Have You Met Your Psoas Yet?

“The psoas represents the deepest instinctual qualities of energy in the human being. It is from the area of the psoas that wise [people] ground themselves. With an integrated, well functioning psoas comes a quiet safe haven to move from and be within.“ - Liz Koch

The psoas major is the only muscle to directly connect your upper body (at the mid back) and lower body (at the inner femur). If the psoas is tight, your hips become stiff and pushed forward, your low spine can become compressed, and there is a tendency to grip in the kidney area, which stimulates a stress response in the adrenal glands.

The psoas is part of hip flexion, but it has a deeper role in our sense of well-being because it is intimately entwined with our nervous system. The psoas muscles anchor to the “deep front line” of fascia that runs from the root of the tongue, all the way down to the sole of the foot. By releasing this front line, we cultivate groin depth, pelvic floor stability, length in the low back, and a more calm, less reactive nervous system. All of this lays a foundation for backbends that are healthy and blissful.

Supple, lubricating work to release the thighs, hips, and psoas clears the way for the heart to comfortably open. Extending the upper chest is one of the most emotionally nourishing, spiritual expansive regions of the body we can explore. Yoga teaches us that the heart is the abode of Purusha, the seat of the Self.