Welcome
This program is designed to teach anyone how to establish core stability, giving you the tools to keep your spine safe and strong while practicing yoga with a feeling of lightness and length. Establishing core stability every time you do yoga maximizes the benefit that you receive from practicing yoga regularly. If you have any questions as you move through this program, share with us, anytime, on our forum.
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Preparation:
Certain classes require one or two yoga props, such as a strap, block or bolster. If that is the case, the prop needed will be listed below the name of the class. As you move through these classes, remember that the point of learning how to activate and use your core effectively is to help you understand how to feel connected to your deep, inner strength. Returning to the feeling that core activation gives you, and strengthening those muscles, will ultimately make you feel lighter, taller and more connected to your entire body in a way that feels stable and safe, no matter what you are doing. For that reason, always avoid over-tensing. Even when you are working hard, try to find softness within the effort.
Week 1: Establish Your Core Stability
Day 1
The 3-Part Breath and Ujjayi Breathing
Difficulty: Gentle Beginner
Props: None
In the 3 videos for week 1, you will first learn how to breathe effectively, then use the breath to find the inner strength of your core muscles, beginning with the pelvic floor and transverse abdominis. In this class, David teaches you two breathing techniques (pranayamas) that will help initiate the connection to core activation. Pranayama also helps your nervous system become calm, which is what is needed to begin a series on core strength and stability.
Day 3
Integrating the Breath and the Bandhas
Difficulty: Gentle Beginner
Props: None
The next step is to integrate what you learned in Day 1 with the bandhas (deep core locks), including the pelvic floor (moola bandha), transverse abdominis and multifidus (uddiyana bandha). As you progress, keep trying to tone back your effort to remove unneeded tension. In time, you will learn the subtlety and sensitivity that is required to engage these muscles while being highly attuned to the level of effort that is needed.
Day 5
Finding Stability In All Poses
Difficulty: Gentle Beginner
Props: Block
Maintaining the subtle connection to your bandhas and your breath, David now helps you move through a series of yoga poses. These principles apply to all of yoga, no matter what style you are doing. In fact, these principles will allow you feel lighter, stronger and more relaxed in your daily life.
Week 2: Strengthen Your Core and Find Alignment
Day 8
Establishing Core Strength I
Difficulty: Beginner
Props: Block
Now the challenge is to maintain the subtlety of your breathing and core connection while strengthening the core muscles so that they can support you when you need them. This kind of strength will continue to make you feel an inner level of power that naturally exudes out your fingertips.
Day 10
Establishing Core Strength II
Difficulty: Beginner
Props: Block and Chair
In part 2 of David's core strength series, he not only continues to help you maintain a core connection, he helps you understand how to extend that energy out into the arms and the legs, while adding some delicious stretches for some of the important muscle groups surrounding the pelvis, such as the hip flexors (quadriceps and psoas), hamstrings and gluts.
Day 12
Align, Stabilize and Stretch
Difficulty: Beginner
Props: Block and Strap
Now it's time to integrate what you've learned into a full-length hatha yoga class. This class may test you, since it will be harder to maintain breath and stability while moving through a longer sequence of poses. As we said earlier, the intention is to maintain a feeling of effortlessness and lightness as you do yoga and move through your life.
Week 3: Empower Your Body
Day 15
Empower Your Boundaries
Difficulty: Challenging Beginner
Props: Strap, Block
It suits week 3's theme of empowerment to begin with Rachel's popular Empower Your Boundaries challenging, beginner hatha flow. This week's series of classes are all more challenging, making it even harder to maintain the principles that you learned. In this class, Rachel takes you through a sun salutation while focusing on alignment principles and breath, and using a block and a strap to help you feel the ideal positioning.
Day 17
Strengthen Your Core and Back
Difficulty: Challenging Beginner
Props: None
We take the difficulty up a notch to challenge your core stability with poses that work your abs, back, legs and shoulders. Anastasia also takes time to release some of those muscles, which makes this class not just a tough workout, but deeply satisfying in how thorough and complete it feels.
Day 19
Spinal Care for Beginners
Difficulty: Challenging Beginner
Props: Block
Our program to Establish Your Core Stability and Strength ends with a punch! Anastasia works you a little harder in this hatha yoga class that focuses on taking care of your spine. She covers some great ways to strengthen your core, hip flexors and back, while taking you through a series of stretches, including back and hip releases.
In Conclusion
If you made it to the end, congratulations! If you have anything to share or any questions, post in our forum. We're here for you!