I am reminding myself to get my breathing working better to shrug off a chest infection and dug out some of the older articles as a reminder of some if things I knew I need to do - but good habits sometimes get forgotten etc
The one thing that really struck me in the article and in another I read today is that the tongue is just about critical to all this ie position it to the roof of the mouth - can impact balance/ posture as well.
I comment on this specifically as a you tube video was posted a while back asking if yoga can cure your thyroid and one of the exercises related to the tongue and another about making sounds like humming and I confess I struggled to. Understand how there was science behind it all - well I am 101% convinced there now is - will post another you tube video to back this up.
Sorry to burst your bubble but I'm of the firm belief that as of this moment there is no way to heal the thyroid. You take thyroid replacement hormones until you get them to an optimal level along with key vitamins. Anyone claiming anything else is just a snake oil peddler.
learning better breathing and posture via such disciplines as yoga , tai chi. etc if done regularly and correctly, is extremely beneficial to all aspects of overall health .
hasn't done anything to cure me of autoimmune hypothyroidism though. been doing it for years .
very good idea to get back into it though .. for a multitude of reasons .
Yoga has been a massive help to me, both physically and mentally, and the single most important part of the practice is learning to breathe. Although I'm a huge advocate of yoga, I doubt very much it could actually heal a damaged gland! I believe it could help prevent autoimmune diseases generally and since having one makes us susceptible to others it's got to be worth doing.
I’m not sure if yoga and breathwork can cure thyroid issues per se but I think they can definitely help with the stress and concomitant issues relating to thyroid diseases.
I’ve been a yogi, mediator and brearhwork practitioner for over 15 years and unfortunately it didn’t stop me being diagnosed with hashimotos a year ago.
This being said I’ve found my daily brearhwork and meditation practice to be invaluable in supporting my metal and physical health through this last year of hell.
Low humming(from your belly) engages your enteric nervous system and activates your parasympathetic NS via your vagus nerve- hence helping not just with feeling more relaxed but also helping with gut/ constipation issues. I use low humming as part of my early morning breathwork practice and it does definitely help me go to the loo… along with a fair dose of magnesium the night before.
Higher pitched humming ( from your chest and throat area) increases levels of nasal nitrous oxide which increases mood and feel good vibes…. Hence the use of traditional OM sound to feel good is actually based in science. Amazing what the yogis empirically knew thousands of years ago is now being proven by science.
Re tongue position in mouth- again it’s another great hack to active your vagus nerve which feeds directly in your PNS. Tongue throughout day should be place against roof of mouth not dropping down. Also rolling your tongue up and backwards engages vagus nerve.
Then there is the whole things about the perils of mouth breathing which causes excessive inflammation in body due to excessive intake of CO2 which causes the body to become more acidic…. But that’s a whole different strict!
Recommend ‘breath’ by James Nestor and just Google stuff on tongue position and vagus nerve/ PNS. There is more and more info available now online not just in arcane pranayama yogi texts.
Yoga asana postures like halasana( plough) are good for stimulating throat chakra ergo thyroid- good for hypo but contraindicated for hyper. Plus camel pose is beneficial. Anything that involves tipping head backwards and Increasing pressure on throat.
A very informative response Lucy! Thank you. There'll be those who have decided already it's - what was it again? - peddling snake oil. There are plenty of us, however, who know different.
I’ve found yoga to be super helpful, particularly the philosophy of acceptance. The physical benefits of regular practice for a tired old carcass like mine are huge. I’ve recently been trying pranayama and am learning how to harness the different breathing techniques after a stint of asanas. US MD Eric Baclavage has a whole podcast on breathing linked to how oxygen depleted we can be with thyroid and poor breathing habits, especially in sleep. 🙏
will check out Eric Baclavage- it’s crazy something like 70-80% of people don’t have functional breathing patterns… and our breath/ O2 literally is what feeds us!
4 or 5 yrs (to learn the basic sequence of moves).
The rest of your life ...(to improve on the breathing , and the understanding . The arms and legs are not the point .. the point is the weight transfer and movement coming from the centre, and the timing of the breath ...all of which is purposely hidden under those loose clothes , (to hide them from your opponent)
if she wanted to , she could kick your ass, and drop you on it .... but of course she's to well balanced to need to get involved in such sillyness... she'll just move out of your way and let your own force land you on the floor.
And people think your just a nice fluffy lady weaving your arms about in the park.
The investment in time i spent learning this from a good teacher, was the best thing i ever did for my health . mental and physical.
Ha! Yes those who like to coin the ‘snake oil peddling’ term…. which in reality means those who are dogmatic, closed minded, reductionistic and generally uninformed….
Think it was Herbert Spencer who said…
‘If there is one thing to keep a man in a state of perpetual state of everlasting ignorance- it is contempt prior to investigation!! 🤣
Much to my husband’s amusement I sleep with mouth tape on to prevent mouth breathing!! Not sure whether it has reduced systemic inflammation but if’ll give anything a go that might help!!!
Thank you all for some great feedback - there is a huge amount to the breath aspects of yoga and new skills to learn!
I still think there is a genuine need for a central “best practice ideas “ list from all the various disciplines related to thyroid recovery - will make some of the more obscure stuff more accessible
Some are suspicious of paid salespeople with different agendas so a list of recommendations from the general public here would find much favour
I started practising Yoga when 31 years old plus the breathing. I had my thyroid removed when I was 69 years old. The breathing helps in many ways also the Yoga but it is not a cure all. Stress is bad for us in many ways and Yoga breathing can help this. There is only one way to help the thyroid, that is with medication, vitamins and minerals. I am 76 years old and have never smoked, been overweight and ran until my sixties, these things have help me more.
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