The Psoas and World Domination

 My dear friend and client often comes into the studio and says, “It’s been a tough week so my Psoas is yet again vying for world domination.”  We laugh and then she heads to the Cadillac to stretch her Psoas.  What is the Psoas? And how might it vie for world domination…Let’s think about the metaphor.  Is the Psoas a dictatorial tyrant?  Controlling?  Powerful?  Can it be manipulative?  Is it stubborn? Can it change?  Well the answer to all of these questions depends on as many factors as there are people in the world.  There are so many opinions, and so many disagreements that sometimes when I think of the Psoas I think of it laughing maniacally in the background as our bodies try to organize themselves around it.  So yes, it is possible for the Psoas to vie for world domination, but there are also ways to empower the tyrannical Psoas into benevolence and diplomacy so that it gives up on such a quest. 

Ok…The first question to answer is what the &^$& is the Psoas?  I have found some pictures to illustrate the location.

So you can see from the pictures that the Psoas originates at the Twelfth Thoracic Vertebra and has a slip that attaches to each Lumbar Vertebra and then inserts at the lesser trochanter of the inner thigh.  There is no need to know all of the fancy words to understand the Psoas, so if you want to disregard the anatomical description picture this:  Close your eyes and picture your belly now imagine your way through the layers of abdominals to the visceral cavity (organ bag) behind this is the spine and running along the sides of the spine is the Psoas.  It is a large meaty muscle that swings the leg when walking.  Also remember two dimensional anatomical pictures often make us think that the Psoas is flat or linear.  Rather try thinking of the Psoas as a column of support for the spine; it has depth and thickness.  I also sometimes think of it as a triangular sail that is blowing in the wind. The Psoas gives the image of long beautiful legs an entirely different meaning.   Picture a graceful gait where the legs are swinging easily and the ribcage is floating in an easy rotation with the spine, and then pay homage to the power of the Psoas.

Now what strategies are there to create a benevolent philanthropic yet powerful and strong Psoas? Like I’ve said before the strategies vary from person to person, modality to modality, and personality to personality.   In my experience, the Psoas craves aware breath.  It needs the kind of breath that fills the body cavity with air three-dimensionally.  It needs the kind of breath that might make someone dizzy because there is so much more air.  The Psoas also craves a complete exhale and softening. It wants the kind of exhale that triggers a sudden inhale.  The Psoas also craves strength in length.  It wants to move through its full range of motion, and it wants to perform all of its functions in a balanced way.  The Psoas wants to be nurtured…cared for…released.  The Psoas wants to be benevolent.  Really I promise it does! 

There are many teachers out there who have written about the Psoas.  Tom Myers, Irmgard Bartenieff, Nancy Topf, Liz Koch are a few of my favorites. Check out their websites, and start your Psoas journey today!