Core connection or 'Centring'

Centring represents the act of drawing your own mental and physical focus during each exercise to the core, or centre of your body, which Joseph Pilates referred to as the ‘powerhouse'.

This is roughly the area between your lower ribs and hips, although it also includes the lower and upper back muscles. Physical energy exerted from the centre should coordinate movements of the extremities/limbs. We all need to build up this strong central ‘powerhouse’ in order to rely on it for daily living. 

Often people talk about using ‘core stability’ or ‘abdominals’ when doing certain exercises, but centring is more than that.

Your ‘powerhouse’ is a cylindrical area in the centre of your body which has the diaphragm at the top, the pelvic floor at the bottom, then the transversus abdominis across the front of your stomach, internal and external obliques at the side and the various back muscles including erector spinae.  

Subconsciously we engage one or more of these muscles in every action we make, from pulling us out of bed in the morning, to walking to work.

In pilates we teach you to use this ‘centring’ more consciously, so you can engage it at will, when undertaking normal daily activities or other physical exercises.

Joseph Pilates showing his core strength