them to create an uplifting sensation in the body. And they are definitely more subtle to access, but when used skillfully can aid so much in our practice. So a lot of muscles are involved when we're talking about engaging your core. It might mean managing intra abdominal pressure. It might mean resisting movement like rotation, it might mean creating intentional movement like spinal flexion or rotation. And it might mean coordinating breath with stability. So lots of different ways to engage the core. So we can know that core engagement doesn't mean sucking your belly in. So there's this difference between hollowing the belly and bracing the core. And I'll just say first in yoga we're going to probably utilize both of these things, but let's talk about the difference. So hollowing the belly or drawing it in gently draws the abdominal wall inward.
[00:05:46] It can activate our inner system. And it's also often used in more ancient like hatha yoga techniques as like organ massage and things like that. Bracing is a bit different. It's creating this364 firmness and compression around the trunk, which leads to greater lumbar or low back stability, which can aid in things like heavy lifting. So being able to deadlift without hurting your low back, for instance. So in yoga we do need both of these, but at different intensities. So in most yoga we're using low to moderate breath friendly bracing. So we might need to brace the core, but we need to do it in a way where we can still, still breathe. So that doesn't always mean we can access our deepest inhale, especially when we are doing things that challenge the core, like planks for instance, or maybe boat pose. But we are doing it with enough intensity to be safe, but accessing at least some of the breath. This isn't like a dramatic vacuum, although we can see that in more ancient forms of yoga or forms of yoga that are several hundred years old. This also doesn't mean gripping our glutes or locking the ribs down. We also can find a sort of hollow through uddiyana bandha by drawing navel in and up toward the spine. But we actually combine that with this bracing. So we're drawing navel in and up. That's not really enough. That's not going to provide a lot of support and protection. It's just going to start to activate the inner core. But then we draw the ribs together as well to create that feeling of bracing through the through whole core. So we can know in yoga that saying engage your core is never complete without and keep breathing. They need to happen in conjunction. So breath is a very important strategy in yoga. And if a cue causes breath holding, we changed it from yoga to strain. So we always want to prioritize the breath. Now we'll talk about breath pressure and bandas and how they relate. So first we'll talk a bit about breath mechanics. So as we inhale, our diaphragm, which runs horizontally through through the torso, descends and this helps create this vacuum that fills the lungs with air. Our abdominal wall and our pelvic floor also respond to this. In our exhale, the diaphragm ascends the abdominal wall, can help narrow the ribs and manage pressure. So for Most of us, the exhale is the easiest time to find the core. When we're drawing the diaphragm up, we might also lift the pelvic floor gently and find the BR of the tva. So how do we kind of find this intra abdominal pressure without a way? That's not like turning yoga into powerlifting. So this big inhale that's followed by a brace and a hold can increase intra abdominal pressure and trunk rigidity. So it protects the the spine, but it also increases blood pressure demands. So I've personally experienced it before when I'm going for like a max deadlift or something like that, that it takes this major bracing of the core. And during the lift, I'm not really breathing because I have to utilize my muscles in such a way. But it can also make me feel really lightheaded. So I have to be really careful with that. In yoga, we're never looking for that. We are preferring breath continuity and graduated or moderate effort. So we're not trying to lift 200 plus pounds and we're usually just moving our own body weight. We can also bring in this discussion of bandas here. So they are an esoteric part of yoga. They are an energetic practice stemming from the Hatha yoga tradition in the medieval period. But we also have this modern interpretation of them that is very much engaged with functionality and modern core usage. So this traditional lens is that they are energetic seals. We are directing our energy in our body. The modern lens is they are this more refined coordination of the pelvic floor, our abdominals and our diaphragm, as well as the throat. We have jalandhara bandha and we use them to aid in our practice to create safety and longevity and length and strength. First, we have mula bandha. This is our root lock. So this is located at the pelvic floor. So as we're utilizing this as part of our deep core in our practice, we are thinking of finding a subtle lift or containment felt on the exhale, particularly in strengthening movements. So anytime we're looking to stabilize or to strengthen again, it's a subtle lift of the pelvic floor. It's not this deep contraction. And we also want to make sure that in more passive parts of the practice that we are letting the pelvic floor relax as well, because it needs to be a responsive group of muscles. We also have uddiyana bandha, which is our upward flying law. Sometimes it's taught as a vacuum. So this is the more esoteric way of sucking in the belly, maybe even Combining it with like an organ massage. But more in modern practice, we're thinking it of it as knitting the lower ribs together, drawing the navel in and up while breathing. And we talked a little bit about how to do that earlier. Creating that corset. We also have Jalandhara bandha, which is the throat lock. This can help lengthen our spine. Again, it was used more esoterically as this energetic containment of drawing the chin down toward the chest. In modern practice, we're more drawing the chin back and the crown of the head up. So again, it creates this axial extension or helps us lengthen the spine. It helps steady our attention. It also, when used correctly, helps us engage our under other bandas safely. So just a safety note, we don't want to over cue pelvic floor lifting, which could worsen symptoms for students with any kind of pelvic floor overactivity or tension. So instead we're encouraging range. Sometimes the practice is softening sometimes, especially when we're getting into things like floating into strong stability work. The goal is to lift and typically to lift gently. We can also think of core engagement as intent. So what are we intending to prevent or create with core engagement? So first is anti extension. In layman's terms, we're stopping the low back from dumping. So think plank, chaturanga, upward dog prep and wheel prep. We don't want to dump into our low back, so so we're using core engagement to lengthen and strengthen around the lumbar spine. So we might even say something like, feel the front body support the back body. Another way we use the core is for anti rotation. So this might be keeping the pelvis steady. This can be in poses like Warrior 3, Half Moon, side plank and revolved poses. So we might zip up the inner thighs. Maybe we're directing where the hips are going. We're knitting the ribs toward the midline and keeping the spine or ribs from spiraling, keeping the pelvis from spiraling. Another strategy or intent would be pressure management. So we're bracing without breath holding. This becomes really important in arm balances, inversions, jumps, or floats and transitions.
[00:13:17] So we're cueing this 360 tone, front, side, sides and back. And we're also breathing into the sides, the back ribs, keeping the belly responsive rather than rigid. Another reason we'd use the core and an intention would be intentional spinal movement. So think cat, cow, seated twist, maybe creating a sense of articulation through the spine. So we're using our core very skillfully here for articulation, for Growth for wave like motions and for very mindful movement. So let's talk about engaging our core in specific postures. What this looks like. So first we'll take downward facing dog. In the core, we are resisting rib flare and supporting a lengthened spine. So we might exhale and knit the ribs gently while the belly supports and the spine lengthens. Now we can talk about plank to Chaturanga. With the core, we're wanting to exercise anti extension. So we're protecting the lumbar spine preventing dumping there. And also scapular support or support from the shoulder blades. So we might exhale and feel the low ribs draw in. Maybe we're cuing things like the crown of the head reaches forward for that exhale extension or to lower into Chaturanga with control, not dropping to the belly. Now let's talk about using the core in Warrior 2. So we're looking for pelvic stability and breath mobility here. So maybe we are floating the ribs over the pelvis and breathing wide in the posture, lifting up through the crown of the head to create axial extension. When we are talking about twists and using the core, what we want to do is stabilize and lengthen first and and rotate second.
[00:15:07] So cueing things like grow tall, then rotate from the ribs instead of collapsing through the low back. The low back doesn't really like to twist that much, so cueing the length first is going to help keep it nice and protected. In back bends like camel or wheel prep, the core can help support length through the spine and avoid hinging too much into the lumbar spine. So we are more stabilizing again through the low back so we can think of lifting the front body up before going back. Maybe the lower belly draws in or tones and the glutes are supportive in these postures to help extend the hips and lengthen from the low back. And then in inversions and arm balances, we're looking for pressure management as well as proprioception or feeling where the body is in space. So we can cue things like exhale, draw the low belly in and up slightly, then keep the breath moving. Maybe we're cueing things like hugging at the midline or moving our energy to the center as well. So let's talk about some red flags in safety and longevity when it comes to core engagement. So in yoga, engaging the core goes wrong when we are breath holding, when we are letting the ribs thrust open, when we are clenching the pelvic floor, when we are gripping through our seat. Instead of finding a mindful contraction and when we are maybe finding neck and jaw tension, like translating some of that contraction to that area. So there are certain populations that are going to need a little more nuance when it comes to engaging the core and nuanced cueing from teachers. So these are people with low back pain histories, with pelvic floor symptoms, with diastasis recti and that's when the rectus abdominis separates, usually during pregnancy. Also people with hernia history with hypertension or cardiovascular concerns. That's especially true for any like really strong bracing where you can't breathe. Well, like I was talking about the response that I get in the deadlift, which is totally normal but not really. What we're looking for for safety in yoga and people with a trauma history is language about bracing might be triggering. So we want to always emphasize choice and sensation there. So know that as we're utilizing the core that we're really looking for it to be stable and adaptive. We're not trying to keep it braced our whole life. We are able to tone it, to release it. We are embodying asana effort and ease. So I'll offer a few more cues maybe to expand one's teaching library. If you're a yoga teacher listening to this or just for your own self. If you're a practitioner, one is breath based. So things like exhale, feel your front ribs soften in or maybe things like breathe into the side ribs and keep the belly respect responsive. So we're maybe finding a slight brace there, but directing the breath elsewhere. We can also find stability based cues like make your torso steady like you're holding a tray of drinks or find a moderate amount of firmness around your waist, your front, your sides, your back. We can also find alignment based cues like stack your ribs over your pelvis or lengthen the tailbone and widen the low back. And we might also cue to bondas so so a subtle lift through the center line like zipping up a jacket or gentle pelvic floor support, then soften. Before we close, I'll leave you with three simple off the mat drills that you can use to start to really feel into all these different areas. The first is supine 9090 breathing and this will get into your diaphragm, ribs and core. So you'll want to lie on your back with your knees and hips bent at a 90 degree angle with your feet resting on a wall or a chair. You can. You'll keep your spine neutral and your neck long and ribs tucked down. Place one hand on your chest and the Other on your lower abdomen. You'll inhale slowly through your nose for about three to four seconds, focusing on expanding your belly and filling the lower abdomen. You'll exhale through your nose for about four to six seconds, feeling your ribs soften down and your abdomen slightly tighten. You'll hold the exhale for a couple of seconds, so slightly longer exhale, then inhale. Neutral spine, feet against the wall. Next is dead bug and dead bug variation and this is to help you not extend the spine. So this is anti extension.
[00:19:30] You'll lie on your back and draw the navel toward the floor slightly so you're pressing low back down toward the floor. Legs go to a 90 degree angle like in the supine 90, 90 breathing and arms go overhead. And then one at a time, you'll extend one leg forward and the opposite arm back. Then bring them back up to the original position and then other side, one arm back, one leg forward. Then bring them to the original position and you'll slowly move opposite arm, opposite leg while keeping the spine nice and neutral and the core lightly engaged. Another exercise I love is side plank. For anti rotation. You will actually find a little bit of rotation here, but you'll take a side plank on your forearm, reach your top arm up and then hug the arm around the side waist that's closest to the ground and then reach the arm up and hug the arm down. There might be a little rotation through the shoulder, but you're going to try to keep the rest of your body nice and strong and straight. So you'll notice that core activation really varies widely across these exercises, and these different drills will help promote function for you in various ways.
[00:20:42] So let's tie this into yoga a bit. Core work isn't punishment. It's also not for aesthetics in yoga. It is containment. It is steadiness and it's discernment as well. We're using it skillfully. It's also sarasuka, or effort and ease in physical form. The sutras say that asana must be met with steadiness and ease. So with core work we want enough support to feel safe, but enough softness, enough ease to stay breathing. So this week, notice when I engage my core, do I become more spacious and steady or do I become more rigid and braced? So I hope this invites in some self study and discernment in your practice or in your teaching. I'd love to know your thoughts and maybe any misconceptions that you had about the core and how this might change your practice as well. If you want any more deep anatomy dives on this podcast, please let me know. I love talking about all things yoga in all subjects, including the body. And let's continue this conversation. So thank you so much for joining me. Om Shanti Om. Peace.
