thehealingjournal.com: Oct - Nov 2007 - YOGA FOR WEIGHT CONTROL

The thyroid gland is part of our endocrine system. It is located in the neck and secretes hormones that regulate our metabolism, and is therefore one of the main influences of our body weight. Stimulating the thyroid improves its function. The following postures have many benefits, among them, the stimulation of this wonderful gland.

Begin with some NECK ROLLS. Allow your head to gently drop forward, bringing the chin toward the chest. Let the upper back muscles stretch out as the neck muscles release. Take a few breaths here. Now allow your head to slowly rock from side to side. Control the movement, don’t just swing you head. Notice how this changes the stretch, not only in the neck but down the back. Loosening up in the shoulders and neck is a good way to begin to stimulate the thyroid. If you’re prone to tension headaches, this will also help to ease those tight muscles and make you more less susceptible.

BACKWARD BEND, Sitting - This is a simpler version of the CAMEL (Ustrasana). Again, you’ll find postures which ease neck and shoulder tension are generally the ones that will activate the thyroid gland, along with other glands in the endocrine system, such as the pituitary and the pineal glands. Expanding the chest helps to eliminate poor posture and strengthen the back. This posture is wonderful for firming the chin and throat area, reducing a double chin.

Sit with your legs extended and together. Place your hands flat on the floor behind your hips, fingertips pointing either away from or toward your buttocks. (Fingers pointing away from the buttocks will allow the chest to open more easily, while fingers pointing toward the buttocks will allow the upper back to stay more open). Inhale.
Exhale, pushing your sitting bones into floor, lifting your waist away from your pelvis and allowing the hips to rotating forward.
Inhale, lifting your chest upward, gently letting head drop back. Buttocks remain on the floor. If you’re neck is uncomfortable in this position, allow your chin to fold in toward your throat. Hold posture and breathe.
Inhale, exhale, slowly coming out of the pose. Relax, bending your knees outward and bringing the soles of your feet together. Let yourself bend forward easily over your legs to release your back.

ALTERNATE LEG STRETCH, Sitting (Janu Sirsasana). Allowing tension to be relieved from the legs, buttocks and back body, you’ll find that circulation in the pelvic region is improved, fat is reduced from the hips and abdomen, and fatigue is overcome.

Sit erect with your legs outstretched, arms at sides.
Pull heel of the left foot up into the groin as close to body as possible, flex right foot. Place both hands on the right knee.
Inhaling lengthen your spine upward, plant your sitting bones into the floor and drop the shoulders away from your ears.
Exhaling, let your pelvis tip forward, sliding your hands down toward the right shin. Draw your chest toward the right foot, keeping the neck long. Hold posture and breathe.
Inhale. Exhaling, release your spine allowing it to round. Let your right leg bend and slowly uncurl your spine to come to an upright position.
Repeat on the opposite side.

When you hold the final position in the ALTERNATE LEG STRETCH (body over top of leg), try to get away from the effort of bringing your head to your knee. If you move your body into this position, you are actually releasing your spine and moving your pelvis in the wrong direction. In actual fact, unless you have a very short body and really long legs, if you were to go into the more intermediate position of this posture, you would continue your journey forward and down until eventually your chest lays on your thigh. If this is the case, your face will likely be more in the vicinity of your shin, with the top of your head close to the foot of your extended leg.

The SPREAD LEG STRETCH, Standing (Prasarita Padottanasana) is the making of strong legs and clearer mind. However, people with high blood pressure or an uncomfortable feeling in their head when bending forward should forego this posture. The back of the legs get a good stretch, the abdominal organs are massaged and of course those endocrine glands will react to the stimulation.

Stand with your feet as far apart as comfortable and parallel to each other, with hands on hips.
Inhaling, lengthen your spine upward imagining the crown of your head moving toward the sky.
Exhaling, let your tailbone sink toward the earth and draw your abdominal muscles inward. Bend slowly forward from the lower pelvis, keeping your back straight, taking your body to a right angle, back parallel with ceiling.
With your next breath, exhale as you continue to move downward, remembering the feeling you had in your upper and lower body when you experienced the Alternate Leg Stretch while sitting. Elongate the spine trying to bring the top of your head down toward the floor. Grasp your ankles with your hands or place them on the floor. Hold the posture and breathe.
Inhale, exhale and bend your knees slightly, bring your feet closer together, and slowly roll to an upright position.

If you find yourself unsteady in the forward bend or unable to bend forward with a straight spine, bend your knees. It will loosen the hamstrings and release your lower back allowing you to move more freely.

Inverted postures are among the best for stimulating the endocrine system. However, unless you are a skilled Yoga practitioner, they should be practiced under the supervision of a qualified instructor, so I will not introduce them here. They are not postures you will learn when you first begin your Yoga study, they will come with time. So if you’re patient and going to a class, your teacher will probably introduce THE SHOULDER STAND, THE PLOUGH, and maybe THE HEADSTAND sometime in the future.

It is always wise to consult with your physician before beginning any exercise program, including Yoga. This article is not meant to diagnose or treat any ailments.

People who have undergone recent surgery, or have high blood pressure, heart problems, or any other major physical ailment, should obtain their doctor’s approval before engaging in these activities.

ENJOY your Yoga practice. ALWAYS move slowly. NEVER feel pain and NEVER move past your “edge”. Your edge is the farthest point to which you can take a posture without experiencing pain. Everyone’s edge is different. Pain is your body’s way of saying “STOP”. Respect it!

SHERI KAUHAUSEN, is a certified Yoga Instructor and Wellness Coach. She is the founder of INTO YOGA, a mobile studio bringing Yoga, Pilates, Body Rolling, Prenatal, Kids classes, Baby Sign Language and the importance of Nutritional Cleansing to your work place and community centers. She can be contacted at www.intoyoga and 604-421-9872.

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