As I began to prepare this article, I very quickly realized that a discussion on our psoas muscle and its relevance to our daily tai chi practice required two separate offerings to do this topic justice. Part 1 will thus be focused on the psoas muscle itself. And Part 2 will be dedicated to understanding how this muscle influences our tai chi practice and vice versa.
Let’s begin our exploration!
Our iliopsoas muscle is made up of two muscles (psoas major and psoas minor). Our focus will be on the psoas major. The psoas spans out from the 12th ribs to each of the five lumbar vertebrae. From there, it travels through the pelvis, abdomen, and inserts into the inner top of the thigh bone (femur). It is the only muscle that connects the upper body to the lower body, providing essential core stability. The upper portion of the psoas is further connected to our diaphragm via tendons and fascia. And, very importantly, the psoas has a strong connection to our autonomic nervous system.
What are the functions of the Psoas?
The psoas is a hip flexor (pulls our hips up) and provides the strength and flexibility needed for standing, bending, reaching, turning, stretching and walking. It controls our balance and stabilizes our hips so we can move forward with ease. And most essential for our tai chi practice, a healthy psoas muscle creates a neutral pelvic alignment, allowing us to push a force from our feet into our spine in a balanced manner, while maintaining a good posture. Our psoas also plays a vital role in supporting the active circulation of our pelvic and abdominal organs.
Is my Psoas healthy?
There are several reasons we may have a tight or unhealthy psoas muscle. The three main causes are frequent and prolonged sitting, injuries, and chronic stress.
Prolonged sitting and injuries create a shortening of the psoas, which in turn forces our pelvis to thrust (tilt) forward. This misalignment exaggerates the posterior curve of our spine, slightly protrudes discs, causes hip and back pain, encourages poor posture, reduces balance, and often results in uncomfortable sleep and generalized lethargy.
It is very interesting to further appreciate that our psoas is linked to our “fight or flight response” via our autonomic nervous system. This is because our psoas is linked to our reptilian brain, the area responsible for our survival instinct. When this instinct is activated, we either go into a fetal position for protection or run fiercely from danger, releasing adrenaline and cortisol. Both these postures mean our psoas is greatly tightened in response and stress hormones begin to circulate. This is why having a consistently tight psoas muscle can make us feel anxious, hypervigilant and exhausted; because some part of us feels like we are in constant danger!
How to keep our psoas healthy? Tai Chi, of course. Please visit Part 2 for details!
Copyright ©️ 2024 Lila Zitouni
Translation by Jordi Awarita , Cathy Filion
Wow, this article inspired me to do a bunch of danyu’s on the spot! So nice to have a graphic of what’s happening inside our bodies when we practice. Thank you for your efforts, Lila. Anna 🙂
Thanks very much for this, it is extra helpful/motivating (in personal practise) to have these explanations & visuals. ed
Thanx for your efforts we are luck to have you in our group.
Zen