By the time late December rolls around, “the most wonderful time of the year” can feel like a bit of a lie.

You’re moving through a blur of wrapping paper, travel plans, and to-do lists that never seem to end. You’ve been holding it together, smiling through stressful family moments, braving the crowded stores, and powering through the end-of-year work crunch.

But your body? It’s keeping score.

That tightness in your hips when you finally sit down. The low, dull ache in your lower back that makes you shift constantly in your chair. The shallow breath you hardly notice until you try to take a deep one. You might call it fatigue. You might blame it on the cold.

But what if I told you that the epicenter of all this tension, the physical ground zero for your holiday stress and body tension, is a single, deep muscle you’ve probably never heard of?

It’s called the psoas (pronounced so-as). And understanding it might be the key to the reset you desperately need.

The Psoas: Your Body’s Hidden Stress Diary

Think of the psoas as your body’s central anchoring cable. It’s the only muscle that connects your spine to your legs, running from your lower back, through your pelvis, and attaching to your femur.

Because of its deep, central location, it’s profoundly affected by everything you do and feel.

Anatomically, it’s crucial for walking, sitting, and stabilizing your core. But emotionally, it’s so much more. The psoas is intimately linked to your nervous system, residing right next to the bundles of nerves that trigger your primal survival responses: fight, flight, or freeze.

When you’re constantly in “go” mode, rushing to meet a deadline, managing family dynamics, navigating holiday traffic, your nervous system is on high alert. And your psoas respond accordingly. It tightens, shortens, and braces, as if preparing for literal danger, that is why chronic pain persists even after you’ve tried everything.

This isn’t a metaphor. It’s a physiological reality. Your body can’t distinguish between the stress of a looming work presentation and the stress of a saber-toothed tiger. The psoas reacts the same way: by locking down for protection.

Week after week of holiday hustle, this bracing becomes its new normal. It forgets how to relax. And that’s when the symptoms start to speak up.

Is Your Psoas Trying to Tell You Something? The Signs of a “Holiday Hip”

You don’t need a medical degree to suspect your psoas is crying out for help. The signs are often written in the language of everyday aches. Do any of these feel familiar?

• A constant, nagging ache in your lower back, especially after standing or sitting for long periods.
• Tightness in your hips that makes you feel the need to “crack” them, with little lasting relief.
• Feeling like you can’t take a truly full, satisfying deep breath.
• General fatigue and a sense of being “on edge” even when you’re trying to rest.
• Poor posture, feeling like you’re curling in on yourself.

This collection of symptoms is what we call “Holiday Hip.” It’s the physical manifestation of a system overwhelmed. It’s your body’s way of waving a white flag, asking you to please, just stop.

The Reset: More Than Just a Knot Untied

This is where the magic of a targeted psoas massage comes in. But let’s be clear: this isn’t your typical spa massage. A session focused on psoas muscle release is a deep, transformative practice that works on both a physical and emotional level.

The profound psoas massage benefits stem from its dual-action approach:

Physically, a skilled therapist uses gentle, sustained pressure to coax the psoas out of its state of chronic tension. This isn’t about forceful, painful pressure. It’s about creating a sense of safety that allows the muscle to finally, after weeks or months, let go. The result is an almost immediate sense of ease. Clients often report feeling like their hips can finally “breathe,” their lower back pain vanishes, and their posture effortlessly improves.

Emotionally, this is where the true reset happens. As the psoas releases, it sends a powerful signal back to the nervous system: “The danger has passed. You are safe. You can rest now.”

This is why a psoas massage is often experienced as a powerful emotional release massage. It’s not uncommon for clients to feel a wave of calm, to sigh deeply for the first time in weeks, or even to shed tears as the held tension of accumulated stress finally leaves their body. It’s a literal and metaphorical unburdening.

This makes it one of the most potent forms of stress relief massage available. It doesn’t just scratch the surface; it goes right to the source.

Your Journey Back to Calm: What to Expect

If you’re considering this for yourself, you might understandably feel a little nervous. Working with such a deep, intimate muscle requires immense trust and professionalism.

1. The Conversation: It all starts with a chat. You will ask you about your stress, your pain, and what your holiday season has truly been like. This isn’t small talk; it’s essential for understanding what your body is holding.
2. The Environment: The room will be warm, quiet, and safe. You will be draped and respected at all times. This work is about partnership, not just pressure.
3. The Technique: Through the abdomen, we will gently navigate past superficial layers to make contact with the psoas. The pressure is firm but mindful, always within your comfort zone. The goal is to invite release, not to force it.
4. The Release: The sensation is often described as a deep “unwinding.” You might feel emotions surface, memories pop up, or simply a profound wave of relaxation. All of it is welcome. All of it is part of the healing.
5. The Aftermath: Afterwards, you’ll feel spacious. Lighter. You’ll notice your feet connect with the ground differently. The world might feel a little quieter, a little softer. We always recommend you drink plenty of water and give yourself the gift of a quiet evening to integrate the profound shift.

This Holiday Season, Give Yourself the Gift of Release

In a season defined by giving, the most radical act can be to finally, fully receive.

Receiving peace. Receiving stillness. Receiving the care your body has been begging for.

A psoas massage is not an indulgence. It is an act of reclamation. It’s you taking back your body from the clutches of holiday stress. It’s you telling your nervous system that the hustle is over, and it’s finally time to come home to yourself.

The benefits of this work are a cascade of relief: from the physical liberation of a tight hip to the emotional unburdening of a weary heart.

You’ve spent this season carrying the weight for everyone else. Isn’t it time you put it down?

If you’re in New York and ready to trade that holiday burnout for deep, lasting calm, Jacqueline’s 1:1 coaching sessions are designed as a sanctuary for this exact kind of healing, a safe space to gently release what your body has been holding, meeting you with compassion exactly where you are.