Sketchblog:Â DayBooks
The psoas seems to unwind from the spine. The psoas is deep. It holds things together. It’s not superficial. And it travels a long road, from top to bottom: spine to inner thigh. It’s hard to let it go, let it unwind, let it release the hip. Hard to let it unclench. So much energy and effort is invested in staying upright, supporting the spine. And yet the psoas is pretty much invisible, unfelt, unless it’s injured. And even then, when there’s pain, or an interruption of mobility, is it the psoas? Or is it one of the smaller thigh muscles closer to the surface: pectineus, sartorius, whatever: there’s a veritable forest of muscle in the upper inner thigh. And that morass of muscle makes it hard to sense the psoas internally. Because it is at bottom, in a way. So it’s hard to draw. A true test of intentionality. Or maybe a leap of faith. Mysterious proprioception. It’s hard to conceptualize a muscle that wraps, that extends from the trunk to the lower limb.
It’s fundamental, a major link. It makes basic movement possible, helps to form the body’s syntax. Helps to stabilize the lower back too. And it doesn’t get enough respect.
I love the block lunges that Jonathan likes to demonstrate. Not only do they release the psoas, they make a basic connection to the muscle possible. In a way, they expose the psoas to scrutiny. This is a good thing, in a safe environment. An information gathering expedition.