Are you connected or disconnected?
Last Saturday morning I was teaching my regular Saturday Yoga class, everybody came in a bit tired due to change of season, Friday night socials, and other reasons. It was time to switch on the ‘main power station’ the core energetic. The aim is for the center. Are you on or are you off?
We started with a Yoga Kriya, a cleansing technique to wake up the abdominal center. The process of ‘Kapalabhati’ is related to the breathing process, however, it is not a type of breathing but a process of cleaning the windpipe. The word ‘Kapalabhati’ is made up of two words, Kapal meaning skull (here skull includes all the organs including the brain) and bhati means shining, illuminating.
It’s all about oxygen…and yoga
The process is about rhythmically expelling air through the nostrils. The brain and the cerebellum are supplied with more oxygen, thus brain and nerve activity is encouraged. This awakening is enhanced with an abdominal ‘pumping technique, which encourages the abdominal activity and stimulates nerve receptors in our ‘second brain’ the gut. Students took immediately their jackets off due to the sudden increase of energy and yet we hadn’t even moved.
We continued the Yoga class with another exercise to stimulate the lower core activity engaging the pelvic floor muscles. With this energetic preparation, the room became very alert and enthusiastic about movement. Many people suffer from lack of motivation to move or actively do something for their fitness, Yoga has ample answers in regards to switching on your mojo to get moving.
The brain and the abdominal core are directly linked through the nervous system. In order to wake up and “switch on” it is necessary to work both in unison, especially if you are lacking motivation. Lack of motivation in exercise is not just laziness or lethargy it is a lack of connection. It does make sense to target the center of the body to increase the energetic flow and output.
Retaining more power
If you want to bring more power to your athletic pursuits, build up your balance and stability or make every-day acts like bending, turning, and reaching easier you will need to engage and strengthen your core. A strong, flexible core underpins all these goals. Core muscles need to be strong, yet flexible, and core fitness should be part of every exercise program
Think of your core muscles as the sturdy central link in a chain connecting your upper and lower body. Whether you are walking, running, dancing or balancing on one leg the necessary motions either originate in your core or move through it. Strong and flexible core muscles also determine how well the arms and legs function.
The main core functions
The main core functions are:
- The ability of one’s core to align the skeleton especially the spine.
- Resistance to gravity.
- Adapting the skeletal structure to changing forces from the outside.
- Connecting the lower extremities to the torso.
The muscles of the core interact in a complex way with each other. It is necessary to develop and engage all of these muscles.
Yoga teaches mental and physical connection to the core.
“To switch it on” so to speak. When you link your conscious mind with your core strength you are on the road to unlocking your physical potential.