How do you begin discussing one of the most impactful muscles for both men and women? The psoas muscle has captivated our team's attention for years, and for good reason.
Think about a time you were deeply in love, head over heels, only to have your heart broken. What did your body do at that moment? Did you stand upright with perfect posture? Most of us didn't. Instead, we curled inward at the spine. This reflexive reaction isn't conscious. It's programmed by thousands of years of defense and survival, shielding vital organs and putting the body in a protective position. The primary driver of that curling motion? The psoas muscles.
"The psoas is the muscle your body uses to protect itself. Modern life keeps it in that protection mode around the clock."
Now consider how many of your last five years felt overwhelmingly stressful. What about the last ten? Modern life piles on plenty of sympathetic nervous system stimulation. The logical conclusion is that many of us have tight psoas muscles, keeping our posture compromised for years on end.
The ProblemWhat a Tight Psoas Actually Does to Your Body
That compromised position creates a host of problems most people never connect to their psoas. The effects ripple through the entire system.
The psoas is directly innervated by the lumbar plexus and responds to sympathetic nervous system activation. Chronic stress keeps it in a sustained low-level contraction the conscious mind never registers.
The surrounding fascia thickens and dehydrates in response to chronic compression. This fascial restriction outlasts the muscular tension that caused it, which is why stretching alone rarely resolves it.
Every hour spent sitting shortens the psoas through the hip flexion position. The fascial system adapts to the habitual length, making the restriction structural rather than just muscular.
The psoas and diaphragm share fascial attachment at the lumbar spine. Restriction in the psoas directly limits diaphragmatic excursion, which is why deep breath into the belly is both diagnostic and therapeutic.
our founders combined
psoas self-release
to start seeing change
How to Release the Psoas Muscle at Home
We've been teaching people how to perform psoas self-massage and abdominal self-bodywork for well over a decade, yielding incredible results along the way. We realize it's somewhat taboo, especially because we encourage individuals to do this themselves. We've heard every concern: "What if those are my organs?" "What if I'm pregnant?" "What if I've had a hernia?"
Special conditions require professional consultation. But for the general population without major restrictions, these techniques can be a game-changer.
If you are pregnant, have had abdominal surgery in the past 6 months, have a known hernia, or have been diagnosed with an abdominal aortic aneurysm, consult a professional before performing abdominal self-bodywork.
Tools for Psoas Self-Massage and Fascial Release
Psoas Release Technique, Step by Step
Place the ball on your lower belly, then lie directly on top of it. It will likely feel uncomfortable at first, that is normal. For the first few sessions, focus entirely on the breath.
"I've never worked on my abdominal region and walked away feeling worse. In our seminars I joke that if your ear hurts, you should work on your stomach. But it's really no joke at all."
Why Abdominal Self-Bodywork Releases the Psoas
While you are not directly targeting the psoas every single moment, the abdominal self-bodywork releases overall tension in the surrounding fascial system, paving the way for more specific psoas-focused work. The psoas itself sits posterior to the abdominal contents and requires gradual access through progressive sessions.
Releasing tension in the stomach area has a ripple effect throughout the body. If you are on a quest for psoas pain relief, improved posture, and enhanced mobility, this foundational practice addresses the root cause rather than the symptoms.
By learning how to do self-bodywork at home, you take ownership of your own health, one breath at a time.
Ready to start working on your fascia? We built the kit for exactly this.
Get the Kit · $149Questions about fascia.
Fascia is a continuous web of connective tissue that surrounds and connects every structure in your body, every muscle, bone, organ, nerve, and blood vessel.
Restricted fascia feels like tightness or a deep ache that doesn't respond to stretching, like something won't let go no matter what you try.
Fascia tightens in response to injury, inflammation, surgery, repetitive movement, chronic stress, dehydration, and prolonged immobility. Unlike muscle, fascia requires sustained pressure held for 90 seconds or more to release.
Yes. Fascia contains more sensory nerve endings than muscle tissue. When restricted, it can compress nerves, limit circulation, alter joint mechanics, and refer pain to distant areas of the body.
Sustained, gentle pressure held for a minimum of 90 seconds. Not rolling. Find the restriction, hold it, breathe into it, and wait for the tissue to soften.
No. Fascia and muscle are completely different tissues. Fascia is viscoelastic and responds to sustained pressure and time. Most chronic tightness that doesn't respond to stretching is fascial, not muscular.
