Establishing Core Strength I

Beginner II
(186 Reviews)
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This class is meant to be a part of a series that you can see in our program Establish Your Core Stability and Strength and on our Yoga for Beginners page. After you have learned how to breathe and engage your core and stretch your body while your core is engaged, now David teaches you how to strengthen your core. Core strength will not only make you stronger and protect your spine, it will make you feel taller and lighter in your everyday life.

Equipment

  • Block

Focus

  • Core Strength
  • Strength

Style

  • Hatha Yoga
  • Yoga for Back Care
JMacDee
June 19, 2020
Comment:

A wonderfully detailed class, I learned some new physical connections. All delivered with kindness and calm by David, thank you so much.

raneeshm
May 10, 2020
Comment:

Thanks David for the great class. I do strugle maintaining the staff pose and engaging the moola bandh at the same time with keeping the momentum going. Need to continue working on it.

PianoWire
April 27, 2020
Comment:

With my legs straight and back straight, I can't bend 90 degrees at the waist. Should I round my back to get my shoulders over my hips, or should I put my hands on the floor behind me to prop myself in a half sit-up position with a straight back? (I don't have the core strength to hold that half sit-up very long without propping!) Possibly related: when bending and lifting my legs, I didn't feel psoas engagement as much as I felt calf/hamstring relief.

Comment Replies

David Procyshyn
April 28, 2020
Comment:

There are a few ways you can adapt to relieve the tightness in your back. You can lift your bum up on a pillow, folded blanket or block or you can bend your knees. It's more important that your back is straight then your legs are straight.

Comment Replies

PianoWire
April 30, 2020
Comment:

Thanks for the adaptation. I repeated the class, this time sitting on a folded blanket on top of two 4" blocks. That allowed me to sit up straight. Much better!

[email protected]
April 15, 2020
Comment:

Staff pose and anything boat pose really bothers my lower back and hip flexors. I don’t feel anything going on in my core when I do these even when trying to engage my pelvic floor and TA as explained in the video before this one. It feels like my hip flexors (which have been tight for years and I can’t seem to soften them) and lower back carry the entire load. Any tips?

Comment Replies

ÀfricaRM
April 17, 2020
Comment:

Hello,
I have similar problems, specially with boat pose. After struggling for many years, I am just beginning the use the core. In my experiencie, it is more a question of body awareness and pranayama thant just "doing abs". Pilates was a torture for me, but I find Yoga a bit more forgiving. I also found the the second class of this DYWM program (Establishing Core Strength II) very useful to develop that body awareness. Anastasia's class is a bit more challenging, but in the beginning there is a meditation focused on the core that I find specially inspiring. Good luck and namaste! Àfrica