Earth Yoga Blog

“The thyroid is responsible for regulating your metabolism, stimulating growth and helping to protect the body from infection.  When our thyroid function is suffering we experience low energy levels, constipation, cold intolerance, weight gain, mental confusion and sleep disturbances.”  – Yoga and the Widsom of Menopause, Suza Francina.

The thyroid is located in the throat chakra energy center along with the throat, ears, mouth, arms and hands.  This energy center is associated with our ability to express ourselves clearly, honor our truth and communicate verbally, emotionally and mentally.  It is our center for creative expression and free will.

In class we worked through poses to prepare our body for parivritta trikonasana/rotated triangle pose.  This pose not only activates the thyroid, it develops overall strength and flexibility. Because this is a standing pose,  “…it mildly stimulates the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, and accustoms the nervous system to a range of body positions that are otherwise ignored.  Standing poses flood the nervous system with information from all over the body, and they integrate the energy of the body from top to bottom and from inside out.  They integrate the limbs with the torso, and they bring awareness to the respiratory and pelvic diaphragms as well as to the deep muscles of the abdomen, pelvis and back. ”  -Anatomy of Hatha Yoga, H. David Coulter.  Parivritta Trikonasana creates space in the pelvis, increases the blood supply to the lower body, recharges the abdominal organs and can relieve back pain.  “As tension dissolves in the pelvis and heart center, sense your unlimited possiblity for openness and know this as your true self, free from tension.” – Yoga Teachers’ Toolbox, Joseph and Lillian Le Page.

Garbhasana/Child Pose; Mandukasana/Frog Pose; Bhujangasana/Cobra Pose; Adho Mukha Svanasana/Downward Facing Dog Pose; Uttanasana/Standing Forward Bend Pose; Parsvottanasana/Separate Leg Head to Knee Pose; Trikonasana/Triangle Pose; Parivritta Trikonasana/Rotated Triangle Pose; Baddha Konasana/Bound Angle Pose; Setubhandasana/Bridge Pose; Restorative Supported Matsyendrasana/Fish Pose; Savasana/Corpse Pose.