PSOAS Massage by Maria De Dauw® – Soul Muscle Therapy with Focused and Attuned Touch
Experience the original PSOAS massage by Maria De Dauw®: direct yet deeply attuned touch of the soul muscle. Includes iliacus treatment. Extended sessions and training available.
Meeting the soul muscle
My psoas started speaking to me long before I even knew of its existence. During a personal session many years ago, I felt something deep in my belly tighten—it completely locked up. I could feel both of my psoas muscles contracting and relaxing again. I was allowed to witness their strength. Then my body did the same with the masseter, the powerful jaw muscle that isn’t physically connected to the psoas but reacts to the same kind of internal stress. They both activated—together and separately—and then released again. I didn’t know what was happening, but I allowed it.
It wasn’t until two years later that I began to understand what it meant. Only then could I begin my work with it. After body dearmouring trainings, a psoas workshop, further study, lots of reading, research and hands-on experience, my own unique approach to PSOAS massage came together.
I went deeper than most therapists, and I opted for direct contact with the psoas—but only if the body allows it. I also always treat the iliacus muscle as part of the PSOAS session.
My approach – precise, gentle, and deeply attuned
Within the field of PSOAS therapy, there are generally two schools of thought. Eastern traditions and movement therapists, such as Liz Koch, advocate avoiding direct contact with the psoas due to its depth and sensitivity. In contrast, many Western-trained physiotherapists and sports doctors do use direct touch and trigger point techniques on the muscle—often, in my opinion, too forcefully or with too little sensitivity.
I choose to work with direct contact, but in a listening and respectful way. This deep, powerful and sensitive core muscle—also known as the "muscle of the soul"—deserves a loving and attuned approach. If the body opens and the surrounding tissues allow, I gently connect with the psoas, feel it, and let it to open up to me.
I never treat trigger points directly on the psoas. However, I do release trigger points on the iliacus if the body allows it and no other tissues are strenuously standing in the way.
The flow of a session
A PSOAS massage never begins with the psoas. We begin by tending to all the areas impacted by a (chronically) contracted psoas, using various techniques that are tailored to your unique body. First, we create space— I use a range of techniques depending on what your body tells me. The iliacus muscle is always part of the session, as it is a key area for the release of deeply rooted tension. From there, we approach the psoas—often in the first session, sometimes later. It depends entirely on the wisdom of your body.
Letting your soul muscle be treated by skilled, listening hands can be intense, but it brings deep relaxation, softening, greater body awareness, and often personal insights.
Extended PSOAS session
The extended PSOAS massage gives us additional time to focus on the head, neck, and jaw. I highly recommend addressing these areas—not just because it’s soothing to have the work done on your head and neck, or the profound additional release that may occur because of the at times challenging work on the masseter, but also because it helps you drop out of your head and sink more deeply into the body. Schedule a PSOAS massage or Extended PSOAS massage.
PSOAS massage training
Are you a bodyworker who wants to learn how to approach the psoas in a respectful, intuitive and effective way? In my PSOAS massage training, you’ll discover my method from the inside out—blending hands-on techniques, systemic insight, and deep somatic sensitivity.