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RFST teaches you that in order to stretch a muscle, you start in a position where the muscle is as short as possible, and then continuously contract the muscle while it elongates.
The reverse is true for strength training. You start in a position where the muscle is as long as possible, and then continuously contract the muscle while it shortens.
These two principles can be applied to every muscle group of the body, including the 'core' muscle groups. Many people are not getting the 'hard core' results they are looking for with exercises like crunches, sit-ups, and other forms of abdominal exercises because those exercises do not allow the abdominal muscles to fully elongate under resistance.
RFST naturally develops your core as you stretch yourself or get stretched, because the core stabilizes the body throughout the movements. Additionally, by using the Body Lift, you can stretch and strengthen your core muscles with resistance throughout their entire range, resulting in dramatic increases in strength, flexibility, stability, and balance.
The body lift is essential for you to develop your core muscles, as it allows you to let gravity to pull you into a backbend as you resist the movement. You can stretch and strengthen your core alone by weighing down one end of the yoga lift with a sandbag (or two). Then, you can put yourself into a shoulder stand and slowly let gravity take your legs down to the ground as you resist the movement. When you feel like you can't go further, simply reverse the movement to strengthen the core muscles by bringing your legs back to the vertical position and then tucking your knees down into your chest.
Eventually, when your core muscles have developed enough to be able to continuously contract while in a backbend, you can have others assist you in that pose, as shown in this advanced assisted core stretch.
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