by I-mon on Tue May 25, 2010 7:17 am
transversus abdominus - wraps the entire lower abdomen, activating it draws the belly button towards the spine
obliques - external obliques wrap diagonally and connect the pelvis with the ribcage and then through the ribcage via external intercostals and then by serratus anterior to the inside of the scapula, through rhomboids along the same spiral to the spine and then across through splenius capitus to the base of the skull on the opposite side. The obliques go all the way from the top of the ilium to the pubis via the inguinal ligament which is made of the flat oblique muscle rolled up on itself, so it is very much involved in that feeling of "bao dongxi"- cradling the abdominal and pelvis contents twisting this cradle will then transfer force across this diagonal spiral through the whole spine and shoulder girdle and also through the lower limbs into the feet. internal and external obliques also cause flexion of the lumbar spine ie they help the transversus to open mingmen.
iliopsoas - originates along the fronts of the transverse processes and intervertebral disks of the lumbar spine, where it can cause lumbar flexion or extension depending on which fascicles (like wedges of muscles) are fired, it stabilizes the two sides of the lumbar spine and along with the deep spinal erectors on the back it balances the level of flexion and extension of the lumbar region. psoas is positioned deep inside the body, going from the front (inside) of the lumbar spine and joining with iliacus which begins all the way around the inside of the ilium, then they both join to a common tendon which goes through the obturator foramen below the pubic bone to the lesser trocanter of the femur. it's usually called a hip flexor but it also draws the femur into the hip socket - so again it's crucial for the "bao" feeling, making up the back part of the lower abdominal "egg cup", drawing the inner thighs in to the centre and opening mingmen (psoas is part of the kidney meridian). iliopsoas connects down through the inner thighs and tibialis posterior to the sole of the foot (lower parts of the kideny meridian - check the "deep front line" on the anatomytrains.com website). pretty sure iliacus is also continuous with quadratus lumborum which is the deepest abdominal muscle at the front of the spine connecting the ilium to the lower ribs and controlling the balance of the sides of the pelvis.
the obliques and transversus and iliopsoas fibres also merge with the fibres of the pelvic floor muscles, all of which converge at the perinium - hui yin, where all of the muscles of the inner thighs and lower abdomen (the areas covered by the yin meridians whose job it is to wrap and support and stabilize the deep soft parts of the body) converge.
so the bony cradle of the hips, pelvis and lumbar spine is wrapped and it's movements controlled by the muscular cradle of the pelvic floor, psoas, iliacus, quadratus lumborum, internal and external obliques, and transversus abdominus. these muscles then connect fascially in spiralling diagonal lines through the rest of the whole body, the spine (directly via psoas major on the front of the lumbar spine inside the mingmen and transverse abdominus going from the spine and wrapping the whole lower abdomen, and indirectly through the above mentioned spiral and some others which can be easily looked up) and through the insides and outsides of the shoulder blades out to the arms and hands and skull and also through the hips (inside and out) all the way through the legs to the feet. if these connections are developed, and the ability to stabilize the torso (ie the spatial relationship of the pelvis, spine, skull and ribcage) is also developed then movement directed by the muscular cradle of the lower abdomen will create waves of force which flow through the whole body to the ends of the extremities.
given that these deep muscles of the lower abdomen are mostly involved with flexion, rather than extension, in CMA or IMA terms they are more involved with the "drawing in", as well as the winding, of all the forces of the body to and from the central axis. The activation of all of these muscles pressurizes the whole lower abdomen so that breathing into this area presses against the muscular wrapping from the inside, strengthening them and also making their fibres more cohesive and continuous in their “wrapping the insides” function (ie they become more like a ball inside the body as an adaptation to having an internal ball of pressure pushing out against them). There are also a bunch of connections (fascial connections!) through the inside of the abdominal cavity, involving the navel and the central tendon of the perineum and the underside of the diaphragm...i'm not sure about them yet. And of course there is the sacral plexus which permeates the fibres of psoas major and all sorts of hardcore nerve stuff going on here to become aware of if qigong and meditation is your thing.
Last edited by
I-mon on Tue May 25, 2010 7:41 am, edited 1 time in total.