Psoas Stretches - Relieve overall stress levels

What is your psoas? (May also see it as the "iliopsoas" as the iliacus muscle is almost indistinguishable from the psoas)



Your psoas muscle is the only muscle that connects your upper body to your lower body.

It is essentially a hip flexor muscle.

It is also one of the hardest to stretch muscles.

Now what is the issue worth discussing? In our chronically sedentary lives, we sit in chairs for most of the day. This is completely unnatural. And one of the drawbacks of this is your psoas is in a chronically contracted and flexed position. Because your hips are constantly flexed while you are sitting. Many people's psoas never gets fully extended and stretched so it will contract and eventually shorten and the fascia surrounding it tightens and it turns into a "knot".

NOW

What is anatomically important about the psoas is that your kidneys essentially rest in front of your psoas. And on the top of your kidneys is your adrenal gland. So your adrenal gland partially rests on your psoas.



Your adrenal gland makes cortisol... THE "stress" hormone. It also makes norepinephrine and epinephrine the "fight or flight" chemicals. It also makes sex hormones and fluid regulating hormones. They do A LOT.

Many people speculate that having a tight, contracted, fibrotic, knotted up mess of a psoas will mechanically stimulate and tickle your adrenal gland. Leading to a bunch of "not feeling right" type symptoms. Chronic stress. Chronic anxiety. Etc.

I do a series of psoas stretches (and even have some psoas massaging gadgets) a few times a week in the morning.

PSOAS STRETCHES

I no joke feel like absolute jello afterwards. I feel calm and clear. It's a bizarre feeling to put into words but for me personally I definitely feel as if my adrenals have been decompressed. Or maybe I'm just feeling the effects of a good stretch.

Either way, you really should try it. And stick with it. You may start to feel a lot better just like I do.