Asanas Fighting Hypothyroidism

Visitors coming to this this site looking for Hypothyroidism fighting Asanas.

Best approach would be: to go to a Yogacharya who specialises in Therapeutic Yoga. Someone like Yogananth - who, despite his being so young has attracted admiration from all corners, including mine. :)

Here is his official site http://www.yogananth.com/

Well,if you are looking for a ready reckoner, in my limited knowledge of the Yoga postures, let me give the following Asanas which would be good in fighting Hypothyroidism.

Matsyasana
Ardha Chakrasana
Greevasana / Viparita Dandasana
Setubadhasana (Shirsha-Pada-Bhumi-Sparshasana)
Ushtrasana

To be complemented by the following Asanas

Kavandhasana
Halasana
Sarvangasana
Sasangasana


Pranayama
Ujjayee pranayama(Jalandharbandha),

Matsyasana - the plain vanilla one

Matsyasana - the plain vanilla version


Over the last three posting I progressed from the Saral version of Matsyasana to this version of Matsyasana, which is the most standard version.

However, there is a more difficult version too, which I am not able to do as of now, may be in about two years in future I shall be able to do it. That is the Baddha Padma version - which is: perform a Baddha Padmasana , then perform Matsyasana.

 

Drishti: Nasagre, or Bhru-Madhye

Breathing: As you raise your body from the floor and go into Matsyasana, inhale. Breathe normally as you hold the posture.

Benefits: Matsyasana is one of the Asanas that benefits hypothyroidism cases to a good extent. To achieve the full benefit, however, a complementary Asana - that is one of the following Asanas: Sasangasana, Sarvangasana, or Kavandhasana/Kandharasana needs to be executed.

Of all the above Asanans I have posted only the Kandharasana, which is also known as Kavandhasana, in this blog.

Approaching Matsyasana - Part II

Approaching Matsyasana - Part II

Well, this manuever helped me in Matsyasana practice, as well as in Kukkutasana and Garbhapindasana practice. It also helped me in the Karandavasana practice.

 

It also helped me in a big way to get rid of the back pain.

The good news... thanks to my relentless practice of Yoga, the back pain is almost gone. So much so that, the other day I tried to do the Sarvangasana - and wonder of wonders, I felt no pain. Have been doing Sarvangasana since then regularly.

Approaching Matsyasana

Approaching Matsyasana

Matsya (n.) = Fish

Asana (n.) = Posture

Someday before I talked about Saral Matsyasana.

This picture below is the first step toward the Matsyasana. Lie on your back and do a Padmasana. The legs in Padmasana assume the shape of the tail of a fish - perhaps more specifically a Rohu fish.

 

When I started relearning Matsyasana (lost after a long non-practice since the childhood days) about three years ago, I found it tough to do exactly what has been done in the photograph above. Though I was able to do the padmasana, and lie down, but the legs would stay up, without touching the ground. Even now I am not able to do it if I am doing Padmasana with my right leg first.

Saral Matsyasana

Saral Matsyasana

Saral (adj.) = Simple
Matsya (n.) = Fish
Asana (n.) = Posture

The regular Matsyasana may be tough for beginners. For them the starting point is Saral Matsyasana.

 

Here you go.

Breathing: Breathe in as you raise the chest

Drishti: Nasagre - tip of the nose

Saral Dhanurasana

Saral Dhanurasana

Saral(adj.) = Simple
Dhanuh(n.) = Bow
Asana(n.) = Posture

It's quite sometime ago I published the Dhanurasana. I talked about Saral Dhanurasana but did not publish the same in that post. However, a few visitors actually came to the site looking for that pose.

Here you go dear visitors.

 

As I mentioned earlier, even this Saral Dhurasana may be difficult for some - particularly, I have seen people not able to catch hold of their legs.

 

Drishti: on the third eye
Breathing: inhale while raising head from the ground. Normal as you hold the position.

Vajrasana

Vajrasana

Vajra(n.) = Thunder/ thunder bolt
Asana (n.) = posture

Vajra has a mythological meaning in India. It is the weapon of Indra - the king of gods. This particular weapon has a genesis. When Vritrasura became the king of Asuras (demons) he attacked the Suras (gods). Indra approached Vishnu for help who told him that the weapon that would kill Vritra would have to be manufactured from bones of a sage.

Sage Dadhichi (who was a king before he became a sage) consented to donate his bones of his rib cage. Dadhichi started to meditate intending to die; when he died, the gods collected his bones and thereafter Indra manufactured the thunder-weapon out of it.

 

Vajrasana can therefore be associated as an Asana which strengthens the bones.


Indeed, I have seen my Granma, who is close to 90 years, still walking about with no difficulty and no gout or other old-age related problems. She is used to sitting on the Vajrasana for an hour after every meal. Whereas her eldest daughter, who is about 20 years junior to her suffers from gout, and finds it difficult to move effortlessly.

Once you are adept at Vajrasana the next step is to proceed to Supta Vajrasana which does a lot of good to the thighs, to the lumbers and to the spine.

Trikonasana

Trikonasana

Tri (n.) = Three
Kona (n.) = Angle
Trikona (n.) = Triangle
Asana (n.) = Posture

It is said that the beginner and the intermediate Asanas are the toughest asanas. Because they are the toughest to overcome when the body is just about getting used to the way of Yoga.

I firmly second that. For the last two years I have been practising the Tirkonasana, and I am yet to do it well. It is so tough since it calls for alignment of the chin in the line of the shoulder.

 

I am kind of doing the Trikonasana well when when I am required to align my chin with my left shoulder (as in the above photograph). But, still there's a lot to achieve.

 

But I am yet to achieve the alignment in for the right shoulder (as in the above photograph). Hence, the above is an incorrect posture.

To note: when the straightline alignment between the shoulder and chin is achieved, the alignment between the chest and the legs/ground are achieved at the same time. The chest then normal/perpendicular to the ground as if if you draw a straight line from one shoulder to the other, the line would be perpendicular to the ground, and not inclined at an acute/obtuse angle. This imparts the posture a yogic beauty. this beauty is somewhat achieved in the first photograph. However, it is not there in the second photograph.

Perfection, how true it is, is not easily reached. I have seen a lot of yoga instructures too did not achieve the perfection an intermediate Asana (trikonansana is a typical case) demands.

Mukta Hasta Shirshasana - Variation 4

Mukta Hasta Shirshasana - variation 4

In this variation balancing is done on the elbows. This is also a standard variation (unlike the Dwi-anguli and the Tiryak versions) and a part of the Ashtanga intermediate series.


However, right now I haven't any photograph for this version. For me it is a challenging version - I find it tough to balance myself on the elbows.

I shall have myself shot doing this posture later and upload the same presently.

Dwi Anguli Seershasana

Dwi Anguli Seershasana

Dwi (n.) = Two
Anguli (n.) = Finger
Seersha (n.) = Head
Asana (n.) = Posture

Well this is not a standard Seershasana posture. However, this is an approach to finally reaching the target of Nirlamba Seershasana. Which is without any hand support.

Even the dwi-anguli version feels quite tough for me!!! I am, though an old-timer in Seershasana, not that advanced - it feels :).

 

The weight is not balanced on exactly the tip of the fingers. So, proceed to the tip in the next photo.

 

Wow! the moment I try to advance to the tip, the centre of gravity changes and the body tilts to the back!

 

Now balanced a little more, but still a long way to go - the position does not look elegant as it should.