Foam Roller Exercises and Stretches for Your Iliopsoas Muscle (Hip Flexors)‘The body too has its rights; and it will have them: they cannot be trampled on without peril. The body ought to be the soul's best friend. Many good men however have neglected to make it such: so it has become a fiend and has plagued them.’ ~ Augustus William Hare and Julius Charles Hare, Guesses at Truth, by Two Brothers, 1827 The next foam roller exercises that we will learn involve the iliopsoas muscle complex. Hopefully you have first read Foam Rolling for an overview of body rolling on a foam roller. A simple technique for self myofascial release is accomplished by foam roller exercises. Scroll down the page to jump straight to the foam roller exercises video and iliopsoas stretches. Self myofascial release is a great way to keep your muscles supple, elongated and free of stress knots. If you read
Foam Rolling,
I describe the body-mind-soul benefits of this activity. Foam roller exercises are a great way for
Self-Love – Caring for Your Body is Caring for Your Soul.
If you don't yet have a foam roller, I highly recommend Power Systems - Foam Rollers. A 36 x 6 inch roller is the easiest to manage if you are a beginner. I honestly never leave home without my little 18 x 6 incher. It travels in my suitcase, everywhere. That's how much I believe in the foam roller to keep me healthy! The Function of the Iliopsoas MuscleThe iliopsoas muscle is the muscle that bends the hip, by lifting up the knee and the thigh to take a step forward. Its main action is to flex the hip, or sometimes described as flexing the thigh. When you go up the stairs, the hip flexors work harder. Any physical activity that involves the leg uses the iliopsoas muscle. Cyclers, runners, hikers and power walkers often have tight hip flexors. The iliopsoas is also involved in maintaining the body in an upright position in both sitting and standing postures (Learn more about posture at Understanding Your Body – What Your Posture and Movements Say About You ). The iliopsoas muscle is active during sitting and standing. Prolonged sitting, or contracting the muscle for long periods of time often leads to the shortening of this muscle and can cause pain in the lower back or hip. As this condition worsens, pain may become worse and refer down the leg. If left untreated, the problem may not be easily reversed. Yet another reason to maintain body awareness at all times and listen to your Body Window!If you are required to sit for prolonged periods of time I encourage you to stand up and do simple iliopsoas stretches and back stretches at least every 30 minutes. It only takes a few seconds. The relaxation and the blood flow created will rejuvenate your total body, mind and soul and prevent issues with the iliopsoas! The Iliopsoas is actually made up of two muscles, not one, the psoas and the iliacus. If you wish to understand in more detail about this muscle group, please see the wonderful website created by Stephen O'Dwyer, Certified Neuromuscular Therapist at Lower Back Pain Answers. If you suffer from hip or lower back problems, you may want to explore his website and contact him. Meditate on the Meaning of the Iliopsoas Muscle in Your LifeThe body metaphor (See Developing Intuition by Using Your Body ) for the action of this muscle, is about moving forward in life, or taking steps forward or the fear of moving forward. It involves big, powerful steps and is about support and maintenance of the body’s posture. The iliopsoas is deep inside the hip and lower back. Chronic tension in these muscles are due to issues deep in the core of your being, deep in your soul. When you do these foam roller exercises for the iliopsoas, meditate on what this muscle area may represent in your life.The iliopsoas muscle is that muscle group with which I personally have the most issues. As I create my second life and move towards my new passion, I want to power myself forward too hard. So my hips and lower back are constantly aching. This is especially true on the right side. Since the left-brain controls the right side of the body, it is my left brain that is trying to power me forward too fast. The left-brain is the thinking, detail-oriented part of the brain, or the ‘masculine’ brain. (If you want to learn more about left-brain vs right brain functioning go to Improving Your Body Balance is Improving Your Life Balance ). I have to constantly remind myself while doing my foam roller exercises for the iliopsoas muscle, to slow down. I meditate on balance, and going with the flow of life, as I work this muscle. I meditate on ‘God’s time’ versus my own forced time! God moves at the speed of the Universe, so if I force it, I miss out on a lot! If you look at the images of the iliopsoas complex on Stephen’s website at Lower Back Pain Answers - Iliopsoas, you can see why the following foam roller exercises that I will show you target muscles that look like they are in totally different areas. It is because the muscle is two muscles, not just one. The front of the hip or the iliacus muscle is targeted as well as the attachment of psoas muscle above the hip on the back where it attaches to the lumbar spine. If you have lower back pain, and are using foam roller exercises as back pain exercises, please proceed with caution! Do not roll over the spine, but stay in the soft tissue and maintain the posture shown in the following video. Do not twist or turn as you do the foam roller exercise at the lower back area!
Personalize and Adjust the Foam Roller ExercisesAs with all foam roller exercises you can adjust the amount of pressure you place on the muscle by how far you sink your weight into it. With the iliacus, or the front side of the hip you can even roll to one side to increase the pressure on that side, or lessen the pressure by rolling both hip flexors at once. Just make sure you do both sides equally to maintain your balance.You can start rolling on a slightly different spot each time, by adjusting your weight to the left or to the right more, or up or down more. I encourage you to use your own intuition on where to move and how to move. No one formula is best for all! When you roll the muscle, if you sense a spot or knot that is sore, hold the pressure of your weight over that area for a while. B-r-e-a-t-h-e as you sink into the sore spot. If it is too painful that you cannot breathe, ease up on the pressure. The deep breathing is the signal to your body that you are in the relaxed state and eventually the muscle will release as long as you are able to deep breathe. If the pain is so great that you have to hold your breath, the opposite effect will occur. Your muscle will tense up and become even more painful. So only apply as much pressure that you can continue to deep breathe! Also do not roll the muscle area too vigorously at first or you may cause bruising to occur. Go slow if you are new to foam roller exercises. Shift and roll your weight to adjust the position of the pressure, to change the exercise a bit. Find your hot spots. Really notice your body and how it feels when you do the foam roller exercises. Feel the pull, the iliopsoas stretch, the discomfort and sink into it. Breathe deeply as you sink farther into it. Let go. Let the tension go, let the stress go and let the muscle release. When the muscle releases, so may your emotions, your need to control and hold the tension! Let the feeling and the release come! Feel it and heal it! It will do your body, mind and soul wonders! If you have any issues with the vertebrae or nerves of the spine DO NOT perform these foam roller exercises! Please review When Pain is a Medical Emergency and do not perform these exercises if you have severe pain in your back. I will give the foam roller exercises in two parts:
You can also follow up with more iliopsoas stretches by doing yoga stretches for the iliopsoas like the Crescent Pose and the Standing Foward Bend Pose.
You can also learn this week's asana (yoga posture) from the world's #1 yoga teacher, Wai Lana. Foam Rolling and exercise stretches are a great way to stretch your body and 'stretch your mind.' It is the metaphor of creating space in your life, by creating space in your body! Make these exercises a part of your intuitive movement to create health and healing of your body-mimd-soul! If you have issues with your hip muscles and desire to strengthen them in addition to working on foam roller exercises, please go to Learn the Best Leg Exercises for more information. You can learn ankle exercises, knee exercises, hip exercises and leg exercises and get leg workout and running tips as well. May your path to self discovery be enhanced by these foam roller exercises and iliopsoas stretches and may your journey towards body-mind-soul healing begin! Foam Roller Exercises for the Lower Body and Lower Back:
Foam Roller Exercises for the Upper Body and Upper Back:
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