Exploring the Core Nexus of the Body:
Keys to Balancing the Functional Pressure
System of the Body

The benefits of the core get a lot of attention in the yoga and movement worlds. But are we missing out on one of the key reasons why the core body is so important?

Most of the attention focuses on the need to keep the core strong and toned. More advanced approaches to core work focuses on keeping the core body balanced, to avoid loss of structural integrity and pain issues.

However, there is even more to the story of why the core is so important, says physical therapist and yoga therapist Diana Zotos Florio. 

In this 3-part online course, Diana shows how the core isn’t just a group of muscles. It also functions as an internal pressure system of the body, which serves as a base of support for movement, as well as for numerous bodily functions.

Breath, digestion, bowel and bladder function, sexual function, spinal stability, trunk movement, alignment, and motor learning, these are all functions affected by the integrity of the core muscles, notes Diana. 

Postural alignment and core balance directly impacts the function of individual or groups of muscles. When alignment and core integrity is compromised, so is the effectiveness of the internal pressure regulation of the body.

The core body is the central hub for the functional pressure system of the body.  In other words, the core body is a complex system with many roles, it is NOT just an area of the body we need to strengthen, or muscles that stabilize.

Underneath the superficial and deep muscles of the core are vital organs, complicated joints, and an integrated pressure system that is related to our breath and nervous system. It is this complexity that can make it more difficult to connect, strengthen, mobilize and stabilize the core in a balanced and healthy way.

In this course, Diana takes the complex science of the core and breaks it down into digestible chunks to understand and to develop practical strategies to take to your yoga practice and yoga and movement classes.

What You Will Learn:

• How to core cylinder functions as the central nexus of bodily functions
• How the glottis, respiratory diaphragm and pelvic floor work together to control and regulate the internal pressure system of the body
• The role of the internal pressure system of the core in digestion, bowel/bladder and sexual/reproductive function
• How to integrate the complex knowledge of the core into yoga practice in a simple, practical way
• How to cue the core to structure the motor learning needed to work with the core body
• How imbalances in posture and skeletal alignment can affect the core system
• The range of core and trunk stiffness for movement efficiency and spinal stability,
• The important difference between core bracing versus hollowing.