Psoas and Trauma

The psoas is one of your body's strongest muscles, and it has a substantial impact and influence on its interior structure. Independent movements in your body might elicit feelings and memories. This might manifest as shaking or trembling deep in your pelvis. If you've ever felt this, you may have just connected with your gorgeous and powerful psoas muscle.

What is the Psoas muscle?

The psoas muscle connects the upper and lower bodies. It is the muscle that links your spine and legs. It is also one of the most intriguing and significant muscles in the human body in terms of physicality, emotion, and energy.

Almost every motion and movement involves the psoas muscle. It influences your emotions and thinking as well. It is a true connection in every meaning of the term, and hence a genuine 'yogic' muscle.

The psoas impacts healthy and balanced posture and is linked to stiffness in the hips and spine. It also has an impact on our ability to move freely when walking, running, sitting and weightlifting or doing yoga. Our diaphragm is softly yet strongly related to the psoas, which regulates how we breathe.

The psoas plays a significant role in the emotional body, influencing feelings of wellbeing and stability as well as the capacity to relax. An aroused, relaxed, and juicy psoas allows for free passage of subtle energy and improves awareness throughout the body.

Anatomy of the Psoas muscle

The number of psoai (plural of psoas) varies according to the muscles included. The psoas complex is made up of four muscles: psoas major and psoas minor on each side of the body. The role of the psoai has altered as we evolved from being on all fours to being upright. The psoas minor muscle is gradually transforming into a tendon, Psoas  major muscle inserts into the lumbar vertebrae. It links to all of the vertebral bodies and intervertebral discs in the lower back, up to T12, where your lower ribs start. The psoas passes through the pelvis before joining to the inner upper thigh bone at the lesser trochanter.  We commonly refer to the psoas complex as 'the iliopsoas' muscle since it attaches to the thigh bone alongside the iliacus muscle. However, the psoas and iliacus muscles have separate functions. The iliacus originates on the inside of the pelvic rim and aids hip flexion at the pelvis. The iliacus is not engaged in spinal flexion or extension bending forward or backward.

Effects of an unbalanced psoas.

  The psoas travels through our pelvis but is not linked to it, so its effect on pelvic alignment is difficult to quantify. And since there are two distinct psoai, they may and often are of differing lengths. They have the ability to tilt, move, and rotate the pelvis. They may also cause sacroiliac, pelvic, and back problems, affecting the pelvis and occasionally even the neck.

The impact of an unbalanced psoas muscle on the lower back is direct and immediate. It may either pull the lower back into lordosis a deeper inward bend or flatten it. In any case, when the lower back is out of alignment, the psoas has an indirect but significant effect on the remainder of the spine. The psoas is one of your body's strongest muscles, and it has a substantial impact and influence on its interior structure.

Tightness or imbalance in the tone of the psoas might also result in other often unnoticed difficulties. These include: difficulty concentrating, sitting still or relaxing, irritation, sorrow, rage, weariness, trouble falling asleep or sleeping properly, and stomach disorders.

The curvature of your pelvis and spine is heavily influenced by how 'toned', or flexible and powerful your psoas muscle is. The tone of your psoas may also influence a variety of other conditions that impair your quality of life. At least two key variables alter the tone or level of tension in the psoas. These include your regular posture and movement, as well as any stress or trauma in your body.

How does exercise influence the psoas?

A tight psoas might result from the sort of activities or inactivity we participate in. Nowadays, we generally practice sports or activities at certain periods of the week, rather than moving gradually throughout the day. A lack of diversified activity or overuse of certain muscle groups might disrupt your body's muscle tone balance.

This imbalance is particularly noticeable in those who isolate muscles during strenuous exercises or weight lifting. The emphasis on exercising individual muscles rather than the whole body promotes muscular dominance in certain muscles and muscle groups.

This muscular imbalance happens in a variety of activities, including intense cycling and mountain climbing, when the front body muscles are used more than the rear body muscles. In these circumstances, the front body muscles and hip flexors, particularly the psoas muscle, grow and adapt to a permanently constricted condition. As a result, the shortened psoas tends to create back issues since it pulls on the spine repeatedly.

How might inactivity affect the psoas muscle?

The psoas muscle may also shorten due to inactivity. The psoas muscle functions similarly to a strong elastic band. as you stand up straight, the rope is tight; as you bend from your hips, it loosens. while the hips are in flexion, such as while sitting or lying on your side, the psoas relaxes and shortens.

When your body is consistently positioned in a certain posture for extended periods of time, it becomes typical. Your muscle and connective tissues will conform to this shape. So, when you sit for an extended amount of time, your psoas muscles shrink to compensate. This is a crucial aspect, considering that recent studies reveal that individuals sit for an average of 12 hours every day.

Tension in the body is mostly caused by tension in the myofascial, or connective tissue that runs through the muscles. When your muscles feel tight, it is not because they have become' stiff'. Instead, the connective tissue inside the muscle stiffens up. However, as the psoas reacts to stress, the muscle tightens. Depending on how you stretch your psoas, you may either alleviate or increase stress.

Exploring Your Psoas Muscle

You may be startled to learn that you can feel your psoas with your fingertips. You may attempt this in the following classes: Psoas, Sacrum, and Core. Keep in mind that the psoas feels completely distinct from any other muscle in your body. Although very powerful, it may seem fragile and may elicit a significant bodily reaction when touched.

It takes some experimentation and experience, but you may be able to feel the psoas from the inside out. Simply resting on your mat and focusing your attention on the psoas will ultimately result in sensory awareness. Developing your awareness of when the psoas relaxes and tightens will also help you experience it off a yoga mat. This is particularly true in stressful conditions, as it tightens. On the opposite end of the spectrum, you may feel the psoas release when you are calm.

Sensory inquiry paired with yoga can help you sense the psoas and deal with it in a healthy manner. This may entail learning to relax and correcting your posture. Many yoga asanas, when performed correctly, may assist to stretch out this chronic stiffness. However, other reasons of a constricted psoas, such as deep tension and trauma, must be released by the psoas itself.

Body and psoas tension relief class

  Tension is a normal and natural feeling that everyone has; nonetheless, it is critical that we can handle it. If we do not let it to release, we may end up with residual tension in our physical bodies that lasts long after the incident that generated it. This session will take you through some easy stances and motions. It will assist you in listening to your body and providing the space necessary to release stress.

Body and psoas Tension, Trauma, and the Psoas

Habitual movement patterns, particularly the length of time spent in hip flexion, might influence the tension and tone of the psoas. However, deep-rooted tension is more often caused by unresolved tension and trauma from the past.

Directly massaging the psoas muscle may be unpleasant; in certain cases, touching the psoas can cause nausea or dizziness. Tension and trauma from the past are best discharged by the body itself, over time. A relaxation of tension in the psoas might cause a spontaneous release of tension elsewhere.

The Nervous System and the Psoas

Simply explained, the autonomic nervous system (ANS) functions as our body's 'control system'. It operates primarily automatically and without our direct control. A well-functioning  ANS is essential for human health and promotes development and rest. The ANS also controls how the body responds to safety and danger. It has three states. The parasympathetic state of relaxation (rest and digest), the sympathetic state of activation and defense (fight or flight), and, if neither fighting nor running is feasible, our bodies opt for a third option: freezing.

The ability to transition between phases with ease is an indicator of a healthy and well-functioning body. However, the body is most at ease in the parasympathetic state of rest. In this condition, the majority of the body's energy will travel to the digestive organs, while the muscles will automatically tone and rest.

When your body feels or experiences danger, it reacts by activating at a higher level. When you enter the sympathetic state, the psoas muscles are the first to react. It contracts in response to danger, preparing to leave or fight. When the threat is over and you feel secure again, you will return to the parasympathetic state of relaxation and rest, as long as you release the tension.

The significance of digesting trauma and stress.

  'Coming down' from this enhanced activity state is critical for your physical, emotional, and mental wellness. However, if you are unable to understand and release the stress you have experienced, the tension in your psoas will stay engaged, even if you believe you have relaxed.

This mismatch between thought and body may persist for years. Some bodies can and will withstand a great deal of strain and trauma, whilst others cannot. The psoas is similar to a container; some persons have a large container, while others have a smaller one. If not emptied on a regular basis, it accumulates stress and may hold years of unresolved tension.