The Muscle of the Soul’ may be Triggering Your Fear and Anxiety
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 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.” 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.
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. 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. 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.
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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.
The psoas is an important, yet often unknown, muscle that
plays a vital role in physical health and mental well being. 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.
About the Author
Brett Wilbanks is a freelancer writer with great interest in
the overall health and wellbeing of the body and mind. He is a staff writer for
WakingTimes.com and an avid gardener, reader, and proponent of natural, green,
environmentally-friendly living.