Psoas & Emotions: Why Your Hips Hold Trauma

Anatomy: What Is The Ilio Psoas Actually?

What is the psoas (iliopsoas)?

The psoas (iliopsoas) is the deepest core muscle of your body: psoas major connects lower back to thigh bone, and together with iliacus it forms the primary hip flexor. Liz Koch calls it the “muscle of the soul” because it links breath, posture and autonomic stress response.

The ilio psoas is not just any muscle. It's the deepest core muscle of your body. You can't feel it on the surface — it lies hidden, deep in your torso.

There are two parts:

• Psoas Major: Connects your lower back (vertebrae T12-L5) to your thigh bone (femur). This is the primary hip flexor.
• Psoas Minor: Not everyone has this. It's a smaller, more superficial muscle that's absent in about 40-60% of people.

Together they form the ilio psoas — a muscle that connects your diaphragm to your hip joint. Literally: your breathing and your movement are intertwined.

Functions of the ilio psoas:

• Hip flexion (lifting leg)
• Torso stabilization
• Breathing support (via connection to diaphragm)
• Posture and balance

But here's where it gets interesting: the ilio psoas is also a primitive muscle. It's one of the first muscles that develops in the womb. And it's one of the few muscles directly connected to your autonomic nervous system — the part that regulates fight/flight/freeze.

👉 Place your hand on your hip right now. Do you feel tension? Breathe toward it — not to change it, but to feel it. What do you notice?

Why Trauma Stores In Your Hips

Why do hips hold trauma?

Hips hold trauma because the psoas is evolutionarily, anatomically and neurologically tied to fight/flight: chronic stress = chronic psoas tension. Emotions from the limbic system land in this bridge between upper and lower body — which is why hip work often feels emotionally intense.

This is not a metaphor. This is physiology.

When trauma happens — an accident, abuse, loss, chronic stress — your body stores it. Not just in your "head". But in your tissues. In your muscles. In your nervous system. (van der Kolk, 1994)

The hips — and specifically the psoas — are a storage facility for emotional tension. We know this now, thanks to neuroscience and somatics. (van der Kolk, 1994)

Why the hips specifically?

1. Evolutionary: The psoas is a primitive muscle — active in embryos, essential for survival.
2. Anatomical: The psoas connects your upper body to your lower body. It's a bridge between your "thinking" and your "doing".
3. Nervous system: The psoas is directly connected to your sympathetic nervous system (fight/flight). Chronic stress = chronic psoas tension. (Bordoni & Zanier, 2013)
4. Limbic system: Emotions are processed in your limbic system → signals to your muscles → tension stores in the psoas.

Liz Koch, pioneer in psoas research, calls the psoas the "muscle of the soul". Not because it literally contains your soul. But because deep emotions — fear, shame, sorrow, anger — are held in this muscle.

Taoist traditions have known this for thousands of years. The hips are the center of your life energy (chi, prana). When the hips are stuck, your energy is stuck.

And when you open the hips? Energy releases. And with energy… come emotions.

👉 Try Constructive Rest Position now (see exercises below). 5 minutes. Feel what happens — without judgment. What comes up?

What is yin yoga for the psoas/hips?

Yin yoga for the psoas/hips uses long, gentle poses — such as constructive rest, supported bridge or a mild psoas stretch — where you don’t force a stretch but invite safety. That lets the iliopsoas relax and release what hip trauma held, without overwhelm.

Exercise 1: Constructive Rest Position (CRP)

Duration: 5-10 minutes
Safety: ✅ Safe for everyone

How:

1. Lie on your back
2. Knees bent, feet on floor (hip-width)
3. Arms relaxed beside body
4. Let gravity work — don't force
5. Breathe naturally, feel your hips sinking

Why it works: Neutral position, psoas can relax without stretch, nervous system calms.

Exercise 3: Supported Bridge

Duration: 3-5 minutes
Safety: ✅ Safe with support

How:

1. Lie on your back, knees bent
2. Place block/cushion under your sacrum (not under lower back!)
3. Feet hip-width, arms relaxed
4. Let hips sink onto support
5. Breathe into your chest → psoas relaxes

Why it works: Gentle hip opening + vagus nerve stimulation (chest breathing).

Exercise 5: Gentle Psoas Stretch

Duration: 2-3 minutes per side
Safety: ⚠️ Don't force, stop if emotions arise

How:

1. Standing, step left foot back
2. Right knee bent (90 degrees)
3. Hands on hips or above right thigh
4. Gently push left hip forward (not too deep!)
5. Exhale: gently deepen, inhale: length

Why it works: Direct psoas release + grounding (standing).

Healing The Psoas: A Journey, Not A Destination

The ilio psoas is not something you "fix". It's something you get to know. A friend. A guide. A mirror of your nervous system.

When you release the psoas, you don't just release tension. You release your history. Your survival patterns. Your old stories. (Kuhfuß et al., 2021)

And that's not a one-time thing. It's a journey. A journey of feeling. Of breathing. Of trusting.

Your nervous system learns: I am safe. I may relax. I may be.

And the psoas? It follows. Slowly. Gently. Step by step.

👉 Next week: a blog about nervous system regulation after psoas release — how to integrate what comes up. Do you want to read it? Sign up for our newsletter.

Warm regards,
Tessa and Luna, on behalf of Spiriators

📖 Read More

• Yin Yoga at Spiriators
• Types of Yoga: Yin, Hatha & Vinyasa (pillar)
• Yin Yoga and fascia
• Breathwork for trauma processing

Go deeper: Read our pillar pages on yoga and breathwork, explore yin yoga, or join a retreat to deepen your practice.