For practitioners to control their bodies, they must have a starting place: the center. The center is the focal point of the Pilates method.[11] Many Pilates teachers refer to the group of muscles in the center of the body—encompassing the abdomen, lower and upper back, hips, buttocks, and inner thighs—as the "powerhouse". All movement in Pilates should begin from the center and move outward to the limbs.
