| The psoas major, the body's main engine of walking, | | | | doesn't attach to the pelvis, is arguably more |
| is one of three muscles that make up the iliopsoas | | | | influential in regards to the pelvis than any of them. |
| muscle group. The psoas major inserts on the back | | | | - Your psoas is intimately connected to breathing as |
| half of the inner thigh, comes forward to cross over | | | | the diaphragm muscle, the main muscle of respiration, |
| the rim of the pelvis and moves backwards again to | | | | has ligaments that wrap around the top of the psoas |
| attach along the lumbar or lower spine. The iliacus | | | | and two long attachments, called crura, that come |
| muscle lines the inside wall of the pelvis and joins | | | | down to insert on the first three vertebrae of the |
| psoas major to form a common tendon inserting | | | | lower spine. This means that every breath resonates |
| together on the back half of the inner thigh. Psoas | | | | in some way with the psoas and the movement of |
| minor is an interesting muscle that anatomy books will | | | | the psoas can have great influence on the breath. |
| tell you it is present in only 50% of people and is | | | | - The Psoas moves in more than one direction as it |
| slowly disappearing. Though this is technically true the | | | | comes diagonally forward to cross over the rim of |
| body has many different connections, one of them | | | | the pelvis and then moves straight up to connect to |
| being through fascia, a connective tissue that we will | | | | the lumbar spine. This allows the psoas to work like a |
| go into in future articles. So even if you don't have | | | | pulley system increasing the natural force that it can |
| this muscle it is likely to manifest energetically | | | | generate. |
| through the fascial lines of the body. Bodyworkers | | | | - The psoas is the main muscle of walking. Walking is |
| often refer to feeling this muscle whether it is there | | | | a full body experience initiated in the trunk and |
| or not. | | | | extending out through the extremities. The psoas |
| Psoas major attaches at six points, the back of the | | | | from the deepest core moves the legs rather than |
| inner thigh and then five different points along the | | | | the legs moving the body. In a weird way you can |
| spine. The first four vertebrae of the lumbar spine, | | | | say the leg begins up at the top of the psoas as |
| which is the lower back, and the bottom vertebrae | | | | truly fluid movement in walking is felt as a pendulum |
| of the thoracic spine; which is anything that includes a | | | | like release from the base of the rib cage at T12. |
| rib. (T12). As a result the psoas spans and affects | | | | - The Psoas is the body's main hip flexor which is |
| many joints as opposed to the iliacus, for example, | | | | why it is the main muscle of walking but it plays a |
| which only crosses the one joint where the leg | | | | deeper maybe more important role as a flexor. |
| meets the pelvis. | | | | Flexion is the one of the ways we manifest our |
| The psoas is unique for many reasons. | | | | distress, fear and trauma. Our inability to process |
| - Only two muscles connect the legs to the spine. | | | | these experiences and emotions create imbalances |
| The psoas major and the piriformis. | | | | that often affect the psoas. For certain extreme |
| - 57 muscles attach on the pelvis. The psoas, which | | | | cases it is like living in a state of constant flexion. |