Our Thyroid does so many amazing things; it regulates how we burn energy, helps with the production of proteins from amino acids, and is the driving force behind how much hormones our other glands send into the body.
There are so many ways you can take care of and support your Thyroid! Three of the biggest ways are
1. Ditching the chemicals from your home (snag my "Chemical Dirty Dozen guide here if you don't know where to start)
2. Drink Purified Water (Fluoride and Chlorine is commonly added to tap water, both have major negative effects on how the thyroid functions)
3. Do a cleanse! My personal favorite is the Master Cleanse.
Along with the 3 physical things above there are a few yoga postures that can also support good thyroid function. Keep reading to learn how these yoga poses support the Thyroid and flow with me at the end.
Now, let's get flowing!
Starting in Sukhasana (easy sitting pose) do some gentle neck, this opens the neck and creates space for energy and blood to flow to the thyroid. When the muscles are tense and tight it makes it harder for both energy to flow with ease, when energy is stagnant that's one of the ways dis-ease starts to develop in the body.
Anahatasana or puppy pose gently opens the front of the body and shoulders. You may start with the forehead down then as the body opens work towards bringing the chin to the ground. Bringing the chin to the ground helps to open the throat chakra physically as well as energetically which has a healing effect on the Thyroid. Again we are opening the energetic pathways to the thyroid through opening the physical body.
Urdhava Hastasana with arms wide and slight back bend again opens up the energetic pathways through the physical body. We spend time working to open the front of the neck since the thyroid is located on the front of the throat.
Here is Salabhasana we are working the muscles of the back, this strengthening helps to the the body upright when we are flowing through our everyday life. With the muscles of the back strong and stable we are able to stand with better posture, keeping our head and neck in better alignment and again allow energy to smoothly flow in the body.
Ustrasana, camel pose, is another back strengthener as well as deep opener for the front of the chest and shoulders. This also brings energetic alignment back into the body to help balance out any tendency for hunched shoulders. Again when we are able to stand up straight with ease energy is able to flow through the thyroid, supporting it proper function.
Sasangasana, rabbit pose, so far we've done a tone of lengthening out the front of the neck, now it's time to work on flexion. We start with Sasangasana after balasana (child's pose) as a natural progression. The gentle flexion of the neck starts to trap some of the fresh blood we have allowed to flow up to this point and helps to bring more oxygen into the thyroid. Also we start working on opening the back of the neck and allow energy to flow there to support the throat chakra.
Setu Bandha Sarvangasana, bridge pose, again has the trapping effect of the blood into the thyroid region. Again with the pathways open it to safe to allow the blood to pool in the thyroid for a few breaths and deeply nourish. Having our heart above the neck also allows the blood to flow a little more easily since gravity is now working with it instead of against.
And finally the pinnacle pose of our practice, Sarvangasana, shoulder stand. As B.K.S. Iyengar states in "Light on Yoga" it is the "Mother" of all asanas. I'll let Iyengar explain how important this asana is in his own words, an excerpt from "Light on Yoga" (page 213):
"There are several endocrine organs or ductless glands in the human system which bathe in blood, absorb the nutriments from the blood and secrete hormones for proper functioning of a balanced and well developed body an brain. If the glands fail to function properly, the hormones are not produced as they should be and the body starts to deteriorate. Amazingly enough many of the asanas have a direct effect on the glands and help them to function properly. Sarvangasana does this for the thyroid and parathyroid"
Hopefully you are now inspired to get on your mat and show your thyroid a little love, set your mat up and flow with me!
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