Speed Up Your Metabolism And Lose Weight: Yoga Postures For A Healthy Thyroid

Your thyroid makes hormones that regulate your metabolism. So if your thyroid is not healthy, then your metabolism is not healthy. And since your metabolism is the rate at which you burn calories, when your metabolism is "off" you won't have the energy you need for a happy life and it will be almost impossible to lose weight.

The thyroid gland is located at the base of the neck. Luckily there are several yoga postures that "massage" this area of the body. And just like a regular massage, when you do these yoga postures the thyroid gland will feel relaxed, cleansed and cared-for.

Yoga is a powerful way to detox your entire body especially your internal glands like the thyroid. Yoga postures heal the body by opening and twisting and sending the breath to the area. The breath is the KEY to cleansing out and supplying fresh oxygen and nutrients to the area of the body that you are opening, so be sure to really "tune-in" to your breath when you are doing these yoga postures.

1. Bridge Pose

   This is a great posture for the thyroid gland because you are lifting the chest and the blood is flowing in the opposite direction than it normally flows. This is a gentle "inversion" that works with gravity to open the entire chest and shoulder area. And because the chest is lifted up towards the chin, the thyroid gland is being massaged and the toxins are being squeezed out allowing for fresh oxygen and blood flow to the area.

   Step-By-Step Instructions:

   - Lie down on your back with your legs bent and your feet on the floor hips distance apart

   - Place your hands on the floor next to your body

   - Connect to your breath (before you do any yoga posture, ALWAYS connect to your breath first)

   - INHALE - lift your hips up off the floor by pressing your hands down into your mat

   - EXHALE - roll your shoulders towards each other so that you are opening the shoulders and the entire front chest area

   - INHALE - clasp your hands together underneath you if it's comfortable or just place your hands down ontop of the mat

   - Hold bridge posture for 5 deep, slow breaths

   - On the 5th breath, roll your shoulders out from underneath you and drop your hips back down onto the mat

   - Repeat 3 times

2. Plow Pose

   This is a more intense posture and requires a deeper opening of the chest and shoulders, but it also gives a deeper "massage" to the thyroid gland wringing out even more toxins and spreading fresh oxygen, life and energy to the thyroid gland.

   Step-By-Step Instructions:

   - Lie down on your back with your palms facing down and pressing into the mat next to you

   - Connect to your breath

   - INHALE - press your hands down into the mat and lift your legs up over your head until your feet are touching the ground behind you (if this is too intense, you can place a block behind your head where your feet meet the floor to rest your feet on top of the block)

   - EXHALE - roll your shoulders underneath you, bringing them towards eachother

   - Either clasp your hands together or place your palms face down on the mat

   - Hold here for 5 deep, slow breaths

   - When you're ready to come out, push down into your hands and use your abdominal, core muscles to lower your legs back out to where they started

   - Repeat 3 times.

3. Shoulder Stand

This is considered the "Queen of Yoga Postures" because your legs are lifted above your heart and all the blood, oxygen, and life energy is flowing down towards your heart like a waterfall. This is a wonderful posture for the thyroid gland because it is getting the "run-off" of all this beautiful energy that is flowing down out of your entire lower part of your body. It also is a deeper squeezing action to your chest, shoulders and throat area which is that internal "massaging" your thyroid gland LOVES.

** It is great to come into shoulder stand directly out of plow pose because your shoulders will be open and you are already set up perfectly. **

- While in plow pose with your feet resting on the floor behind your head, bend your elbows and place your palms on your back

- INHALE - press into your forearms that are resting on the ground, support your back with your palms and lift your legs up over your head

- EXHALE - gently try to roll your shoulders under even deeper (you should be open and your shoulders should be able to slide in closer together to give you more support for this wonderful inversion)

- Look up towards your feet

- Hold your belly in by activating your core muscles

- Hold here for 10-15 breaths

- When you're ready to come down, move back through plow pose and then EXHALE roll out onto your back massaging your back one vertebrae at a time

- Lay down and rest.

After you finish this sequence of postures, jsut lay down and absorb all the positive energy and prana you created. Let your breath move through your body and watch how much more effortlessly you can breathe. Send a ray of love and light to your thyroid gland, your heart center and your entire chest and shoulder area.

Just like all living beings, your body responds to love and attention. By spending time doing these yoga postures, your body will feel open, nourished, and loved. Make these postures a part of your life, doing them as often as you can, and see what a positive and powerful affect they will have on your metabolism, your weight loss and your over-all sense of well-being.

I'm sending you love and light to surround you on your journey into health.

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