When the psoas contracts, it will pull the femur and the spine closer together (hip flexion). Now that you have a picture of the psoas in your mind, let’s see if you can feel it contracting. This action is important for yoga practitioners to understand because the psoas may try to externally rotate the hip in poses where we don’t want external rotation, such as backbends or forward bends. Besides flexion, these muscles might also contribute to the internal or external rotation of the hip.
The other hip flexors include the sartorius, the tensor fascia lata, the rectus femoris, the pectineus, and the adductor brevis. The two muscles work so closely together that they’re usually referred to as one, the iliopsoas. If it’s out of balance, it can be a significant contributor to low back and pelvic pain.Īlong the way, the psoas picks up its synergist, the iliacus, which originates on the inner bowl of the pelvis (or the ilium) and joins the psoas on its path downward to attach to the femur. The psoas affects our posture and helps stabilize the spine. It proceeds down and forward, crossing the outer edge of each pubis, then moves back again to attach on a bony prominence of the inner upper posterior femur (thigh bone) called the lesser trochanter. Looking at the front of the body, you’d have to remove the intestines and other digestive organs, as well as the female reproductive organs, to be able to see the muscle in the very back of the abdomen. The psoas originates from the lumbar vertebrae and forms a strip of muscle almost as big as a wrist along each side of the spine. Many students and even teachers have only a vague idea of where it is located.
PSOAS MUSCLE STRETCH HOW TO
How to Find the PsoasĪlthough the psoas is one of the most important muscles in yoga poses, it is also one of the most misunderstood. Then you’ll see why the psoas is integral to asanas as diverse as navasana (boat pose) and setu bandha sarvangasana (bridge pose), and how to engage and stretch this massive muscle for optimal benefit.
To help you create balance in the psoas and keep your low back healthy, it is important to first understand the anatomy. The way that we use the psoas in our yoga practice can either help keep it healthy, strong, and flexible, or, conversely, can perpetuate harmful imbalances. Without its normal curve, the low back is weakened and vulnerable to injury, especially at the intervertebral discs.
This misalignment is characterized by tight hamstrings pulling down on the sitting bones, a vertical sacrum (instead of its usual gentle forward tilt), and a flattened lumbar spine. On the other hand, a weak and overstretched psoas can contribute to a common postural problem in which the pelvis is pushed forward of the chest and knees. The hip flexors can become short and tight if you spend most of your waking hours sitting, or if you repeatedly work them in activities like sit-ups, bicycling, and certain weight-training exercises.Ī tight psoas can cause serious postural problems: when you stand up, it pulls the low back vertebrae forward and down toward the femur, often resulting in lordosis (overarching in the lumbar spine), which is a common cause of low back pain and stiffness it can also contribute to arthritis in the lumbar facet joints. The psoas major is the biggest and strongest player in a group of muscles called the hip flexors: together they contract to pull the thigh and the torso toward each other. The psoas is a deep-seated core muscle connecting the lumbar vertebrae to the femur. A primary connector between the torso and the leg, the psoas is also an important muscle off the mat: it affects posture, helps stabilize the spine, and, if it’s out of balance, can be a significant contributor to low back and pelvic pain. Most yoga students are aware that the psoas is a central player in asana, even if the muscle’s deeper function and design seem a mystery.
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