How does our Tai Chi practice work with our Psoas to keep us healthy?
As we continue our regular tai chi practice, practitioners develop increased body awareness, an essential element for our psoas to function well. As mentioned in Part 1 of this discussion, the psoas is truly foundational to our tai chi set since it is what connects the spine to our legs, allowing us to perform in proper alignment.
The Diaphragm: Since our breathing in tai chi is relaxed, natural and often deeper than usual, the expansion of the diaphragm also allows the psoas to relax and open since both are connected together via the spinal fascia.
Gentle Angular Movements: The slow, gradual nature of our tai chi movements helps to better lengthen the fascial tissue within several planes of movement, including those of the pelvis. The result is a release of any stored tension in the psoas. Our posture, balance and even our mood is improved.
Mindfulness: The mindfulness of tai chi helps us reduce the negative effects of our autonomic nervous system’s stress response, modulating our reflexive sense of fear. This means our psoas is less easily triggered by stress, encouraging better muscle relaxation. This mind-body interplay improves the quality of our tai chi.
Posture and Alignment: Since we are always aiming to maintain the center line within the structure of our spine and pelvis, tai chi actively works to promote the strength and integrity of our psoas.
Which specific Tai Chi moves engage the Psoas?
Kua Posture: Keeping the hips or “Kua” open (with pelvis tilted back) as in Dan-Yus and Tor-Yus, engages the psoas, promoting both flexibility and strength in our hips.
Wave Hands and Spiraling: These repeated moves create a spiraling of the spinal column and its nearby structures. Since the psoas is attached to the lumbar vertebrae, it becomes free of any trapped muscular and ligamentous tension.
Leg Lifts and Kicks: Since the psoas connects the upper and lower body, these unique moves activate and strengthen the power of our psoas, promoting better balance and co-ordination across our entire body.
White Stork Spreads Wings: This move is all about fascial stretching of the thorax, spinal column and pelvis. We experience a wonderful psoas release as a result.
Standing Posture and Meditation: This seemingly simple stance serves to increase our awareness of the pelvic alignment while encouraging a quiet psoas relaxation.
But what about the Soul?
L. Koch has studied the psoas extensively (see reference). She explains that, in the Taoist tradition, the psoas is often referred to as the seat of the soul because it surrounds the lower “Dantien”, a major energy center of the body. It is further believed that a healthy and strong psoas enables us to deeply connect to the Universal Life Force by grounding us to the earth. During one’s tai chi practice, subtle energies are thought to travel from this energy center towards the earth’s own energy field and then flow back into our bones and soft tissues, awakening the spine while connecting us to the Cosmos in the process. How cool is that!
https://bodydivineyoga.wordpress.com/2011/03/23/the-psoas-muscle-of-the-soul/
Copyright ©️ 2024 Lila Zitouni
Translation by Jordi Awarita, Cathy Filion
Wow, thanks for these posts. It encourages my practice of this art.