The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located at the base of the neck that plays a crucial role in regulating metabolism, energy production, and hormone balance. Its proper functioning is essential for overall health, and when the thyroid becomes overactive or underactive, it can lead to a host of problems like weight gain, fatigue, hair loss, and mood swings. In addition to medical treatments, incorporating yoga into your daily routine can be a powerful tool for supporting thyroid health and boosting metabolism.
Yoga not only helps in balancing the thyroid but also provides a holistic approach to improving metabolic function. In this blog, we will explore yoga for thyroid, focusing on sp ecific yoga poses for thyroid problems and yoga poses that increase metabolism. By practicing these poses regularly, you can boost your metabolism and promote better thyroid function, contributing to overall wellness.
Understanding the Thyroid and Metabolism
The thyroid gland produces hormones like thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), which regulate the body's metabolism. These hormones influence how the body uses energy, controls body temperature, and helps with growth and development. When the thyroid is not functioning optimally, it can lead to hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid) or hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid), both of which can have a profound effect on the body’s metabolism.
For those with hypothyroidism, the metabolism slows down, leading to weight gain, lethargy, and an overall feeling of sluggishness. In contrast, hyperthyroidism causes an accelerated metabolism, leading to symptoms such as weight loss, rapid heartbeat, and nervousness. Regular yoga practice can support thyroid health by stimulating the gland, improving circulation, reducing stress, and balancing hormone levels.
Additionally, certain yoga poses can help stimulate the metabolism, promoting a more efficient calorie-burning process, which is beneficial for both weight management and overall health. Yoga offers gentle yet effective methods for boosting metabolism and enhancing the thyroid’s functioning.
How Yoga Benefits the Thyroid and Metabolism
Yoga has a unique ability to address both physical and emotional health. By incorporating mindful breathing, stretching, and strengthening poses, yoga works on several levels to help manage thyroid imbalances and support metabolic function. Here are a few ways yoga can be beneficial:
- Improves Blood Circulation: Many yoga poses stimulate blood flow to the thyroid gland, increasing its ability to produce thyroid hormones and regulate metabolic function.
- Reduces Stress: Chronic stress can contribute to thyroid imbalances. Yoga encourages relaxation through deep breathing techniques and mindfulness, reducing cortisol levels and promoting thyroid health.
- Stimulates the Digestive System: Certain yoga poses for thyroid problems focus on activating the digestive system, which helps boost metabolism and encourages better nutrient absorption.
- Enhances Overall Energy: Yoga helps improve overall energy levels and combats the fatigue that often accompanies thyroid dysfunction. Poses that activate the core and stimulate the thyroid can make a noticeable difference in your energy levels.
- Balances the Endocrine System: Yoga harmonizes the endocrine system by balancing hormone production. Through specific yoga poses that increase metabolism, practitioners can address thyroid issues and support a healthy metabolism.
Best Yoga Poses for Thyroid Health
1. Yogendra Marjaryasana-Bitilasana (Cat-Cow Pose)
This pose is a dynamic sequence of movements that are great for flexibility and stimulating the thyroid. In this pose, the head and neck are moved in ways that enhance blood flow to the thyroid gland, while the spinal flexion helps increase the overall metabolic rate. This sequence also promotes relaxation, reducing stress that may affect thyroid function.
How to Perform:
- Sit in Vajrasana.
- Come forward, resting forearms on the floor in front, keeping elbows outside the knees and palms resting at shoulder-width level.
- Gently move the palms forward by one-palm distance and simultaneously, come on the knees and raise the torso.
- Spread knees and toes to align with respective palms (toes pointing out).
- Inhaling, raise the head to look up and simultaneously press the lower back down, maintaining gaze, in line of vision (without rolling the eyeball up). Hold the posture while retaining the breath, for double the count of inhalation.
- Exhaling, equal to inhalation, tuck the chin in and raise the torso upward to form an arch, while suspending the breath for double the exhalation.
- Inhaling, come back to the starting position.
- Follow the breathing rhythm of 3:6 or as per individual comfort.
- Practice 3 rounds before returning to the starting position (Vajrasana).
- Individuals with severe osteoarthritis, neck, shoulder and spine injury, inflammation in knees or hips, shall avoid this asana.
Benefits: This sequence stimulates the thyroid, improves spinal flexibility, and promotes digestion, enhancing metabolism.
2. Yogendra Matsyasana (Fish Pose)
Matsyasana is a chest-opening pose that helps stimulate the thyroid gland and supports the metabolism. The gentle arch of the back and the tilt of the head in this pose encourages better circulation to the throat and promotes the secretion of thyroid hormones.
How to Perform:
- Lie supine (on the back) on a mat, hands besides the body.
- Keep the legs together (heels touching), toes pointing upwards.
- Keep the mind relaxed and passively aware. Breathe normally.
- With the aid of the hands, gently fold the legs as in Sukhasana or Padmasana.
- Now, draw the hands from the sides under the head, bending the hands at the elbow.
- Clasp the opposite elbows and let the hands rest on the mat, above the head.
- Maintain this position, breathing rhythmically for 1-2 minutes (final position).
- Posture release: slowly unclasp the hands and bring them back to the sides. Gently unfold the legs and come back to the starting position, taking support of the hands.
- Practice for 1-2 minutes/session.
- Individuals with severe arthritis, any heart diseases, peptic ulcers, hernia, spinal injuries, back problems shall not practise this asana.
Benefits: Yogendra Matsyasana helps stimulate the thyroid, improve breathing, and boost metabolic function.
3. Yogendra Ushtrasana (Camel Pose)
Ustrasana is a dee p backbend that stretches the entire front of the body, including the neck and throat. This pose is particularly beneficial for yoga for thyroid health as it activates the thyroid gland, encouraging hormonal balance. Additionally, it opens the chest, allowing for deeper breathing and better oxygenation of the body.
How to Perform:
- Assume a kneeling position on a mat and support the body on the knees, with the toes curled in.
- Slowly, lean backwards, and take the arms behind.
- Fix the cup of fingers to the ground, with the fingers pointing outward and the thumb towards the toes.
- Keep the arms straight, eyes open, gaze fixed at a point.
- Inhaling, slowly lift the pelvis and push the body above the waist, outward and upward.
- Allow the neck to gently fall backward. Complete the first 2 steps, while inhaling.
- Maintain this posture, retaining the breath, for double the inhalation time (final position).
- Exhaling (equal to inhalation), gently draw back the upper torso and then straighten the neck. Releasing the palm, attain a kneeling position.
- Recommended counts for breathing rhythm - 3:6:3 seconds or to a ratio of 1:2:1, as per individual comfort.
- Practice 2 rounds (preferably in the morning), pause in-between rounds.
- In case of static pose, maintain the final position for 30 seconds, gradually taking it up to not more than 1 minute, with regular practice. Breathing should be normal–slow and rhythmic.
- Anyone with abdominal inflammations, ulcers and slip disc shall avoid this asana.
Benefits: Yogendra Ushtrasana improves blood flow to the thyroid, stretches the neck and throat, and enhances metabolic function.
4. Yogendra Halasana (Plough Pose)
Halasana is an i nversion that deeply stretches the spine, shoulders, and neck while stimulating the thyroid gland. This yoga pose for thyroid health helps to activate the gland and improve the flow of energy throughout the body, thereby supporting a healthy metabolism.
How to Perform:
- Assume a supine position; legs straight, feet together, and hands by their respective sides, palms facing down. Breathe normally.
- Exhaling, raise both the legs upwards and continue taking them backwards beyond the head, in a semi circular arc, to touch the floor, behind the head.
- Point the toes outward and keep the palms pressed down.
- Maintain this position with the breath suspended for double the exhalation period.
- Inhaling (equal to exhalation), lift the legs up and then carefully lower the back. Gently bring the legs back to starting position.
- Recommended counts for breathing rhythm – 3:6:3 seconds or to a ratio of 1:2:1, as per individual comfort.
- Practice 3 rounds, with pause in-between rounds.
- In case of static pose, maintain the final position for 30 seconds, gradually taking it up to 1/2 minutes with regular practice. Breathing should be normal–slow and rhythmic.
- Individuals with hypertension, heart ailments, pregnancy, peptic ulcers, respiratory disorders and cervical spondylitis should avoid this asana.
Benefits: Yogendra Halasana helps stimulate thyroid function, improve circulation, and boost metabolism.
5. Yogendra Trikonasana II (Triangle Pose)
Yogendra Trikonasana II is an excellent yoga pose that increases metabolism. It stretches the entire body, focusing on the chest and neck, which are key areas for thyroid health. The twist in the torso helps stimulate the abdominal organs and improve digestion, further supporting metabolism.
How to Perform:
- Inhaling, turn the right foot outwards, to rest at a right angle to the left foot.
- Simultaneously, turn the neck to gaze at the right thumb (or palm).
- Exhaling, bend to the right to touch the right toe, gaze fixed on the right thumb.
- Simultaneously, let the left arm rise up straight, towards the ceiling.
- Now, gently turn the neck to look up at the thumb/finger of the outstretched left hand, ensuring the hands are aligned in a straight line. Complete the above steps 3 to 5, while exhaling.
- Maintain this position, suspending the breath, for a period, double of exhalation.
- Turn the neck down, to gaze at the right thumb and inhaling, unbend to return to the position of step1 above, gently and smoothly, keeping the hands straight. Complete this step, while inhaling, period equal to exhaling.
- Turn the right foot inwards and the left foot outwards and simultaneously turn the neck to gaze at the left thumb.
- Repeat the above sequence, bending to the left to complete 1 round.
- Recommended counts for breathing rhythm - 3:6:3 seconds or to a ratio of 1:2:1, as per individual comfort.
- Practise 3 rounds, with a pause between rounds.
- In case of static practice, hold the final position for 1 minute/ side alternately, breathing normally.
- Individuals with spinal injury and spinal abnormalities and severe back problems, frozen shoulder and severe arthritis, hypertension and serious cardiac complaints shall avoid this asana.
Benefits: Yogendra Trikonasana II helps activate the thyroid gland, improve digestion, and increase metabolism.
Conclusion
Incorporating yoga into your routine is a natural and effective way to support your thyroid gland and boost your metabolism . Whether you’re dealing with hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, or just looking to enhance your metabolic function, these yoga poses for thyroid problems can help stimulate the thyroid, promote hormone balance, and increase overall energy levels.
Remember that consistency is key. By practicing these yoga poses for increasing metabolism regularly, you can experience long-term benefits for both your thyroid health and metabolic function. Along with a healthy diet and lifestyle, yoga provides a holistic approach to overall well-being, helping you feel more balanced, energized, and vibrant.
So, roll out your mat, try these poses, and give your thyroid support and your metabolism a boost through the healing power of yoga.