By: Jacob Devaney
TAKING TIME TO UNLOCK THE ‘MUSCLE OF THE
SOUL’
Do you spend much time sitting in front of a
computer, on a plane, in a car? If so your hips may be locked up which effects
your ability to dance, but worse than that it may be causing you undue stress
and fear. The Psoas Muscle, is a long muscle located on the side of the lumbar
region of the vertebral column and brim of the pelvis, that is also known as
the “muscle of the soul”.
It is one of the largest muscles in the body
and it is a place where we often store stress or trauma that can literally
influence our mood and our outlook on life. We recently explored in depth just
how much fear can inhibit our ability to think clearly thus creating an
unhealthy perspective that can harm us and those around us. Now let’s look at
where that fear might be stored in our body, and a few ways to release it.
In humans, the extremes of the two polarities might appropriately be described as LOVE (+) and FEAR (- ). Love fuels growth. In contrast, fear stunts growth. – Bruce Lipton, Ph.D.
If you spend long hours sitting, your hips
may be locked up, causing you undue stress and fear
HOW BUILT UP STRESS MAKES US EASY TO
MANIPULATE
Being in a state of fear allows us to be
easily manipulated. Advertisers and politicians have learned to capitalize on
this biological aspect of humans also known as the lizard brain. Unfortunately
our fast-paced lifestyles (mentally), combined with our relatively stagnate
physical activity (driving, working at computer, etc.) causes our bodies to be
ineffective at releasing built up stress which manifests in our thoughts as
fear or anxiety.
Lizard brain refers to the oldest part of the brain, the brain stem, responsible for primitive survival instincts such as aggression and fear (flight or fight) – Joseph Troncale M.D., Psychology Today
The effects of stress on the body
WHERE IS A MAJORITY OF THE STRESS STORED?
It is often stored in one of the largest
muscles in our body, the psoas. This muscle stretches from our lower trunk
through our hips into the top of our thighs, it is used for core stability and
the fight flight reflex. Every time we see something that startles us (real or
perceived threat) like an animal crossing the road while we drive, or a violent
scene in a movie, our brain sends signals our body to respond by releasing
epinephrine (adrenaline).
The muscle that is most central to our
fight/flight response is the psoas. When we don’t respond, these stress
hormones go unspent and become stored in the body. This can bring many health
problems including insomnia, lowered immune system, anxiety, eating disorders,
depression, and living in a constant state of fear or alert.
Because the psoas is so intimately involved in such basic physical and emotional reactions, a chronically tightened psoas continually signals your body that you’re in danger, eventually exhausting the adrenal glands and depleting the immune system. As you learn to approach the world without this chronic tension, psoas awareness can open the door to a more sensitive attunement to your body’s inner signals about safety and danger, and to a greater sense of inner peace. – Liz Koch, Author of The Psoas Book
There are many yoga poses to stretch the
psoas muscle
THERAPEUTIC APPROACH
Since stress accumulates on an unconscious
level, healing our bodies is a process that must happen consciously. There is
no single way to do this, it requires gradual lifestyle changes and a daily
practice. Craniosacral Therapy is powerful because it helps teach our body how
to relax into a parasympathetic state which relaxes the nervous system. This
gentle and non-invasive approach helps us bring awareness to and melt away the
stress stored within us.
To work with the psoas is not to try to control the muscle, but to cultivate the awareness necessary for sensing its messages. This involves making a conscious choice to become somatically aware. – Liz Koch, Author of The Psoas Book
YOGA AND PERSONAL PRACTICE
The best doctor is already within you. There
is no replacement for cultivating a practice that heals, replenishes, and
relaxes you from the in-side, out. There are numerous yoga poses that can help
you on your journey of releasing this stress, anxiety, and fear stored within
your psoas. Yoga calls this “the muscle of the soul” so any focus here is sure
to give great results to your overall well-being. Yoga International seems to
have a comprehensive list of photos and descriptions of poses that can start
you on your journey.
A 5-minute routine to stretch the Psoas
If you spend as much time stretching your psoas muscle every day as you
just did reading this article, you will notice some big changes in your life.
First you may begin catching a lot of attention on the dance floor, but more
importantly you will loosen your mind from the grips of fear and anxiety. It
comes down to a conscious choice to live in trust and love instead of fear and
anxiety, and that choice has to be followed by real-world action. It all starts
within!
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