The Psoas, a Resource for Resilience
When I first started working with the psoas as a massage therapist a few decades ago I viewed it as a “problem” that needed fixing. Most of the clients I saw had overly contracted psoas muscles that caused pain, pelvic misalignment and sometimes issues with digestion, breathing and smooth reproductive functioning. Easy fix for menstrual cramps. And I was the hero that released it! Over many years of teaching experiential anatomy for the psoas, I have been humbled by what I have learned from my students as they sensitively explored this deep core muscle and developed a felt-sense
A tale of trauma and the psoas
A friend living in the southern US opened her front door, and literally froze. There was a dangerous snake on her porch. Doing its best to protect her, her nervous system froze her body. Dr. Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Theory explains the way evolution dictates how the nervous system and body respond to danger signals in the environment. His theory has transformed the way we view trauma and chronic illness and has raised the status and relevance of the vagus nerve to be a popular topic in mainstream magazines. Dr. Porges discovered that the vagus nerve, which innervates most