Yoga For Your Psoas

I’ve been doing yoga for a number of years now but in the last couple of months I’ve been hearing the word ‘Psoas’ being used more and more frequently in relation to certain poses in my yoga classes. Now it could be just sheer ignorance on my part that I had no idea what the psoas is or how important it is not just in terms of yoga but our every day life so I decided to ask a few questions.

The psoas muscle (pronounced so-as) I have learned is one of the deepest muscles in our core and is located in the lower lumbar region of the spine and extends through the pelvis to the femur. It is a major part of a group of muscles called the hip flexors and in layman’s terms is the muscle we use when we bend over to pick something up. The psoas is also the muscle we use to stabilize our spine when we are sitting and is very important for our posture.

If we have a tight psoas it can pull the vertebrae in our lower back down towards the femur and this can cause our lumbar spine to overarch and this can result in postural problems and lower back pain. Because of where the psoas is situated a tight psoas can also cause us pelvic pain and lead to constipation.

Sitting for long periods of time is not good for our psoas so it’s important that we move around as much as we can and this is really important for those of us who sit at our desks all day.

There are many yoga poses that help us stretch our psoas muscle and they are all poses that we may be familiar with or have done many times before. Here are some you may recognize:

• Keeping a bolster, foam block and strap close by lay down with your back on the mat.
• Take a bolster or a foam block and place it by your right hip. It’s important that the bolster or the block is by your hip and not up by your armpit.
• With knees bent and both feet on the mat, take a strap and lasoo it around the balls of your right foot holding each side of the strap in each hand and raise your foot to the ceiling.
• Slowly slide your left leg down the mat and keep both legs active by flexing both feet.
• When it feels comfortable to do so take both sides of the strap into your right hand and slowly and gently turn your right ankle to the right and begin to take your leg out wide and lower it to the bolster or the block.
• Stay here for a couple of breaths.
• Bring your leg back to centre and bend your knee so your foot is standing on the mat.
• Bend your left leg so both feet are on the mat and move the bolster or block to your left hip and lasoo the balls of your left foot.
• Raise your left foot to the ceiling and slide your right leg down the mat and flex both feet.
• Turn your left ankle towards the left and slowly and gently stretch your left leg out and bring it down to the bolster or the block.
• Stay here for a couple of breaths.
• Bring your left leg back up to centre and then bend your left leg so your foot is standing on the mat.
• Bring your right leg to join the left so that both feet are standing on the mat.
• Move your belt out of the way and to the side and then bring both your knees towards your chest and give them a hug.
• Rock from side to side a couple of times and then slowly turn towards your right side and bring yourself to a seated position.

Low Lunge:

• Bring yourself up to standing with hands by your side.
• Standing tall in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) breathe in and raise your arms straight up, palms facing each other.
• Step your right leg back and bend your left knee to a 90-degree angle.
• Bring your right knee to the mat, keeping your lower belly engaged and extend your lower back.
• Keeping your arms raised over your head, rotate your upper arms inwards to broaden your back and gaze upwards.
• Repeat on the other side.

 Pigeon Pose

• From your low lunge, bend your left knee in front of you and stretch your right leg back towards the end of the mat lowering your pelvis to the floor.
• Keep your front foot flexed and stay here for a few breaths.
• If you want a deeper stretch, roll your left ribs down towards the ground and stretch your arms out on the floor in front of you.
• Repeat on the other side

Extended Side Pose:

• Coming back to Tadasana take your feet 3 to 4 feet apart.
• Turn your right foot out at a 90-degree angle and your left at a 45-degree angle.
• Bend your right knee ensuring it is directly over your right ankle.
• Inhale and raise your left arm to the ceiling and then over your right ear.
• Exhale and put the palm of your right hand flat on the floor by your ankle.
• If it feels uncomfortable to put your palms on the floor you can place your right hand on your knee.
• Repeat on the other side.

Warrior I:

• In Tadasana turn your right foot out to a 90-degree angle and your left foot in at 45-degrees as with the extended side pose.
• Breathe in and raise your arms above your head, keeping them straight and shoulder distance apart, palms are facing each other and fingertips are pointing to the ceiling.
• Exhale and slowly let your head fall back taking care not to put any strain on your neck and gaze upwards.
• Stay here for a few breaths, breathing normally.
• Repeat on the other side.

Bridge Pose:

• Coming back down to a laying position, lay on your back with your legs straight out in front of you and your arms by your side, palms on the mat.
• Bend your knees so both feet at standing on the mat.
• Bring your heels towards your buttocks and point your knees towards the ceiling.
• Inhale and begin to raise your buttocks off the floor.
• Tighten your buttock and thigh muscles and push your pelvis, lower back and front of body towards the ceiling so your body is resting on your shoulders.
• On the exhale move your arms so they are under your body. From here you can place your hands on the back of your waist to provide extra support ensuring your upper arms are still in contact with the floor or you can interlace your fingers.
• Walking your heels towards your shoulders push your pelvis, hips and front of body up a little more.
• Tuck your chin in towards your chest to lengthen the back of your neck.
• To come out of the posture, exhale and bring your arms down by your sides with your palms facing downwards and uncurl your spine slowly back down to the floor.
• Relax your back and then stretch your legs out in front of you, keeping your arms relaxed by your sides.