‘Pelvis as the body’s emotional junk drawer!’

You can use movement to release tension in your body. The hips may store emotional stress, and so certain hip-opening stretches may make a big difference
Dr Ashwini Anil Kumar Sirapanasetty
Contd from previous issue
Ways to release old emotions in the hips
There are several ways to release fear, trauma, and stress associated with tight hips. These include:
1. Somatic exercises
2. Yoga
3. Stretching
4. Mind-body practices
5. Massage
6. Somatic experiencing therapy
Somatic exercises : Somatics offer a way to enhance the mind and body connection. These awareness practices involve focusing on your inner experience as you perform intentional exercises. This includes – Rolfing, shaking, body-mind centering, Alexander technique, feldenkrais method, Laban movement Analysis.
Yoga, stretching, and mind-body practices : Practicing yoga is another way to release tension in the hips and get the full body moving. Some good options include sun salutations, pelvic stretches, hip flex or stretches increasing the mind-body connection include qi gong (meditation technique), tai chi (light martial art), dance&Pilates.
Massage the arch of foot
The arch of the foot correlates to the psoas muscle in reflexology. You can tell the state of your psoas by observing the arch alone.If you’re massaging your foot and this arch in the foot is collapsed, then you might have an overstretched psoas, or if it’s really held tight, you might have a tight psoas,Working this lateral arch of the foot in reflexology means you’re going to be working with the lower back or down [in the hips].By applying pressure to the arch of the foot, which is where the psoas and adrenal glands spots are located, you can also release some of the tension in your hip area.
Takeaways
If you experience stress and anxiety regularly, get acquainted with how it feels and where it may be held in your body. While you might notice and talk about your experience with a mental health professional, it’s another thing to use movement to release stored tension.The hips are an important storage vessel of emotional stress because of the psoas’ link to the adrenal glands and the location of the MULADHAR or root chakra. Next time you’re in yoga class doing hip-opening postures, you might just notice that there’s a lot more going on than just a simple stretch. The writer is Obstetrics & Gynaecologist Surgeon. A Counsellor of Army wives welfare association)