Introduction
The Vital Psoas Muscle was written because it explains the only muscle in the human organism that connects the upper body to the lower body. Most people are not actually aware of how important this is.
In teaching and researching the psoas as a major force in the body, I began a journey from the kinesiological point of view, into the realm of body flow, energies, and proprioception. This experience has humbled me.
Physically: As a movement specialist I found the mechanics documented, as recently as a year ago, in a state of flux as to psoas actions and roles. Renowned psoas experts are constantly updating information to help sort everything out. The most simplified statement is this: the psoas is complicated. No longer will I call the psoas a major mover of hip flexion, except as part of the iliopsoas muscle group, where the iliacus is the stronger flexor in most cases. In the lumbar spine, there are other muscles that remain the more powerful flexors, mainly the rectus abdominis. The roles of the psoas major as both a lumbar spine and hip stabilizer and a connector to the lower extremity appear more important mechanically and warrant its significance, yet its stabilizing functions are still in question depending on the movement.
Emotionally: In the field of psycho-emotional connection, information on the psoas’s relation with the nervous system is mind-boggling, yet very real. I have tried to make this material accessible to a larger audience in a way it can be understood.
Spiritually: Knowledge of spiritual energies has been mostly examined through ancient texts and the science of Kundalini yoga and meditation, which appear thorough and relevant to this day. The psoas remains an important figure within this realm because of its deep location, central placement, and relation to other structures. Even though the “subtle” body is thought of as separate from the anatomical structure, the two are truly related, for how can energy flow without breath and muscular work serving in some way? The skill is in the perception. As the universe is interrelated, so is the body; we are life forms constantly evolving.
How we use the psoas and take care of it is crucial. Everyone is different, but its misuse is overwhelmingly apparent in many people. The psoas has become an innocent culprit in various situations, some explained in this text. Finding a specialist who can diagnose and deal with the psoas is difficult. Treatment and commitment to healing can be frustrating, yet effective, as the psoas is restored to its full potential.
I have found that freeing the psoas is more directly a complement to the full body system, with strengthening or stretching secondary, in many cases. This is because the psoas is not just misused – it is abused. Once released it can operate effectively in the very important roles discussed in this book. I love the words used by Liz Koch, an extraordinary psoas expert: “juicy, responsive, supple.” If followed, these words can lead to a healthy psoas that affects so many important modalities in the body.
Jo Ann Staugaard-Jones