You’ve got the power – how to effortlessly engage your powerhouse to empower your body and free your spirit.
We try to find balance, ease, and grace throughout our human lives. I believe we live in extraordinary times – the golden age. Our life can be a tool for self-realization. We have the eastern school of thought like yoga and Ayurveda (to name a few) with thousands of years of deep knowledge and understanding of the human machine, Pilates, and western science that offers us a fantastic toolkit to deepen and complement that knowledge. As we combine eastern and western wisdom to be our best, live, and walk effortlessly from the core of our being with power and grace.
Yet, we forget life’s magic as gravity pulls us down, disconnecting us from the core. So, today, we will focus on the core or pilates powerhouse. Because when we have a strong core, we can walk through life confidently. Not to mention that there is a deep connection between stress, muscles, and holistic health through the core. So, we will unpack the pilates powerhouse or core that includes one of the most influential groups like the pelvic floor. Everyone needs to get strong. We need to understand the core, how to engage it, and how to let it go.
Discovering Your Powerhouse
The powerhouse (or the core) starts from the bottom of the rib cage to a line across the hip joints (in the front) and the base of the buttocks in the back. In Pilates terminology, the powerhouse includes the abdominal, lower back, and pelvis. I think butt should make a list. We emphasize the core or powerhouse as a physical center of the body from where all movement should be initiated in yoga, dance, and especially pilates. We thrive on engaging our powerhouse through our physical deliberate fitness practice. And that eventually will translate into the functional movement – think of lifting your bags, sitting, hiking, swimming, etc. We can also think of core stability as the neuromuscular control that allows us to keep the spine in the perfect position while moving limbs without distortion. Without the stability of the core, we lose grace and are in danger of hurting ourselves. Think, lower back for one.
What is the Pelvis?
The pelvis comprises two coxal bones joined posteriorly (back) by the sacrum and interiorly (front) by pubic symphysis. The center of the pelvis is called the pelvic cavity. It contains the genital organs and rectum. The male and female pelvis differs quite a bit. The female pelvis is small and more delicate. In addition, its iliac crests are farther apart. Hence, the female pelvis is generally more comprehensive. On the other hand, the male pelvis is massive, and the iliac crests are close together. Hence, the male pelvis is narrower. These differences in females are basically due to their roles in pregnancy and childbirth.
What is Pelvic?
The pelvic girdle is composed of two bones called os coxae. Three different bones, ilium, ischium, and pubis, fuse to make each os coxa. The acetabulum is the hole seen when these three bones fused. The pelvis is a bony structure found in the lower part of the trunk of the human body. On the other hand, the pelvic girdle is a part of the bony pelvic. Therefore, this is the crucial difference between the pelvis and pelvic bone.
