Yoga poses that strengthen and stretch the psoas are the most important tool for learning to release the psoas.
Yoga exercises emphasize movements that stretch and lengthen this important muscle. While balancing poses are a great way to increase core strength, especially the psoas. Yoga for the psoas also influences our freedom of movement, spontaneity, and structural integrity.
Quick Summary
The psoas major is a deep core muscle that connects each leg to the torso and can become tight, tense, and fatigued from prolonged sitting. This article details specific yoga exercises that stretch, lengthen, and contract this essential muscle. By incorporating these balancing and hip-flexion postures into a home routine, you can release the psoas, address a weak core or back pain, and improve your overall structural integrity and freedom of movement.
Follow the poses below that you can work into your home practice to lengthen and strengthen your psoas.
Table of Contents
The Psoas Muscle
The psoas muscle is one of the most important deep muscles in the body, connecting the spine to the legs. It is also frequently called the ‘soul muscle’ because it plays a crucial role in our posture, balance, movement, and flexibility. Prolonged sitting, stress, or physical inactivity can cause tightness in the psoas muscle, affecting lower back pain, hip stiffness, and overall body mobility. Yoga asanas and stretching exercises help keep this muscle strong and flexible, promoting better posture, reduced pain, and overall physical health.
Yoga for Psoas Stretches & Release
In the given yoga sequence, the main focus is on lengthening, stretching, contracting, and strengthening the psoas muscles, which include:
Tree Pose (Vrksasana)
This basic standing balance pose is effective to work the psoas on the side of the lifted leg. It strengthens your legs and core while opening up your hips, and is excellent for strengthening your abdominals.
- Stand straight on the yoga mat. The waist should be straight, and the whole body should be tight.
- Raise your right leg and bend the knee, and bring the sole over the thigh of the left leg.
- Taking a long breath, take both your hands above your head and make a salutation posture.
- You can stay in this posture for 30 seconds to 5 minutes according to your capacity. In the meantime, keep paying attention to your breath.
- Repeat this process in the same way while standing on the right leg.
King Dancer (Natarajasana)
Natarajasana is a particularly suitable pose for this series as it focuses on standing balance. It combines challenging balance with moving your rear raised leg into a backbend position, giving the psoas a good stretch.
- Stand on the yoga mat with equal weight on both feet and focus your attention on one point in front.
- Bend the right knee and hold the ankle from behind the body with the help of the right hand.
- Try to maintain physical balance.
- While holding it with the right hand, try to stretch the right leg upwards as much as possible.
- Bring the index finger and thumb of the left hand together in Gyan Mudra and spread the hand forward in front, and now focus your attention on it.
- Try to stay in this state for as long as possible.
Boat Pose (Navasana)
Navasana is a great way to strengthen the psoas. Also, it is the contraction of the psoas that helps to keep the spine aligned.
- Lie down on your back by lying on a yoga mat.
- Join both your feet together and keep your hands close to your body.
- While exhaling, try to raise your head, chest, arms, and legs. While doing this, your arms and legs should be straight.
- The palms of the hands should be just above the thighs.
- Your entire body weight will be on your buttocks.
- Exhaling brings your hands, feet, and head back to the ground.
Camel Pose (Ustrasana)
Camel pose is particularly appropriate for the psoas. The backband poses challenges to your balance, with each side supporting the lower spine, and it also lengthens the psoas.
- Start Ustrasana by sitting on the yoga mat with your knees bent.
- The soles of the feet should be facing up, and the fingers should touch the floor.
- Keep some distance between the knees.
- Take a deep breath, and while moving the right hand upwards, hold the right leg, and with the left hand, hold the left leg.
- While in the posture, keep breathing normally.
- Exhaling come back to your knees.
Crow Pose (Bakasana)
This forward movement of the body serves to keep the spine in the correct position, including our favorite, the psoas. This arm balance is all about core strength, which includes the psoas.
- Place your hands on the ground and bring both your feet closer. Your hands should be on the ground according to the width of your shoulders.
- Lift your feet off the ground and bring the weight of your body onto your hands.
- Stay in this position for a minute or as per your ability, and if you feel pain, then come back to the normal position.
Wheel Pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana)
The full wheel requires a lot of back and shoulder flexibility and strength that improves balance and core strength.
- Lie flat on your back
- Bend the knees and keep the feet near the buttocks
- Raise the arms above the head and place the palms on the ground near the shoulders.
- The fingers should be towards the body, and the elbows should be facing up
- Raise the whole body such that only the hands and feet are on the ground.
- Try to bring your hands near your feet.
- Look towards the ground.
- With normal breathing, remain in such a position for as long as you can easily.
Low Lunge Pose (Anjaneyasana )
Anjaneyasana is also a bit of a balancing pose that provides an excellent stretch for the psoas. It sinks the hips to stretch the psoas.
- Sit with the toes of the right foot bent at the outside of the knee.
- move the left knee back
- Take both hands together over the head and try to twist the upper body behind the back to stretch your left psoas.
- Avoid any kind of pain in the lower back.
- Remain in this posture for some time and then gradually become normal.
Conclusion
To strengthen or lengthen the psoas, think of asanas that use the psoas to keep the pelvis neutral and open up the front line of the body.
Poses of yoga such as Navasana, Anjaneyasana, Ustrasana, Natarajasana, Vrksasana, and Bakasana, as well as others where deep hip flexion is required, will activate the psoas.
FAQs
The psoas major muscle is a bilateral deep core muscle that connects each leg to your torso. It often becomes tight, tense, and exhausted due to sitting for long periods of time.
Tightness or weakness in the psoas muscles can lead to a weak core, back pain, and other short and weak musculoskeletal problems.
Natarajasana is especially suitable because it combines standing balance with moving your rear raised leg into a backbend position, which gives the psoas a good stretch.
Crow Pose requires arm balance and significant core strength, which includes the psoas. The forward movement of the body in this pose serves to keep the spine in the correct position.
While twisting your upper body behind your back to stretch your psoas in Anjaneyasana, you must carefully avoid any kind of pain in your lower back.
