A strong core should allow us to stand tall and to move and live with ease. Accessing the deep core muscles (which also include transversus abdominis, internal obliques, and multifidus) and building strength and heat in the center of the body supports and enhances functional movement. In addition, the yoga tradition holds that it enhances both our physiological and emotional digestion.Īccording to yoga and ayurveda, this digestive function results from the stoking of agni, an inner fire that helps us digest and assimilate not only food, but also emotions and life experiences.įocusing on only the outer aesthetics of the core can undermine this deeper function, and an emphasis on only the physical can thus cause a kind of emotional/spiritual immobility.
While “core ” is often thought of as just the abdominals, anatomically speaking, the core comprises everything that keeps the extremities (that is, the limbs) connected to the trunk-including the major muscles of the back and deep-set stabilizers like the psoas and quadratus lumborum. “Core” is likely derived from the Old French cuer or the Latin cor, which means “heart,” or from the Old French cors or Latin corpus for “body.” A core is the “crux, kernel, or quintessence of a thing.”
This is one of the most highly “prized” areas of the body in mass media, and “six pack abs” are often extolled as a true measure of fitness. But focusing on muscle groups separately is not only an anatomically inaccurate way of approaching movement (as no muscle exists in isolation), it also undermines a foundational idea of yoga: that we are more than just muscles and bones. Often, popular core work focuses primarily on the superficial abdominals (external obliques and rectus abdominis), which makes sense. But it’s not important for the same reason that it’s popular. Core work is popular, and it’s important.
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