The psoas major muscle (pronounced “so-as”) is often referred to as the deepest core, or as yoga therapist and film-maker Danielle Olson states, the “muscle of the soul.” This core-stabilizing muscle located near the hip bone affects mobility, structural balance, joint function, flexibility, and much more.
In addition to its function to help keep the body upright and moving, the psoas is believed to allow you to connect with the present moment especially when it is stretched out and tension is released from the body.
Research indicates that the psoas is vital to our psychological wellbeing, connecting fear and anxiety, in addition to structural health.
Liz Koch, author of The Psoas Book, states that our psoas “literally embodies our deepest urge for survival, and more profoundly, our elemental desire to flourish.”
Recommended: Studies Find Body Pain Correlates With Spiritual & Emotional Pain
This means that there is a lot more to the psoas than one might initially think. It is entirely possible to harness healing pranic energy and improve mental health by keeping the psoas healthy.
Where is the Psoas?
The psoas is the principal muscle associated with physical stability. It stretches from the legs to the spine and is the only muscle connecting the legs to the spinal column.
The muscle flares out from the T12 vertebrae, follows down the five lumbar vertebrae, before attaching to the top of the thigh bone.
The Reptilian Connection
In addition to connecting the legs and spine, the psoas is connected to the diaphragm. Breathing is modulated at the diaphragm, and it is also the location where many physical symptoms associated with fear and anxiety manifest.
Koch believes that this is due to the direct link between the psoas and the most ancient part of our brain stem and spinal cord, called the reptilian brain.
According to Koch, “Long before the spoken word or the organizing capacity of the cortex developed, the reptilian brain, known for its survival instincts, maintained our essential core functioning.”
The way we live today, constantly rushing, competing and achieving, has the psoas in a constant “fight or flight” state.
Issues Associated with Chronic Psoas Stress
Trapped in a constant “flight or fight” state, psoas muscles are stressed and constricted, almost from the time of birth. As Koch notes, “this situation is exacerbated by many things in our modern lifestyle, from car seats to constrictive clothing, from chairs to shoes that distort our posture, curtail our natural movements and further constrict our psoas.”
This lifelong chronic stress put on the psoas can lead to many problems like back, hip, or knee pain, and even digestive issues and dysfunctional breathing. It could also be a major cause why people suffer from chronic physical pain.
Recommended: Physical Pains And Their Metaphysical Meanings
The physical body is not the only part of you that suffers from a chronically-stressed psoas. The psoas is much more than a muscle used for structural stability. It influences every element of life, from how you feel, to how you look at the world, and even how you treat others.
A variety of problems have been associated with a chronically-stressed psoas muscle: it can negatively affect your emotional state; it can impact your interpersonal relationships; and it can influence your general contentment with life.
Awareness that a healthy psoas is important to emotional wellness, as well as physical health, is the first step towards ensuring that we give this muscle the attention it deserves.
Koch states, “Whether you suffer from sore back or anxiety, from knee strain or exhaustion, there’s a good chance that a constricted psoas might be contributing to your woes.”
Fear and the Psoas
Since the psoas is closely linked to our “fight or flight” mechanism, fear can be over-represented in those with a constricted psoas.
It is an emotion that manifests itself in the most unusual ways and can “lock” itself into the body resulting in both physical and emotional tension.
Recommended: 10 Significant Ways To Clear Your Mind Of Negative
By restoring balance to your psoas muscles, you are likely to release this pent up tension, which can have a profound effect on releasing unfounded fearfulness about life, and thus improve both your physical and mental wellbeing.
You will feel a greater sense of inner peace, along with fewer muscle aches and strains.
The Connection to the Energetic Body
Lengthening and releasing your psoas grounds you to the Earth, which is filled with healing and revitalizing energy, thus allowing you to balance your pranic energy and enabling you to feel more present in the moment.
Recommended: How To Balance Your 7 Chakras System – Chakra Empowering
Proper structural stability attributed to a healthy psoas allows prana to flow, unimpeded, throughout the body, allowing for proper distribution of vital energy.
In the physical sense, when the body can properly support itself, movement is less-restricted and requires less effort, thus leaving you more energetic.
Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times
Our understanding of the psoas is by no means new knowledge. In fact, it is more akin to ancient wisdom that was either lost or discarded over time. Yoga shows us explicitly that ancient gurus understood the importance of releasing contracted psoas muscles.
Ancient yoga asanas, or postures, that are now practiced all around the world, focus on lengthening and releasing psoas muscles and restoring comfort and balance to the entire body. With consistent practice, you can learn how to isolate this muscle, which can be immensely useful and healing in the long run.
Yoga is also a great way to measure the current health of the psoas. There are many postures, such as tree (Vrksasana), which cannot be properly achieved if the psoas is contracted.
If you are practicing a sitting or standing yoga pose and feel strain in either your knees or lower back (or both), then there’s a good chance that your psoas is constricted and needs more of your attention.
Recommended: This 5 Minute Exercise You Can Do With Your Hands Anywhere Will Boost Energy & Balance Emotions
The psoas is an important, yet often unknown, muscle that plays a vital role in physical health and mental wellbeing. The cumulative effect of neglecting this muscle is physical and mental stress and tension, which manifests itself in our society as anxiety, depression, chronic back pain, knee pain, digestive distress, respiratory problems, etc.
Source:
https://bodydivineyoga.wordpress.com/2011/03/23/the-psoas-muscle-of-the-soul/
http://www.yogajournal.com/article/practice-section/the-psoas-is/
Author: Brett Wilbanks On: wakingtimes.com
I know this site provides quality dependent posts and extra data, is there any other site which offers these kinds of information in quality?|
When someone writes an article he/she maintains
the image of a user in his/her mind that how a user can know it.
So that’s why this article is outstdanding. Thanks!
Very nice post. I just stumbled upon your weblog and wished
to say that I’ve really enjoyed surfing around your blog posts.
In any case I’ll be subscribing to your feed and
I hope you write again very soon!
I’m impressed, I have to admit. Seldom do I come across
a blog that’s both equally educative and amusing, and let me tell you,
you have hit the nail on the head. The problem is something that too
few men and women are speaking intelligently about.
Now i’m very happy that I stumbled across this during
my hunt for something regarding this.
Hello! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any trouble with hackers? My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losing several weeks of hard work due to no back up. Do you have any solutions to stop hackers?
If i were purchase “cars” for my topic, it would be to general and lack focus.Used properly, throughout the day . improve your socialpresence and help that you acquire more readers.
equifax free credit score free credit score free credit reports free credit report canada
Hey there! Do you know if they make any plugins to
help with Search Engine Optimization? I’m trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not
seeing very good results. If you know of any please share.
Cheers! You can read similar article here: GSA Verified List
I do not even know how I stopped up here, but I thought this submit used to be great.
I do not recognise who you might be but certainly you
are going to a famous blogger if you aren’t already.
Cheers!
Hi there! Would you mind if I share your blog with my facebook group?There’s a lot of folks that I think would really appreciate your content.Please let me know. Thank you
Ahaa, its pleasant discussion concerning this paragraph at this place
at this blog, I have read all that, so at this time me also
commenting at this place.
Thanks for finally talking about >The ‘Muscle of the Soul’ may be
Triggering Your Fear and Anxiety – GOSTICA <Loved it!
I think the admin of this web page is in fact working hard for his website, since here every stuff
is quality based information.
Excellence in craftsmanship and technology is a solid foundation for Rolex.
Career objectives to put in a resume SmartCustomWritingUYhjhgTDkJHVy
Sabor aspartamo en la boca: marca y disolvente.
Your style is unique in comparison to other folks I have read stuff from.
Thank you for posting when you’ve got the
opportunity, Guess I’ll just bookmark this blog.
그리고 사이트 내 보안이 약해 회원들의 정보를 해킹 해, 카지노사이트를 이용했다는 점을 악용해 신고하겠다고 협박하는 사례가 늘고 있습니다.
Pretty section of content. I just stumbled upon your weblog and in accession capital to assert that I acquire in fact enjoyed account your blog posts.
Any way I’ll be subscribing to your feeds and even I achievement you access consistently quickly.
I do not even know how I stopped up right here, but I believed this submit used to be good. I don’t know who you might be but definitely you’re going to a well-known blogger if you happen to are not already Cheers!
воєнторг
15. Купить снаряжение для армии дешево
магазини воєнторг київ військовий магазин онлайн .
I’m inspired by your passion for this topic.
Hi! I just wanted to ask if you ever have any trouble with hackers?My last blog (wordpress) was hacked and I ended up losing a few months of hard work due to no backup.Do you have any methods to prevent hackers?
Wow that was strange. I just wrote an very long comment butafter I clicked submit my comment didn’t show up.Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Anyway, just wanted to say excellent blog!
and friends of their friends one of the most advanced technologies order clenbuterol
I am really enjoying the theme/design of your web site.
Do you ever run into any web browser compatibility problems?
A small number of my blog readers have complained about my site not operating correctly in Explorer but
looks great in Chrome. Do you have any advice
to help fix this problem?
need help writing a paperediting services online
hello there and thank you for your information – I’ve definitely picked up anything new from right
here. I did however expertise some technical points using this web site, since I experienced to reload the website many
times previous to I could get it to load properly.
I had been wondering if your web hosting is OK? Not that I am complaining, but sluggish loading instances
times will very frequently affect your placement in google and could damage your high-quality score if ads and marketing with Adwords.
Anyway I’m adding this RSS to my email and can look out for much more of your respective exciting content.
Make sure you update this again soon.
F*ckin’ tremendous issues here. I am very happy to peer your article. Thanks so much and i am looking forward to touch you. Will you please drop me a mail?
My relatives always say that I am wasting my time here at net, however I know I am getting experience daily by reading thes nice posts.