Everything You Need To Know About The Psoas Major Or The “Muscle Of The Soul”

The psoas major is a muscle that runs the length of the lumbar region of the spine and in the pelvis.

These muscles are the largest and strongest of all. They are also known as the hip flexors.

It is these muscles that allow us to perform actions, even the simplest. There are many examples of this: cycling, lying down, standing up, dancing, stretching, bending the knees, and the majority of the classical yoga movements.

But in the title, we’ve mentioned another surprising aspect that might interest you. The psoas major is best known as the “muscle of the soul”.

The reason people use this suggestive and poetic term is based on two core factors:

• The first thing is that the muscle is one of the deepest muscles in your body. It promotes movement, but above all it ensures that we are stable.
• The second aspect is equally striking. The psoas major has a lot to do with our emotional world. It plays a role in the process of releasing tension and channeling stress and anxiety and more.

Have you never heard of this “muscle of the soul”? Then we are confident that you will find the following information interesting.

This structure contributes to our balance and our ability to make wide movements.

We do not perceive this muscle. If we’ve never heard of it, we don’t even know where it is. But actually, we all notice that muscle is there whenever we sit for long periods of time and have back pain.

We feel it when we suffer from low back pain. This also happens when the hip hurts or when we feel shooting pains between the intervertebral discs.

Between the diaphragm and the pelvic floor: protection, stability and well-being

The psoas major is located exactly there, in the most intimate area of ​​the body. It is connected to the diaphragm and pelvic floor and split into two parts:

• A deep part, which goes from the first to the fifth lumbar vertebra.
• A part that is more superficial in the lumbar vertebrae of the chest.

It’s also important to mention that this muscle doesn’t just help us keep the spine stable. But it is also essential to provide a good “adherence” for the organs in the abdomen.

• The psoas major doesn’t just work like a muscle. He is also a messenger for the central nervous system.
• This structure is connected to the diaphragm by connective tissue or fascia. As a result, this muscle acts as a messenger for the many emotions we feel intensely in the stomach (sometimes referred to as the “second brain”).

• That means that the muscle of the soul is very often involved in basic factors such as breathing or fear reflexes, stress and anxiety.
• When we lead a hectic life, large amounts of cortisol and adrenaline are released into the blood. This will cause the psoas major to tighten.
• This prepares us to flee. This flight response aims to escape from the things the brain interprets as harmful and dangerous.
• If we are in this state of great fear or stress for several weeks or months, this muscle will eventually harden.

The hardening of the psoas major or the muscle of the soul has a number of consequences. You will begin to experience back pain, sciatica and digestive problems. Sometimes women get even more painful periods… 

The resistance and resilience of this muscle is influenced by negative emotions that persist for a long time. But that’s not all that affects the psoas major.

• A sedentary lifestyle and poor posture also affect this muscle. They affect back pain and other medical conditions that we are all familiar with. 

How can we take care of our muscle of the soul?

We explain here how you can do that.

Appropriate Exercises

The purpose of many yoga exercises is to regain balance. With these exercises you also take care of the muscle of the soul or the psoas major. You make this muscle stronger.

• Any stretch involving the groin and waist will allow the tension to drain from this fantastic muscle.
• A “liberated” psoas will help strengthen our muscles, lighten the legs and make the hips more flexible and agile.

• So the ideal way is to perform appropriate stretching exercises for at least an hour every day.

Bring the knee to the chest, or lie face down while rotating the hips and moving your knee from one side to the other.

As we said, any yoga practice will have positive and beneficial effects on you. At the same time, you also improve the functioning of the organs in the abdomen and take care of your breathing, digestion and your heart.

We want to conclude with this advice: you can never spend too much daily care on these muscles. You may not even realize it, but the psoas major does a lot for your well-being.

Many Eastern philosophies assume that the psoas or muscle of the soul is the organ that transmits the energy and connects us to the earth. It is the structure that provides us with balance and vitality.

So why don’t we take better care of it? That effort is well worth it.