The Core Is a System, Not a Muscle: Rethinking Anatomy Through the Lens of Experience

Ask a group of Pilates teachers what the "core" is, and you’ll likely get a range of answers: the abs, the powerhouse, the deep stabilizers, the center. None of them are wrong. But none of them are quite complete, either.

After over two decades of teaching—and being a student with some of the most brilliant minds in the Pilates world—I’ve come to understand the core not as a set of muscles, but as a system. A living, breathing, adaptable system that reflects everything from how we breathe to how we feel, how we move to how we relate to gravity. And once you begin to teach with that understanding, everything changes.

Let’s rewind: What I used to believe

Like most teachers, I started with a structural approach. I memorized anatomy charts, practiced cueing the transverse abdominis, and focused on alignment. That knowledge is essential—it gave me the map. But in real sessions, something was missing. My clients didn’t always respond to my "perfect" cues. Their bodies didn’t behave like the textbooks said they would. And frankly, neither did mine.

What I started to notice—first as a whisper, then as a truth I couldn’t ignore—was that the core wasn’t just something to engage. It was something to listen to.

From structure to system

The core, as I teach it now, is a dynamic relationship. It’s the interplay between your breath, spine, pelvis, fascia, and mental focus. It’s the part of you that holds you together and also allows you to expand. It regulates pressure, energy, and even emotion. It responds to your nervous system, not just your muscles.

One of the biggest shifts in how I teach came from understanding the role of breath. Not just as a cue for rhythm, but as a fundamental part of core activation and release. The diaphragm doesn’t work in isolation—it’s deeply linked with the pelvic floor, the transversus, and the spine. Breath is the bridge between tension and ease, strength and softness. When students hold their breath, they hold their core hostage. When they learn to breathe with awareness, everything changes.

If you only teach the core as a muscle group, you might get strength—but you miss out on power. You miss connection, resilience, fluidity.

I like to say: you don’t do core work. You drop into your core. You sense it. You work with it. That’s what changes how someone moves.

Real teaching isn’t robotic

Over the years, I’ve taught hundreds of teachers who felt stuck. They knew how to cue the core. They could demo the moves. But something was off.

Often, they were trying to get students to "activate" something without truly understanding what they were asking for. Because when you cue from the outside—instead of sensing from the inside—you risk becoming robotic. And your students feel that. The magic of Pilates is not in reciting the perfect script. It’s in guiding someone back into their body.

When you understand the core as a system, you start to observe differently. You watch the breath. The way the ribs move. How someone meets the floor. You ask different questions. You give space. You invite discovery, not just correction.

And this isn’t just for advanced students. Beginners benefit even more when you teach this way. You’re not overwhelming them with information—they’re learning through sensation and experience.

Systems create results—and longevity

Here’s the thing: working this way doesn’t just feel better. It works better.

Teaching the core as a system improves:

• Coordination and balance
• Pelvic floor function
• Recovery after injury or childbirth
• Emotional resilience
• Posture that’s sustainable (not stiff)
• Clients’ ability to self-regulate and move with more ease
• Breath capacity and awareness
• Confidence in movement, especially in transitional phases of life

It also helps you, the teacher, stay inspired. Because you’re not repeating the same formula over and over. You’re engaged, curious, alive in your teaching.

What you can start doing today

You don’t need to overhaul everything. Here are a few ways to begin shifting toward a system-based approach:

1. Observe before you cue. What’s the client’s breath doing? Are they collapsing in the ribs, bracing, or holding?
2. Invite exploration. Ask: “What happens when you breathe into the sides of your ribs?” or “Can you feel your spine respond to your breath?”
3. Work with tone, not tension. Instead of asking for a strong core, explore what tone feels like in different positions. Is it responsive, or rigid?
4. Use layering. Start with foundational awareness—breath, contact with the mat, intention—and only then build to load or complexity.
5. Reflect. After a session, ask yourself: What did I notice about their system? What felt alive, connected, or blocked?

These small shifts can completely change the way you teach—and the way your students feel in their bodies.

A glimpse into the method

In our sessions inside the IVA Pilates Inner Circle, we explore this in depth. We layer learning from foundational work to more complex explorations. We look at how breath and fascia interact. We study how intent and awareness shape movement. We bring in not just anatomy, but experience.

We explore concepts like:

• Teaching from sensation rather than prescription
• Understanding the nervous system's role in movement and resilience
• Using fascia as a tool for sensing direction and integration
• Reclaiming breath as a movement tool, not just a calming technique

And we do it together, with teachers who are ready to go deeper—not just into the body, but into the art of teaching itself.

The takeaway

If you’re a Pilates teacher who’s been feeling that there’s more to core work than what you were taught in your first training—trust that feeling. There is.

You don’t need more complicated choreography. You need better questions, deeper listening, and a willingness to go beyond structure into system.

That’s where the transformation happens. That’s where teaching moves beyond routine—beyond repeating what you know—and becomes a space of ongoing discovery.

A way to stay engaged, curious, and alive in your work.

Curious to explore this way of teaching in action?

If the idea of teaching the core as a responsive, intelligent system speaks to you—there’s more to discover. From immersive sessions to a vibrant community of like-minded teachers, the IVA Pilates Method offers a path to keep evolving your practice.

Send us a message at hello@ivapilates.com to learn more about the Core Immersion replay or how the IVA' Inner Circle could support your growth.

We’d love to connect and tell you more.

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