THE BENEFITS OF A STRONG CORE - Plus Why Your Hips Will Thank You For It?

Core Strength - You know you need it, but what does it look like to have a strong core? And how does it affect your hip symptoms on and off the mat?
➡️ Is doing planks and chaturangas in my practise good for my core? What about navasana (boat pose)? Are these poses enough?
➡️ What am I missing?
I get questions about this all the time.
People can get really confused because there's a lot of advice out there around core strength. Often times, that advice is missing vital pieces of the core puzzle to be truly effective at managing symptoms like hip pain on the mat.
First of all, what even is core strength?
If you’re like most of my clients you’d be forgiven for thinking its all about carving out washboard abs and a strong muscular back. These are often the aesthetic side benefits of core strength, that many people come to yoga for in the first place or spend hours in the gym trying to develop. But you may be surprised to learn six pack abs actually have very little to do with core strength.
So, what is core strength?
Essentially it’s about balance. It’s a combination of stability, mobility and optimal movement patterns. You need to strike an effective balance of all 3 to truly acquire a strong functional core.
Have you ever observed the phenomena where the person on the mat next to you looks like they’re training for iron woman with super ripped abs, but can barely lift their feet off the ground in navasana, while the much curvier yogi on your right is floating her feet towards the sky effortlessly?
This is because yogi on the left may have lots of global muscular strength, but is lacking the integrated balance of core stability, flexibility and good movement patterns that yogi on the right may be enjoying.
When one of these 3 areas is lacking, no matter how many planks or chaturangas you do your core will never be truly strong.
“How can you develop all 3 of these areas at once? Give me the hack please!”
Drumroll….. Do yoga! That’s great news. As yogis we’re already so much farther up the core strengthening ladder because our movement practise involves all 3 of these areas. Unless you’re doing 108 chaturangas and not much else, you're probably getting a really well rounded activation of muscles in functional patterns and a release of tension that balances your posture and promotes a strong core.
But here’s the thing... most of us have come to yoga following periods of sedentary living or spend the majority of our time when we’re not on the mat, sitting.
This creates 2 problems for our core strength goals.
➡️ O U R F O C U S I S O U T W A R D S N O T I N W A R D S.
Living a largely sedentary lifestyle, with most of our attention outwardly focused towards our devices instead of inwardly focused on our bodies. We lose the sensitivity and discernment around our body sensations. Our ability to appropriately detect where our body is in space, called proprioception is weakened.
➡️ P A N C A K E B U T T
Sitting on our glutes, likely in a slumped position causes an inhibition and weakness in this super important power house group of muscles essential for core strength.
If you struggle with hip pain on the mat, a lack of core strength could be part of the problem. I go in to this in more detail in my upcoming blog ‘the benefits of core strength in yoga. Plus why your hips will thank you for it. Look out for it in my next email to you.
I’m here to support your highest movement potential.
Namaste,
Cathy X
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See all of my classes and offerings at cathyaganoff.com.au
Yoga is one of the best ways to build functional strength in the body :)
Let me know how these instructions went for you in the comments below!

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