Healthy Hips = Healthy Back
Do you have Issues in your Tissues?
The norm for daily American life typically involves hours-upon-hours of sitting followed by moving in straight lines for the remainder of the day. The full range of motion of the hips is rarely utilized. In addition to that, we are wired for survival mode. The fight-or-flight response helps us humans protect our internal organs from damage in extreme situations. It is a survival response that we really cannot control and it’s not conscious, but rather instinctive. When this stress response is invoked, it begins with a strong contraction in all of the flexors of the body, including the psoas ( pronounced : so az) one of the major muscles that runs through the hip area and abdomen and also works to lift and lower the leg. This contraction draws the ribs closed around the visceral organs on all sides so that we stand a chance of living through, or surviving falling, being dropped when we‘re infants or even being attacked. The psoas responds when we feel afraid or protective. The hip flexors draw the knees in and close the hips at the low back and upper legs as part of this protection.
The psoas is one of the major hip flexors and this muscle sits close to the diaphragm (which helps us draw our ribs in during breathing). The diaphragm and psoas are also attached at the same lumbar vertebra. So think about how you breathe rapidly, clench your jaw, bunch up your shoulders and maybe even ball up your fist when you are angry. Those types of contractions, that response to stress, repeated over-and-over can cause a buildup of tension in the muscles thus leading to pain and tightness a lot of which rests in the hips.
We develop these negative physical habits and over time, they become so familiar to us that we become desensitized to the harm we may be causing our bodies. In class we learn to breathe into tight places and create space, opening channels for energetic flow.Practicing yoga (asana, pranayama, meditation and more) releases stuck energy from our bodies thus the wonderful feeling we have after we’ve finished a class.
It is possible that after an intensive hip opening class you may feel down or even irritable. Don’t shy away from practicing more. On the contrary, this is a sign that you are releasing harmful emotions thus freeing yourself a bit from the bondage of daily living in our society. This release can often feel scary, but if you stick with it… if you stay in the pose… if you deal with those tough emotions, you’ll ultimately feel better and even empowered. Remember, nobody can take care of you better than YOU, but the hardest part is walking into that discomfort so you can let it go. Sustain and dissolve. Remember the mantra we hear in each class; “Letting go of feelings of competition, judgment and expectation.listen to the body,feel and breathe” The mind body connection is a strong one. In yoga practice we become especially attuned to it. We are willing to recognize intuitional feelings and emotions during hip openers and benefit from clearing the energy channels with an emotional purge.
