The psoas is one of the most important muscles in yoga poses, but it is also one of the most misunderstood. Off the mat, the psoas is an important muscle as well: As one of the key core muscles, it is essential for healthy posture, and a strong and balanced psoas helps stabilize the spine and prevent back issues.
The way that we use the psoas in our yoga practice can either help keep this key hip flexor healthy, strong, and flexible, or, conversely, it can perpetuate harmful imbalances. If the psoas is weak or out of balance, it affects the integrity of our core, and it can be a significant contributor to low back and pelvic pain.
In this course (two lectures and yoga practice), yoga teacher and physical therapist Julie Gudmestad explores the importance of the psoas, and show how you can balance and harness this key muscle in your yoga practice to create greater structural balance and freedom of movement. In addition to exploring the anatomy of the psoas and its role as the important interface between trunk and legs, will show key yoga asana sequences to strengthen and balance the psoas and other key hip flexors.
What You Will Learn
- The role of the psoas in long-term structural balance and back health.
- Why the psoas muscle is a key player in developing true core strength; it’s is not just about strong abs!
- Why the psoas and hip flexors often become short and tight, and what to do about it.
- How to observe and assess common psoas imbalances in yourself or your yoga students, why these imbalances often are precursors to back problems, and key therapeutic approaches to create a balanced psoas.
- Why the psoas is integral to asanas as diverse as Navasana (Boat Pose) and Setu Bandha Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose), and how to engage and stretch this massive muscle for optimal benefit.
- How to locate the psoas in your yoga practice and key alignment principles to help, not hurt the psoas in your practice.
This course Also Includes:
- Yoga Practice: Enjoy a special online yoga practice with Julie created especially for this course, which illustrates the practices she discusses in her course.
- Recordings of All Webinar Sessions: It’s generally acknowledged that many people only retain 10-20 percent of what they learn in a workshop. You will get access to the recordings of all webinar sessions – both MP3 (downloadable) and MP4 (streaming online), enabling you to go back and listen to the workshop as many times as you like.
- Transcripts of Both Sessions: Ever wanted to refer to a certain part of a course? Even the best note takers miss a point every so often. With the transcripts of the sessions, you can go back and refer to particularly important passages or clarify sections you were in doubt about.
This course qualifies for 2.5 CEs with Yoga Alliance.
