The Psoas Muscle, also referred to as The Muscle of the Soul, holds onto traumatic experiences on a cellular level. Releasing it with the right yoga poses can help the body process through and release trauma responses that have been locked within for years.
In the emotional body, the psoas greatly determines the ability to relax, and influences feelings of wellbeing and stability.
Tension, stress and the psoas
But other parts of the body store stress as well – including the hips. The psoas is the main muscle involved in the “fight or flight” response of the body. When you're startled, your psoas contracts; when you experience mental or emotional stress, the psoas will respond by tightening.
In some Buddhist traditions, the psoas is said to be the seat of the soul, storing trauma and emotionally charged tension and playing a key role in our fight or flight response. The two psoas muscles run down either side of the spine, across the pelvis and into the top, inner thighbones.
Direct imaging of the iliopsoas tendon is commonly performed with either MRI or sonography. MRI can optimally depict the psoas tendon attachment onto the lesser trochanter of the femur, whereas most of the iliacus attaches onto the proximal femoral shaft without a tendon (Fig.
The psoas tendon can get inflamed from overuse, muscle tightness, and muscle weakness, resulting in a painful hip condition known as psoas tendonitis.
It is one of the more sensitive areas a Massage Therapist can treat. Getting in and working on the psoas is a skill in itself. It takes practice and some clear communication with your patient. Over the years I have had some great success with it and even have some people who request specifically to have it treated.
People with trauma, stress or mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression often suffer physical symptoms as well. In all of this, there may be one common link: the hips. Neuroscience indicates that the hips are a potential storage vessel for emotions.
"When we stretch, we can potentially open up those parts of the body and reawaken trauma," Dr. Gordon says. "It's very important if you're working with psychological trauma to use tools and techniques that help the body to open up."
Emotional information is stored through “packages” in our organs, tissues, skin, and muscles. These “packages” allow the emotional information to stay in our body parts until we can “release” it. Negative emotions in particular have a long-lasting effect on the body.
Ever since people's responses to overwhelming experiences have been systematically explored, researchers have noted that a trauma is stored in somatic memory and expressed as changes in the biological stress response.
To release your psoas, practice a version of Legs-Up-the-Wall, with your calves resting on the seat of a chair (or couch). This supine shape puts the muscles into a slack position, allowing space for them to deeply relax.
Some patients may describe their pain as a dull ache, whereas others experience something more akin to a sharp stab. Some may even find that their pain radiates into distant parts of their body, such as from the back and into the leg or foot.
Walking is a more natural type of exercise to strengthen the psoas, because walking does both actions: hip flexion and trunk rotation. Jogging is even better.
Stretching the hip muscles causes a release; pent-up emotions may resurface, suppressed memories may arise, unconscious tension still held onto from a traumatic event may bubble up. All of which may unleash a seemingly inexplicable barrage of tears.
Neck Tension = Fear and Repressed Self-Expression
Fear and anxiety are also frequently stored in this area, particularly as a physical response to danger (as the neck is a vulnerable area) or strange environments. Neck muscle tension is also related to trust issues.
After practicing TRE® people often use the words 'grounded', 'relaxed' and 'calmer' to describe their feelings. After a period of several months people have reported relief from illnesses such as Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, Eczema and IBS.
The psoas can become tight when overstressed with emotions or from sitting at a desk all day. This can lead to a shortened psoas muscle which then triggers fear and anxiety, so the cycle begins. In yoga, we often work on breathwork, meditation, and poses to help us stay emotionally and physically balanced.