Stress Release Yoga

Our practice will be focused on the hips, specifically the psoas muscle. We will incorporate poses that will bring gentle range of motion to the hip and some restorative hip opening along with strengthening of this deep-seated core muscle.

The psoas connects the spine to the legs. (The psoas is the largest core muscle originating at T12 through L5 of the vertebrae and flows down both sides of the spine down and diagonally through the core combining with the iliacus to attach onto the lesser trochanter of the femur.) The T12 juncture holds the largest network of sympathetic nerves, also known as our fight or flight response, in the lower abdomen and pelvis. There are more sympathetic nerves in this area than anywhere else in the body.

Through this practice, we will be bringing awareness and release to the psoas and any deeply held muscle tension. The "psoas shake", designed by David Berceli, Ph.D., is a series of specific exercises that stress the hip flexor and thigh muscles to induce trembling. Berceli proposes that triggering the body's natural muscle tremor process in these deep core muscles in the pelvis will travel through the body and release tension wherever it is being held. It safely activates a natural reflex mechanism of shaking or vibrating that releases muscle tension, calming down the nervous system and encouraging the body to return to a state of balance. (Traumapreventioncom)