3 Tips For Your Psoas & Happy Hips
Psoas & Happy Hips
Tight hips? Work on your psoas. Tight psoas? Work on your hips. The psoas are the only muscles in your body that connects the spine to the legs. As a result, if your psoas are tight and stressed, many different parts of your body will be affected from the neck, down to the feet and everywhere in between.
We are so excited to welcome back Brea Johnson to Yogalife Studios South for the second instalment of Psoas & Happy Hips.
As an extension of the Psoas Part 1, we will explore the relationship that the psoas has with the rest of the body, specifically focusing on the hips. Whether you attended Part 1 or are completely new, you will gain new insight and understanding of your psoas in a tangible and hands-on way. Traverse all the nooks and crannies in your hips and legs to increase range of motion and build structural stability. When your hips have more freedom, then the psoas can stay supple and happy.
Gain a wide variety of self-care tools that you can integrate into your everyday life to maintain the health of your psoas. You will be able to better understand, manage and prevent back pain, pelvic floor issues, sleep, posture, flexibility, digestion, immune, adrenal & hormonal function just to name a few. The workshop is movement-based so that we can integrate intellectual understanding of the biomechanics of our body with the tangible experience of healthy alignment and movement.
Psoas Releases
Psoas Release on Block
Place block (or bolster) underneath your pelvis. You want to have the block fairly low down, toward your tailbone to allow your pubic bone to lengthen toward the ceiling.
This tilt will allow your low back and ribcage to move towards the ground. Start to feel the back of your ribcage soften down and the belly relax completely. If you have the habit of thrusting your ribs, then you can place your hands on the front of your ribcage to remind yourself to relax toward the floor. Stay for 5-10 mins. Psoas Release with Bolster Under Shoulders
Place one edge of your bolster between your shoulder blades. The rest of your spine and ribcage will be off of the bolster and relaxing towards the ground. If your psoas is really tight, the front of your ribcage will be lifted and most of your back will be off the floor. Over time, the psoas will relax enough that most of the back softens down and connects more on the floor. This isn’t something that you can force, you just have to hang out and allow your psoas and muscles to relax. Stay 5-10 mins or as long as it feels comfortable. You can also place a blanket over your body for more warmth and grounding. Stack your bones, not your psoas
One very simple cue that you can remind yourself of all day long while you are standing, is to back your hips over your heels. Most of us have the habit of thrusting our hips forward which places strain on your back, knees and feet. Just by backing your pelvis so it is lined right over your heels, your bones get to do the weight bearing that they are designed to do and your psoas doesn’t have to hold you up.
Yoga and the Psoas with Brea Johnson Saturday, October 24 || 2:30-5:30 Yogalife Studios South