In my earlier blog this month on ‘Muscle Of The Month’ I talked about the psoas muscle, I wanted to take some time to talk about it some more and why I have chosen this muscle as this months ‘hot’ topic.
To recap the psoas is a deep abdominal muscle originating from the transverse processes of the lumber vertebrae (towards the bottom of your back), its insertion point is the bony landmark that everyone can find on the hip, or the ASIS. At this point it then connects with the hip to the Lilacs muscle which sits on the inner side of the hip bone or the lliac fossa.
The psoas has been identified as a muscle that can carrie certain emotional tension, it is, according to some, far more than just a stabilising core muscle; it embodies our deepest urge for survival and desire to flourish. The reason for this connection is the psoas’s role in helping the body to spring into action by responding to the fight or flight responses of the nervous system. The muscle is therefore in-tune with the central nervous system to allow for this quick response. The psoas is the deepest muscle of the human body affecting our structural balance, muscular integrity, flexibility, strength, range of motion, joint mobility and organ function. It is the only muscle that connects our spine to our legs and it is responsible for holding us upright and allowing us to walk. A healthily psoas stabilises the spine and provides support through the trunk, opening space for vital organs and the abdominal core.
My yoga classes this and next month are heavily focused on releasing and rebuilding the psoas muscle. Physically this muscle has become tight in modern day life, due to how often may of us spend our day sitting; at a desk, home office, or to relax. Our psoas is therefore constantly being asked to contract and never being asked to relax, stretch and release! It is no wonder that this is an area connected with out emotional tension and its no wonder why so many of us are feeling more and more physically and emotionally tense in modern day life. A contracted or tight psoas muscles reduces the space available for some of our internal organs and can have an effect on abdominal health, spinal function, energy levels and general health and well-being. If we constantly contract the psoas due to stress or tension, the muscle eventually begins to shorten leading to many conditions such as low back pain, sacroiliac pain, sciatica, disc problems, spondylosis, scoliosis, hip degeneration, knee pain, menstruation pain, infertility and digestive problems.
Having said all of this releasing the psoas in massage is actually quite easy, it is a muscle that wants to be connected and eased. With this and then regular stretching and strengthening, longer term maintenance and care of the area is generally quite simple to do.
If you want to find out more about the poses muscle please visit my page and contact me today www.swbodybalance.com
to book onto one of my yoga classes or for a sports massage check out the my bookings page https://www.swbodybalance.com/book-online
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. hopefully see you soon!
Sally
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