June 14
by Donna Farhi
Benefits
Contraindications
You'll Need
When I wrote this asana column in 1999, most of the people who walked through the doors of my rented studio space in San Francisco were people new to Yoga. Many of these neophytes were challenged with overall body stiffness, and the focus of much of my work at that time was helping people to increase their fluidity and mobility. Thus, the terms used in this asana column such as ‘mobile core’ or ‘soft core’ were helpful for addressing breath holding and abdominal clenching. While there are still no shortage of people entering my intensives who have learned to initiate their movement distally rather than from a fluid central initiation, the world wide trend has moved to the other end of the spectrum with increasing numbers of people presenting with hypermobility and a lack of core cohesion and strength.
A ‘firm and mobile’ core can be compared to a clearly marked traffic intersection on a city street–traffic can move into, across and through the intersection and continue traveling (Fig. 7). In the body this translates to impulses from the center being able travel to the periphery, and impulses from the periphery being received back to center.
In a ‘rigid and unreceptive’ core, the abdomen is hard and constricted (Fig. 8). This prevents impulses from arising from the core and being received from the limbs back into the core. A tight abdomen is like a crashed car in the middle of an intersection— nothing can flow through it until the obstruction is removed.
In a ‘rigid and unreceptive’ core, the abdomen is hard and constricted (Fig. 8). This prevents impulses from arising from the core and being received from the limbs back into the core. A tight abdomen is like a crashed car in the middle of an intersection— nothing can flow through it until the obstruction is removed.
A ‘hypermobile and disorganized’ core causes a lack of
cohesion in the navel center, which also prevents clear transmission of impulse
into and from the center (Fig. 9). In this pattern the abdomen may be dull and
flaccid with little tone on the exhalation. This issue is more difficult to
address because lack of cohesion causes tremendous confusion: there are
literally too many choices. There are no clearly contained conduits for impulse
to travel. If you’ve ever been in a traffic intersection in Beijing or Mumbai,
you’ll have seen how a complete lack of rules, and clearly demarcated footpaths
creates a chaotic and dangerous mélange of bikes, cars, buffalo, and
pedestrians overflowing every which way.
A ‘hypermobile and disorganized’ core causes a lack of
cohesion in the navel center, which also prevents clear transmission of impulse
into and from the center (Fig. 9). In this pattern the abdomen may be dull and
flaccid with little tone on the exhalation. This issue is more difficult to
address because lack of cohesion causes tremendous confusion: there are
literally too many choices. There are no clearly contained
conduits for impulse to travel. If you’ve ever been in a traffic intersection in Beijing or Mumbai, you’ll have seen how a complete lack of rules, and clearly demarcated footpaths creates a chaotic and dangerous mélange of bikes, cars, buffalo, and pedestrians overflowing every which way.
Peggy Hackney, author of Making Connections offers her own insights as to how this continuum from rigid to loose is expressed:
When I perceive ‘core support’ in someone, I experience in that person an alive, central core which actively engages to both uphold the body and energize interaction within the individual and with his/ her environment. When I do not see core support I see an individual moving in a way, which seems strained or inefficient, pushed or help up by something other than the core. I frequently see extra muscular holding, generally in the head/neck and chest or in the lower back, coupled with spinal misalignment. I sense effort intensity unwarranted by the situation, as if the person is trying too hard. Frequently I see the opposite— rather than an overly involved external intense musculature, I see an individual whose body seems totally amorphous, an unformed ‘mush’ or ‘blob’, with internal organs, muscles and spine hanging passively into gravity. This individual seems to be asking for motivation, for involvement from core-activation of weight: waiting for an active support from the self.
She then goes on to offer four main strategies for establishing core support:
1. Cells which are nourished through breath to provide a fullness and fluid presence, a sense of a ground of Being.
2. Healthy organs, which provide adequate volume and inner shaping experiences as they move in accommodation to one another.
3. Muscles with vital tonus and balanced work around a joint, able to engage in a serial elastic effort to create and re-create proper spacing in the body structure.
4. A bony structure (legs through spine to head), which functions more like a tent pole than a column, but is utilizing both aspects of support (i.e. with upward thrust provided by tensile support as well as downward compression. 1
Each of Peggy’s strategies could form the basis of further study and deep inquiry. For now, I’d like to offer a simple way for you to assess yourself and others. Which direction of engagement is most appropriate— increasing core mobility and responsiveness, or increasing core stability and cohesion? When you practice a posture like Triangle Pose (Trikonasana) or other standing postures such as Side Angle Pose (Parsvakonasana), look down the front of your body and observe whether the front of the body is long and the back of the body is short. That is, the distance from your sternum to your pubic bone is much greater than the distance from the base of your rib cage in the back of the body to the top of the pelvis. If so, you have a tendency to have excessive extensor tone (Fig. 10). The extensor muscles in the back 10 The Art of Asana | Half Moon Pose 12 of the body are more dominant than the flexor muscles in the front of the body. This pattern is very common in those that have become hypermobile and lacking in core stability.
At the other end of the spectrum, when you look down your body you may notice that the front of the body is very short and the back is long—you may have a tendency to have excessive flexor tone (Fig. 11). This pattern is more common in those with dominant flexor muscles. It’s possible that your core muscles may simply be tight, but not necessarily strong.
When you balance flexor and extensor activity, the spine will be in a neutral position with all curvatures intact (Fig. 12). This is a perfect position from which to elongate.
At the other end of the spectrum, when you look down your body you may notice that the front of the body is very short and the back is long—you may have a tendency to have excessive flexor tone (Fig. 11). This pattern is more common in those with dominant flexor muscles. It’s possible that your core muscles may simply be tight, but not necessarily strong.
When you balance flexor and extensor activity, the spine will be in a neutral position with all curvatures intact (Fig. 12). This is a perfect position from which to elongate.
Before progressing into a practice like Half Moon Pose (Ardha Chandrasana), take a little time to experiment with shortening the distance between your sternum and pubic bone (if you are extensor dominant), or increasing the distance between your sternum and pubic bone (if you are flexor dominant). Then concentrate on maintaining this balance as you move into the balance of Half Moon.
For many students, identifying dominant extensor or flexor tone provides a basic and practical framework for perceiving and addressing deep habitual body patterning. It can also be helpful for understanding the importance of keeping the pelvis and lumbar spine in a neutral position when practicing core strengthening movements. Here are a few practices that can be easily incorporated into any practice session, best sequenced towards the end of a routine when you come onto the floor to bring your Yoga practice towards closure.
Heel and Toe Touches
Variation A with Knees Drawn and bolster support:
This variation is suited for those with extremely weak abdominals and/or spinal instability. Lie on your back in Constructive Rest Position with the pelvis supported on a blanket and your feet supported on a bolster. Having your feet raised on a bolster will decrease the leverage of the leg. Extend your arms on either side of your hips. Bring your left knee in toward your chest, and as you start to return your left leg to the floor, simultaneously draw the right leg toward the chest so that the legs pass one another in mid-air. The heel of your returning foot should lightly touch the bolster, close to your buttocks, before returning to the knee-to-chest position (Fig. 13).
Continue for 60 seconds, moving the legs slowly and with control.
Variation B with Knees Drawn: Repeat the variation as above, except this time remove the bolster so that the heels touch the floor (Fig. 14).
Variation C with Toe Touch: You can adapt this exercise so that the toe rather than the heel is touching. Additionally, having the hands behind the head rather than extended on the floor can increase the challenge (Fig. 15). As you get stronger you can vary the movement by touching the toe to the floor slightly away from the buttocks. Ensure that you are not arching your lower back and that your buttocks are weighted on the floor as you touch the toe to the floor, alternating between the two legs for 60 seconds.
Variation D with Leg Extension: Begin in CRP. Keeping the right foot on the floor, slowly bend the left knee and extend the leg. From a vertical position slowly lower the leg to just above the floor (Fig. 16). Then raise the leg to a right angle position. Practice 3-5 repetitions then repeat on the right side.
Back to Half Moon Pose (Ardha Chandrasana)
After practicing this sequence of core strengthening movements, you may like to experiment with returning to Half Moon Pose. Notice whether you bring the extended air born leg behind the body (which will indicate a tendency to hyperextend the lumbar spine). Explore the balance between opening away from your core while simultaneously still maintaining a feeling of cohesion in your center. When you find just the right balance between fluidity and stability you’ll notice that the mind becomes calm and quiet.
References
1. Peggy Hackney, Making Connections: Total Body Integration Through Bartenieff Fundamentals, pp.76 (1997. Routledge NY)
This article follows and supplements the original post which was first published between 1988 and 2003 when Donna was writing full-length feature articles for Yoga Journal and Yoga International USA.
The re-curated originals will be followed by New Insights such as this post, where Donna shares what's changed after more than three decades of teaching internationally. This material is being offered for free for the first time as a service during Donna's sabbatical. All material © 2023 Donna Farhi.
Thanks to Julieanne Moore for her patience and dedicated work as our model.
An occasional bonus Feature article will also be published.
To be notified of the next article, please scroll down and join our Newsletter.
And if you've found this article valuable, please share it.
We'd love to hear your thoughts, so please add any questions or comments below.
share this
Related Posts