12/22/2023 0 Comments Deep core yogaIf there are specific poses that you would like to stay longer in, give yourself three deep breaths in those poses and pick up the next pose with the allocated inhale or exhale as indicated by the sequence.įor a longer practice repeat the warm up flow on the first line at the start of each of the three standing flows or repeat each of the standing mini flows three times. Inhale is indicated with a ‘+’, exhale is a ‘-”. Use the breath guide in the sequence to help you link breath with movement in the flow. Have a read of the tips below and either print out the sequence or save it onto your device: Use the cues below to help you flow through the sequence with ease and fluidity. There is no specific peak pose in this sequence. Getting familiar with your psoas, and adding some of the psoas releasing poses into your practice, will make it easier to avoid it getting tight and will help to manage the nervous system too. When you take this pose make sure that you actively draw the back of the top of your pelvis down towards the ground to make sure you are not overarching your lower back. The sequence finishes with a psoas release restorative pose where you lie with the back of your hips over a rolled blanket or small bolster. Actively lift them up to make sure your psoas, and assisting hip flexor muscles, are not pulling your pelvis and lumbar spine forward, causing an overarch in your lower back. As you move through the sequence take a moment to bring your fingertips to your pointy hip bones. If you are a runner or cyclist this sequence will be of particular benefit to you. This sequence will help you identify and release the psoas. Most of us sit for longer than our bodies were designed to, which causes the psoas to shorten and become stagnant. You focus on the inner rather than the outer, and fix problems caused in other activities, to create harmony.ĮXPLORING YOUR DEEP CORE IN YOUR PRACTICE Through yoga you explore your body in a deeper way than other fitness avenues. The problems a tight psoas can cause is a perfect example of the importance of yoga in a balanced fitness journey. The diaphragm and the psoas connect along the same vertebrate, meaning a tight psoas impacts your diaphragm's ability to expand fully, leading to shorter breaths and an activation of the nervous system ‘on’ switch. With the upper section of the psoas attached to the lower lumbar spine, when it is tight it can pull your lumbar vertebrae forward and lead to back pain. This leads to an excess release of cortisol and adrenaline, in other words, stress. A well adaptive nervous system fluidly shifts from ‘on’ to ‘off’ but when the psoas is tight we can get stuck ‘on’ and signal the body to constantly be prepared for fight or flight. When your psoas is at rest you are more inclined to be relaxed and when your psoas is tight you are more inclined to be stressed. Because of the psoas involvement in the action of running, it is one of the first responders in a fight or flight situation, making it strongly linked to the nervous system. Your nervous system has an ‘on’ switch (the sympathetic nervous system, fight or flight response) and an ‘off’ switch (the parasympathetic nervous, rest and restore response). Because of its common use it can be very susceptible to tightness due to overuse. Think running, cycling, squatting, walking, core exercises and everyday movements. A very common movement in an active life. Its function is to lift the upper leg towards the body in flexion. Considered part of the posterior abdominal wall, the psoas originates in the lumbar spine and reaches right down to the femur (upper leg bone), making it unique in its connection of the upper and lower body. Consisting of the psoas and the iliacus, these two muscles play a much larger role in your life than expected. Deep in your body's centre there lies two muscles called the iliopsoas. While these are the visible muscles of the group that is ‘your core’, there are invisible, deeper and just as important muscles there as well. In today's fitness industry there is a strong focus on the ‘six pack’. Guest writer Sam Delahunty goes deep into the core. At the centre of your core lies a muscle known as ‘the muscle of the soul’.
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