Core

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These classes are included in your customized Yoga & Fitness One Rate-Any Date Program at Samahita, available ALL-YEAR-ROUND

Benefits of Core Foundation and Strength Classes

Types of Core Classes: TRX, Bosu, Kettle Bell, Redondo Ball, UGI

The word ‘Core’ is one of those over-used, little-defined words that come up in fitness and now in yoga. Many look at their abs and think “core”. Yet this is only the superficial part and even at that not the whole picture. Core should really be thought about as the deepest support in the center of the body, within the pelvis and on the base of the spine, and moving out from there to the outer trunk muscles of the back and abdomen.

Our extensive experience in the yoga world revealed that very few people practicing had proper core support and control. Similarly, in the fitness world core activation was either under-prioritized in relation to key muscular growth or core meant hard work of the abs which only leads to a tighter abdomen and not necessarily real core strength.

Samahita’s founder, Paul Dallaghan, is currently undertaking research that involves how the superficial core is over-used and thus too tense, limiting breathing and adding to the stress response. This work and much experience in practice over decades, has informed what and where to focus on for core development.

Cultivate Your Center

  • Physically : focus of effort below navel, using legs, power of lower abdomen with pelvis
  • Mentally : attention placed at the center of the body, below the navel, base of spinal cord, ensuring engagement physically but channeling mental activity to the core of the body, and in this case a body-mind complex
  • Energetically : a balance of strength with coordinated control below the navel influences parasympathetic activity while gaining from hormonal release and regulation from activity in the legs, to impact mitochondria function, and improve metabolism.

Balance comes from effort-with-focus and regulation of bodily activities.

What is the Core?

Superficial: outer core – abdominals and back extensors

Deep: inner core – deep spinal and pelvic muscles

Centered Emphasis

Lower Abdomen activation superior to upper abdomen activity

  • The entire abdomen is engaged
  • Focus of effort on lower abdomen
  • Ensure lower abdomen draws close to sacrum
  • Main marker when on the back: lower back remains on the floor

Core Classes

Core sessions at Samahita are designed to get you in touch with your deep core muscles – to support your back, pelvis and spine.

Why Take Core Classes

  • Improve structural alignment
  • Improve whole body strength
  • Increase functional movement
  • Improve body awareness & kinesthetic sense
  • Improve static dynamic range of motion (mobility)
  • Increase core stability and joint durability
  • The breath always remains a focus as it guides the movements
  • Small groups give personal attention to help correct form
  • Strengthen the body from the inside out

Core Foundational Strength Classes

We have core developmental classes that either mix with asana or stand alone and only use body-based approaches without equipment of any kind. This class helps identify the psoas muscle, work the key integral core muscles, and continue with classic grouping core exercises that amplify basic strength and stability. One can expect to work on:

  • Pelvic tilts
  • Sacro-iliac joint stabilizer twists
  • Pre-dishes
  • Standard dishes
  • Leg-raise dishes
  • Back body lifts
  • Plank variations
  • Mountain climbers
  • Yogi burpees

Core Integrated Strength Classes

(different sequences)

We offer group classes that cover key functional fitness principles in a high-intensity training format. Afternoon core classes incorporate fun, music based, dynamic exercises designed to increase strength and freedom in functional movement patterns, including rotational strength in the core, hips, shoulders and glutes, by integrating foundational body-based core exercises with top of the range functional equipment including:

  • TRX
  • Bosu
  • UGI
  • Sliders
  • Kettlebells
  • Grids
  • Toners
  • Flexbands
  • Stability balls
  • Resistance bands
  • Redondo balls

Fitness Equipment Details

  • Suspension Training System that uses your own body weight
  • Top-down instability (balance training) – train motor pathways (strengthen nervous system)
  • Used for dynamic mobility to increase functional range of motion
  • Full body strengthening (cultivate strength) for structural support and functional strength
  • Multi-joint movement
  • Perfect for all levels of resistance is self-determined
  • BOSU – The Bosu Balance Trainer challenges the entire body with an integrated multi-joint movement that requires muscle groups to work together.
  • Working on an Unstable surface improves proprioception and muscle coordination
  • Used for closed kinetic chain exercises, capitalizing on your own body weight
  • Promotes functional strength
  • Work strength in isometric contraction as well as both the positive and negative direction of movement making it optimal best for injury prevention, rehab and stabilization
  • Lets you train at maximum or minimum intensity depending on your goals
  • Incorporated into full body movements to harness the body’s natural power
  • GRID/Foam Roller exercises are designed to improve posture, core stability, flexibility and strength
  • Training your core with the GRID/Foam Roller you’ll learn how to achieve neutral spine and correctly activate your stabilizing muscles
  • The GRID or Foam Roller is the perfect equipment for self-fascial massage
  • The aim for the user is to relax the targeted soft tissue whilst using the Roller
  • Using the GRID you utilize the different sections of the roller for different parts of the body
  • The GRID is designed to especially massage the connective tissue
  • It’s well-known that compound, whole body movements typical of kettlebell exercises are superior to machines that isolate muscles for improving muscle tone, body composition, and strength
  • Kettlebells strengthen the tendons and ligaments, making the joints tougher and less susceptible to injury
  • Kettlebell workout combines “cardio” and “strength” training, builds mobility and develop functional core strengt
  • Powerbands are an effective, versatile training tool proven to increase strength and stability while burning fat and toning lean muscle
  • The Powerband is building muscular endurance and maximize body weight workouts
  • Resistance added to body-weight exercises will challenge the stamina in your full body strength while toning the upper body, legs, glutes, and core
  • The Stability Ball is a great tool for incorporating spinal stabilization, core strength and endurance, and balance and coordination to any routine
  • The versatile nature of the training is designed to improve balance, body awareness, coordination, core stability and posture
  • Besides developing good overall muscle tone for your entire body, the ball provides numerous other benefits that range anywhere from rehabilitating back, hip, and knee injuries to delivering a powerful workout to improve core stability, posture, and muscle balance.
  • The Redondo ball is a particularly soft ball that provides you with even more safety during balancing exercises
  • It is used to strengthen the spinal muscles, for relaxation and deep relaxation, muscle training, to improve flexibility of the vertebrae, abdominal muscle training, and neck massages
  • The Redondo Ball is one of the most effective pieces of equipment to train the deep muscles around your core.
  • It is one of the most powerful tools in Pilates training
  • Slide training allows you to train your muscles in all directions of body movements. Up, down, right, left, back and forth, plus all the rotation
  • Using slide training you improve the body’s stability, balance, strength, endurance, technique and coordination
  • Training with the sliders the muscles are challenged both statically and dynamically and your balance is increased
  • It’s easy to intensify your training so you can achieve significant fat burning, while still stabilizing the body’s core muscles
  • Slide training movements are related to many other classic sports movements but with focused movements in all directions, and rapid starts and stops
  • The perfect tool for use in stability, strength and endurance training
  • Works on a combination of strength, core and cardio
  • Ensures a full body workout
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