7 Yoga Poses For Deep Psoas Trauma Release

While your hips hold trauma and doing exercises to release this area provides relief, there is another muscle (related to your hips) called the psoas (pronounced so-as).  This area also holds tension and would benefit from gentle yoga poses to find deep psoas trauma release. 

If you’re ready to learn more about this muscle, how it’s affected after trauma, and if it’s right for you to practice releasing, I welcome you to join me in this post!

What Is Your Psoas Muscle?

Your psoas is a connective tissue that connects your spine to your lower body – you actually have two psoas muscles, one for each side. They originate in your lumbar (lower) spine and extend through your hips, connecting at your leg (femur bone.)

This is much more than just a connection point. Your psoas handles daily movements. You can thank your psoas for allowing you to: 

• Stand
• Walk & run
• Practice yoga

Your psoas muscles are hard to stretch directly because it’s one of the deepest muscles in your body. However, when you combine awareness with stretching, you can finally find relief. 

Your yoga practice is a perfect way to release your psoas because awareness and mindfulness are key elements.

How Your Psoas Muscles Store Emotional And Physical Tension

Emotional:

When your nervous system enters flight or fight mode, your body braces and creates tension to prepare for the potential threat. While this is beneficial in the short term, it can lead to chronic pain in the long term. 

Physical: 

You can create tension in your psoas from repeated movements not associated with trauma. This could be if you sit at a desk for most of the day, rarely stretch, or have limited movement in your daily life. 

Both emotional and physical tension lead to the same discomforts in your body, except that emotional may need more care than simple yoga poses.

I invite you to work with a member of your support team when practicing yoga for releasing emotions related to your trauma.  

Clear Signs You’ll Benefit From A Psoas Release

Here are a few signs that stretching your psoas would benefit you:

• Pain in your lower back, legs, hips
• Knee pain
• Digestive issues like constipation

While yoga can be beneficial for deep psoas trauma release, I welcome you to consult with your medical team if you’re in pain within your body. This can rule out other conditions that may need more attention.

7 Yoga Poses for Deep Psoas Trauma Release

I welcome you to explore these poses at your own pace and only do the ones that bring comfort to your body. 

Pose 1 & 2: Constructive Rest & Knee To Chest

1. Constructive Rest Pose

Why this helps: Your psoas muscles are difficult to just “feel” (think of how you can easily flex your biceps, quads or hamstrings.) Bringing awareness to this area first will shift your focus. This pose also gently lengthens and releases your psoas. 

I’ve combined this with another pose: knee to chest. This is because the constructive rest pose is a perfect starting point for knee to chest you can choose to include or exclude from your practice. 

Steps: 

1. I invite you to begin in a laying position on your mat (or other flat, hard surface.) 
2. In your time, gently bend your knees and place your feet hip width distance apart and about one foot away from your lower body (like you’re about to begin bridge pose). 
3. Place your arms in any position that brings your comfort (on your belly, gently by your sides.) 
4. Remain here as long as you choose or for five minutes. 

2. Reclined Knee to Chest Pose

Why this helps: Now that you’ve gently released your psoas, this stretch gently stretches this area and prepares your body for the remaining poses on this list. 

Steps:

1. Begin in constructive rest pose (listed above)
2. I welcome you to extend your left leg out, keeping the other one bent. 
3. You may remain here, or gently reel in your bent leg to your level of comfort. 
4. For more activation, I welcome you to keep your lifted leg in front of you, gently pressing your arm to create gentle resistance between your hand and leg. 
5. I encourage you to keep a neutral spine and avoid arching your low back too much to maintain comfort.  
6. Hold for as long as you like or for 4 – 8 breaths. Repeat on the other side. 

Tips: 

• You have the option to place your feet and calves on a chair (like legs up the wall) for more comfort in constructive rest pose. 
• There is no need to do anything here like you would in other yoga poses. Allowing your body to rest here is perfect! 
• Fidgeting is always welcome if you’re uncomfortable with stillness. 
• I invite you to add diaphragmatic breathing (link) to this pose for deeper relaxation. 
• If you choose, you can bring awareness to your psoas. If you’re having trouble locating this muscle, it’s all good. I invite you to think of softening your hips, hips flexors, and hip crease. Even if you’re not sure if you’re locating your psoas, this posture and awareness will relax this area. 

Pose 3: Low lunge 

Why this helps: When you sit a lot or contract your psoas when facing a stressor, your psoas contracts. Low lunge is an accessible pose to lengthen your psoas, providing relief. 

Steps: 

1. Begin in a tabletop position with your hands under your shoulders and knees under hip points. 
2. In your time, gently bring your right leg forward, setting your foot in between your hands. You have the option to lift your back knee or keep it lowered to the mat or blanket. 
3. I welcome you to keep your front knee over your front ankle. Yearn both hip points to face forward (to prevent twisting or uneven hips). 
4. You can explore with arm variations like hands on the mat, on blocks, or reach up overhead. 
5. Remain here as long as you choose or for 4 – 8 breaths. Gently return to tabletop and repeat on the other side. 

Pose 4: Supported Bridge

Why this helps: This is like the constructive rest posture (#1), but creates hip extension and intensifies the stretch. I welcome you to only try this pose if you felt no discomfort in constructive rest pose. 

Supported bridge pose also gives you the added benefit of an inversion (when your hips are higher than your heart), which promotes deeper relaxation. 

Steps:

1. I invite you to begin in a lying position.
2. When you’re ready, bring the soles of your feet flat to the mat, knees bent.
3. In your time, reach your hands toward your heels, pressing your palms and upper arms into the mat.
4. I welcome you to continue to press your hands into the mat as you lift your hip points and tail bone. Invite space between your chin and chest as you engage your lower abs.
5. It may help to imagine squeezing a block between your knees (this prevents them from splaying out, which can be harmful to your knee health).
6. Place either a block or bolster between your low back and tailbone. Gently relax into the prop and hold this pose as long as you choose. Tip: To protect your neck in this pose, I recommend you avoid turning your head while your hips are lifted.
7. To exit the pose, gently lift your hips to remove the prop. When you’re ready, lower your hips down to the mat (option to lift your heels before lowering). It may feel nice to explore drawing your knees to your chest after this pose.

Pose 5: Tree Pose

Why this helps: This combines gentle release of your psoas of your lifted leg, stretches your inner thigh, and strengthens your outer hip muscles, core, and your stabilizing leg. This also promotes deeper diaphragmatic breath, which is beneficial for relaxing your psoas. 

Steps: 

1. Before beginning, you may wish to practice this with a wall or chair nearby. I invite you to begin in a neutral mountain pose.
2. In your time, bring attention to your right foot (this will be your balancing foot). Send your weight into this foot while keeping your hips neutral. (This prevents “dumping” weight into your right hip and will keep you more stabilized.)
3. If you feel comfortable, lift your left heel off the mat, then your foot off the ground. 
4. You have the option to place your foot on your right ankle, shin, or upper thigh. To protect your knee, avoid placing your foot directly on your knee.
5. I invite you to create a gentle opposition between your foot and leg (think of pressing the connection point together.)
6. I welcome you to maintain a straight line from your crown to the mat. (It’s normal for you to wobble!)
7. Move your lifted knee as far back or forward as is comfortable. Tip: If your hips twist, you’ve gone too far back. 
8.  I invite you to experiment with any arm variation that suits you. Hands can go to prayer at the center of your chest, overhead, on your hips, or anywhere else you prefer.
9. Remain here as long as you choose or for 4 – 8 breaths. Gently release your lifted foot and repeat on the other side. 

Pose 6: High Lunge

Why this helps: Sending your back foot to the back of the mat lengthens your psoas muscle (like in low lunge). High lunge requires more muscular effort, so you’ll receive more leg strengthening in this pose. 

Steps: 

1. I invite you to begin in mountain pose at the front of your mat. As you’re ready, press evenly into your feet, lengthening your tailbone down.
2. In your time, gently step your left foot back, placing it a few feet behind you. You have the option to keep your back heel lifted, or place it on the mat. (This creates Warrior I, which may make it difficult to keep both hip points facing forward. You still have the choice to do high lunge or Warrior I.)
3. I invite you to bend your back need as much as you need to maintain neutral hips. You can think of lengthening your tailbone down to create this shape. 
4. I invite you to point both hip points forward evenly. You may need to adjust your stance to find the most comfort – take all the time you need.
5. Gently engage your core and find any arm variation that works for you like hands at prayer, arms overhead, hands on hips.
6. Remain here as long as you choose or for 4 – 8 breaths. When you’re ready, step forward to return to mountain pose and repeat on the other side. 

Pose 7: Child’s Pose

Why this helps: This releases your psoas, hips and low back to give you all around gentle relief. This pose also promotes going inward, creating softness and relaxation. 

Steps: 

1. In your time, I welcome you to start in neutral table top position. I invite you to explore bringing your big toes to touch. You have the option to have your knees together or as wide as is comfortable for you.
2. Gently send your seat back toward your heels to your level of comfort.
3. I welcome you to extend your arms forward and melt your head and heart to the mat. From here, you are welcome to explore arm variations, perhaps bending your elbows or even resting your head on overlapping hands.
4. If your knees are together, you might explore resting your hands along the sides of your body, tops of your palms resting on the mat, and softening your shoulders.
5. If you feel comfortable, allow your body to soften with each exhale. Remain here as long as you choose, perhaps deepening your exhale with each out breath.

Tips To Promote Release

There are many factors that go into trauma release and below are a few ways to promote release:

1. Create safety. Safety is always number one for your trauma healing yoga practice. Including practices like trauma-informed yoga gives you extra options, choice, and safety so you can focus more on your experience (and less on perfecting the poses.) 
2. Establish a well-rounded care plan. This includes all support options to guide you on your trauma healing journey. I invite you to explore support options for your most effective practice. 
3. Only do the poses that work for you. Everyone and every body is different. If a pose doesn’t bring you comfort, it will be hard to soften into it. Your preferences are your best guide to follow.
4. Be gentle with yourself. It’s okay to still have tension even after doing poses. It takes time to notice progress, and judgment will only discourage you from continuing your practice. I welcome you to give yourself time, grace, and the kindness you deserve on your healing journey. 

Overview

As you progress on your yoga healing journey and explore deep psoas trauma release, know that you are your expert guide. Everything I offer is an option to explore, and soon you’ll have a collection of poses that work for you and your goals. 

I wish you well on your healing journey, and take care.

Related Post: 4 Yoga Poses to Gently Release Hip Tension After Trauma