EmilyW

You know, Candace, I think that is part of my problem. For so long I thought of my core muscles as my abs- only recently did I learn that there are (in fact) other muscles supporting the torso and trunk, making up the core (who knew, right?!). Because I only considered my mirror abs and not the deeper musculature, I never learned really how to engage those muscles, which is where I am running into a wall now. Thank you, thank you for your recommendations... I so appreciate your insight! I have never heard of uddiyana bandha, but I am for sure going to give it a go!

Hello World! I am having trouble keeping my core engaged through my practice. Sometimes I feel like I can't breathe right when my belly is sucked in, or like my belly wants to push out instead of suck in, or sometimes I just plain forget to engage my core. I know that this is keeping me from making my practice as strong as it could be, but more crucially, I know that this means that when I practice, I am dumping into my joints instead of my strength (not that there is much of that to begin with) which can cause harm to the joints long term. I really want to get a stronger core to improve my practice and make it safer for my body, but I'm not really sure where to go from here... does anyone have any tips on building strength, being mindful of your core or any tips at all on keeping your core engaged? Thank you lots and tons! Emily