What are some yoga tips for a person with thyroid problems?
8 yoga postures to fight hypothyroidism
Do you feel tired, depressed, constantly cold while the thermometer indicates rather mild temperatures? Do you think about having your thyroid function checked?
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Hypothyroidism is a disease that affects more and more people and mostly women.
For my part, it was during a blood test that this was suspected: a lot of hormones were at half mast (estrogen, LSH, FSH …) despite a TSH standards.
After further exploration (search for T3 and T4 hormones and the “happiness” of having an MRI of the pituitary: – / …), I was discovered an adenoma located near the pituitary that disrupts the functioning of this gland.
Added to this was a period of intense stress, a recent pregnancy … in short, a thyroid that goes awry with all that hypothyroidism can cause as symptoms: fatigue, depression, permanent cold sensation …
However, by being well followed medically (I am currently taking Levothyrox), by implementing some small changes in your lifestyle (diet, physical activity …) and with some yoga postures well targeted, all this can be in order!
We will see all this in details, but first of all let’s start from the beginning:
1. What is hypothyroidism?
1.1 How does the thyroid work?
The thyroid is one of the most important glands of the body.
Located in the throat, this butterfly-shaped gland secretes hormones that control important functions such as weight management, metabolism, sleep …
It produces the hormones thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3) and Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) that affect all cells, tissues and organs of the body.
The production of Thyroxine and Triiodothyronine is a multi-step process that requires multiple body parts to interact properly.
If any of these steps go wrong, it often results in Hypothyroidism: the thyroid is idling.
Normally, this 3-step process occurs:
- The hypothalamus , located in the brain, produces the Thyrotropin Releasing Hormone (TRH).
- TRH reaches the pituitary gland , which then produces Thyroid – Stimulating Hormone (TSH or Thyrotropin).
- TSH is secreted into the blood, where it causes the thyroid to secrete Triiodothyronine (T3) and Thyroxine (T4).
There are 3 different types of hypothyroidism that correspond to a disorder of each of these stages:
- Primary hypothyroidism: when there is a problem with the thyroid itself that leads to a reduction in the production of Thyroxine and Triiodothyronine.
- Secondary hypothyroidism: when the pituitary does not release enough Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH). The thyroid then receives the wrong instructions and produces less Thyroxine and Triiodothyronine.
- Secondary hypothyroidism: when there is a disturbance in the first stage of thyroid hormone production. The hypothalamus does not release enough Thyrotropin Releasing Hormone (TRH), which prevents the pituitary gland and thyroid from functioning properly .
For women, hormones can also break down during pregnancy or menopause. That’s why they are often far more affected by thyroid problems than men.
However, it is rather difficult to diagnose a malfunction of the thyroid. TSH – the most commonly dosed in blood tests – may be in the norms while T3 and T4 are collapsed.
1.2 The symptoms of hypothyroidism
On the other hand, its primary role, a healthy thyroid is often synonymous with a healthy body.
However, this is one of the first organs showed signs of weakness when your lifestyle is not optimized. The thyroid can also be disrupted by chronic stress.
The main symptoms of hypothyroidism that can be encountered are:
- Dry skin
- Swelling of the limbs and face
- Hair dry and brittle hair and hair loss
- Formation of goiter and / or nodules
- Swelling of the tongue
- Heart palpitations
- Depression
- Disorders of concentration and memory .
- Numbness or tingling fingers
- Slowing metabolism inducing weight gain
- Drop in libido
- Feeling cold, difficulty warming up
- Intense fatigue
You may experience one or more of these symptoms.
If you have hypothyroidism, your doctor will probably prescribe hormone replacement therapy, such as Levothyrox, to get and maintain thyroid hormone levels.
However, you can also take action yourself and give your thyroid a boost by using the following natural methods and also act on what caused the thyroid to slow down in the first place:
2. Balance your thyroid with yoga
Yoga is very beneficial on thyroid problems:
- on the one hand, for its beneficial effect on stress management , through breathing and meditation exercises
- on the other hand, yoga also allows you to stretch and do some work on the throat area where the thyroid is located
- Then, because a malfunction of the thyroid will also disrupt the circulation, but yoga is particularly concerned with circulating the energy in the body
We will see yoga practices that can help restore or maintain a balance of the thyroid:
2.1 Circulating energy with asanas
Here is a list of yoga postures that stimulate the throat chakra and help to circulate the energy flow:
1. The boat
- Sit in a seated position, knees bent, feet on the ground, hands behind you with fingers in the direction of the feet
- Extend the spine, tuck the belly button and open the chest
- Keep your balance on the sacrum and buttocks and lift your feet
- Stay in the elevation by stretching the spine and opening the chest well and extend the arms parallel to the floor
- When you feel enough balance, stretch your legs well
- Stay in the position for 5 to 10 breaths or about 1 to 2 minutes
2. The bridge
- Lie on your back, bend your knees, your heels near the buttocks
- Place your hands under the bottom of your back that support the pelvis
- Push on your legs and lift the pelvis while trying to open the chest
- Stay in the position for 10 breaths or about 3 minutes
3. The candle
- Lie on your back, arms close to your body, palms on your hands
- Raise your legs to the ceiling
- Bend your elbows to place your palms on your lower back to support the weight of your body
- Raise your legs a little higher by moving the fulcrum of your body to the ground towards the shoulders
- Adjust yourself in the position by trying to have your back straight, aligned with the legs
- Relax your face and throat, look at your chest and breathe in your belly
- Hold posture 30 seconds and gradually increase the duration to stay between 3 and 5 minutes in this asana
4. The plow
- From the posture of the candle, gently lower the legs behind the head while trying to touch the toes on the ground
- If you can put your toes and feel comfortable, release your hands from your lower back and weave your fingers under your back
- Stay in the position for 10 breaths or about 3 minutes
5. The wheel
- Lie down on the floor. Bend your knees, feet apart from the width of the hips and the heels close to the buttocks.
- Bend your elbows and place your hands on the floor, near your head, palms open and spread, fingers pointing to the shoulders
- Press the shoulders to the ground and feel the chest open and rise slightly
- Keep your feet firmly on the ground and press your hands and lift the hips to place the top of your skull on the ground
- Stay in this position for 1 or 2 breaths
- Inhale and on an exhale, hold your feet firmly to the ground, and press the ground heavily to lift the entire upper body and take off the top of the skull. Try to reach out as much as you can.
- Hold the pose between 5 and 10 breaths
6. The camel
- Get down on your knees, knees apart from hip width, upper body up. The toes are crooked on the ground or, if you are more flexible, lying down and pointing backwards.
- Put your hands on the bottom of your back
- Keep your lower body stable and roll your shoulders backwards by lifting the chest
- On an exhalation, start tilting backwards keeping your chest open and try to catch your heels with your hands
- Stay in the position between 30 seconds and 1 minute while breathing in the chest to facilitate its opening.
7. The lion
- Kneel down, knees wide of hips
- Cross your right ankle on the left one and sit back gently on your heels. The toes point outwards and the ankles are flat on the ground. Open the chest well. First, place both hands on top of your knees.
- Place your hands in front of you on the floor and tilt your body weight forward to support your hands and knees. Spread your fingers and press your hands firmly on the knees like the claws of a lion.
- Take a deep breath, lower your jaw and open your mouth as wide as possible
- Pull your tongue and pull it down towards the chin
- Open your eyes wide and look straight ahead
- Contract the muscles in front of the throat
- Exhale loudly making a sound that looks like a lion with a cat in the throat ????
- Repeat the posture 3 times
8. The eagle
- Start standing, arms down the body
- Bend your knees. Balance your right foot and cross your left thigh on the right. Fix your gaze on a point in front of you. Crochet the top of your left foot behind your right ankle.
- Extend your arms in front of you and place your left arm under the right
- Bend your elbows and mount your forearms perpendicular to the floor. Place your left arm under the right. Clasp your hands, press your palms together
- Always fix your gaze on a point far ahead of you in the manner of an eagle fixing its prey.
- Keep the posture for 5 breaths or 1 minute
Regularly do these 8 postures to take advantage of their profits in the long term.
Whenever you get out of these postures, take a moment to notice the heat around the throat area so you can focus on the throat chakra.
2.2 Practice pranayama by stimulating the throat chakra
These exercises are more focused on breathing or pranayama and aim to act on the chakra of the throat.
A chakra is a meeting point in a gland producing hormones and a main nerve.
They come from the yoga of kundalini.
These breathing techniques help clean stagnation around organs and rebalance the endocrine and lymphatic system.
They are effective whether you have hypo or hyperthyroidism.
1. The Thyroid’s breathing
This breathing exercise improves circulation and increases lung capacity.
At the level of your throat, place the palm of your right hand in front of the palm of your left hand and interlace your fingers, create a slight tension as if you are trying to separate your fingers.
With each inspiration, turn your bust left. Each time you turn to the left, you stimulate the blood flow to the heart, located in the left side of the body.
At each expiration, turn your bust right. Each time you turn to the right, you stimulate the detoxification of the liver, located in the right side of the body.
Do this exercise for 3 minutes, then sit in silence, eyes closed and focus on your feelings.
2. The cat’s posture
This exercise is very beneficial for the spine. It improves the circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid, which contributes to a better mental clarity since the 26 vertebrae and all the energy chakras are stimulated.
Stand on all fours. When exhaling, press the chin against your chest, push hard on the palms of your hands and round off the back.
At the inspiration, look ahead and dig your back by accentuating the arch.
Gradually, increase the speed of movement to increase the energy flow and eliminate the stagnant energies and blockages that have been stored around the organs.
3. The frog rises
At the inspiration, go down in position of squats in balance on the pads of the feet, the heels touching. Put your fingertips on the ground between your legs, slightly forward, curved back and slightly raised chin.
When exhaling, stretch your legs by tucking your belly button and keeping the heels in contact and in the air, the fingertips remain on the ground.
Perform this movement quickly for 3 minutes.
4. Meditation with the mantra Ra Ma Da Sa
Sit cross-legged. Breathe deeply with 4 breaths, 4 full breaths, 4 breaths and 4 empty breaths.
While continuing to breathe this way, imagine a bright blue light emanating from the thyroid. The more you progress in the exercise, the brighter the light becomes.
Repeat the mantra:
Ra Ma Da Sa
It is a healing mantra of kundalini yoga.
It includes the 8 sounds that stimulate the vital energy of the kundalini and brings extra energy to our energetic body.
The sound “DA” in particular is the sound of awakening, at the top of the skull.
3. Alternative methods to treat thyroid
3.1 Treat your diet
Some foods are goitrogens , which means they tend to slow down the thyroid.
If you already have problems with hypothyroidism, eating too much of these foods can make your problems worse. If you are a vegetarian, be careful if you consume a lot of soy.
Recent studies have shown that crucifers can unbalance the thyroid. Avoid over-eating broccoli or Brussels sprouts.
For vegetables, avoid also mustard, rutabaga, radishes, corn …
Also try to limit peaches and raspberries as well as nuts.
However, in contrast, some nutrients are essential for the proper functioning of the thyroid and will help you produce hormones.
Make sure you have sufficient input by:
– Iodine : present in seafood or seaweed
– Vitamin D : obtained with exposure to the sun
– Selenium and B vitamins : regularly eating eggs for example
Also remember to drink enough water in the day.
3.2 Do physical activity
Hypothyroidism often slows circulation, activities such as brisk walking, swimming, cycling, etc. to activate circulation.
In addition, physical exercise will also allow you to naturally fight overweight (a classic symptom of hypothyroidism), depression and help you increase thyroid hormone production.
3.3 Drink herbal teas
Plants used in herbal teas or decoctions can also help you remedy your thyroid hormone deficiencies:
- Ashwagandha root : Ashwagandha is traditionally used in Ayurvedic medicine. It stimulates thyroid function and is a popular herb for general health and longevity.
- The oat grass : It helps the nervous system, improves circulation and increases energy levels and libido!
- The Thistle : it is a plant traditionally used to stimulate the liver, but it also affects the thyroid. It also helps to lower cholesterol, which may be interesting because, generally, people with hypothyroidism also have high cholesterol.
- The black cohosh : it stimulates the production of thyroid hormones. It also balances estrogen levels, but an imbalance in estrogen can also interfere with optimal thyroid function.
3.4 Reduce your stress level
Reducing stress is very important to balance your thyroid. Indeed, under the effect of stress, the body produces cortisol.
Too much cortisol interferes with the production of thyroid hormones.
You can try several techniques like yoga (especially the breathing techniques explored above), but also meditation or EFT .
Here are some ideas of practices that can help you fight hypothyroidism.
This being so, it is obvious that it is necessary to consult your doctor in order to have a good follow-up of the effectiveness of your treatment.
Hypothyroidism, however, is usually not a fatality.
If you are well followed medically and you make some small adjustments to your lifestyle, these empty passages will soon be behind you!
