1. Lie on your back with your legs straight, your feet together. Toes point towards ceiling

2. Place your hands, palms down, underneath the tops of your thighs

3. Press down on your elbows, inhale and arch your back

4. Drop your head back, rest the top of your head on the floor with your weight resting on your elbows

5. Exhale. Breathe deeply, keeping your legs and lower torso relaxed

6. To come out of the pose, lift your head, place it gently back down and release your arms

Thyroid Friendly Exercises - Yoga

Matsyasana (Fish Pose)

Sarvangasana (Bridge Pose)

If you are performing this for the first time it's worth supporting your shoulders

1. Fold two or more firm blankets into rectangles and stack them with the folded edges together to make

a small 'platform' 1-2 inches thick

2. Lie on your blankets with your shoulders level with the folded edges and the back of your head on the floor

3. Bend your knees and bring the soles of your feet parallel to the side edges of your mat

3. Interlock your fingers behind your back or hold your ankles

4. Push your shoulder-blades together, your shoulders into the mat and lift your hips higher

5. Hold the posture for 5 minutes, breathing deeply from your diaphragm

6. To come out of the pose, release your upper, middle, then lower back onto the mat

Balasana (Child's Pose)

Yoga has been practised for centuries. While no firm evidence states that yoga can benefit or cure a thyroid condition certain postures increase
blood flow to the neck and may potentially stimulate thyroid function. In addition, the relaxing nature of yoga may help manage or reduce stress.

According to Dr Baxter Bell* those with an overactive thyroid experiencing rapid heart beat, palpitations, sweating and/or muscle weakness should seek Medical Advice before doing any exercise. If your symptoms are mild, restorative yoga may be appropriate. We have included two simple restorative poses at the end of the series below.

PLEASE NOTE - it's your responsibility to exercise within your own comfort limits and follow the instructions exactly.

Postures for Underactive Thyroid

From Salamba Sarvangasana (shoulder stand)

1. From shoulder stand above, exhale and bend from the hip joints to slowly lower your toes onto the floor beyond your head

2. Keep your torso perpendicular to the floor, extend and straighten your legs as much as you can

3. With your toes on the floor, lift the tops of your thighs and tailbone towards the ceiling

4. Draw your inner groin deep into your pelvis - imagine your torso hanging from your groin

5. Continue to draw your chin away from your breastbone and soften your throat

6. Either press your hands into your back torso and your upper backs of your arms into the mat

or extend your arms flat on the floor away from your body and interlock your fingers

7. To come out of the pose, release your shoulders and arms

8. Allow your upper, middle then lower back to release onto the mat

Salamba Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand)

1. Lie on your blankets, shoulders level with the folded edges, the back of your head on the floor

2. Place your arms alongside your torso, bend your knees

3. Place your feet flat on the floor with your heels under your buttocks

3. Exhale and press your arms into the floor as you push your feet off the floor

4. Align your thighs with your front torso

4. Lift your legs up by curling your pelvis away from the floor and bringing your knees towards your face

5. Support your torso by bending your arms, keeping your upper arms on the blanket and spreading your palms against

the back of your torso

7. Raise your pelvis to be in line your shoulders, so that your torso is as perpendicular to the floor as possible

8. Walk your hands down towards the floor keeping your elbows shoulder width apart

9. Inhale deeply and bring your thighs in line with your torso letting your heels hang down by your buttocks

11. Press your tailbone towards your pubis and turn the upper thighs inward slightly

12. Inhale deeply and straighten your knees, pressing your heels up toward the ceiling

13. Lift through the balls of the big toes so the inner legs are slightly longer than the outer

14. Soften your throat and tongue

15. Press your hands into your straight back and move your sternum towards your chin

16. Your forehead should be parallel to the floor and your chin perpendicular

17. Press the backs of your upper arms and tops of your shoulders into the blanket support

18. Try to lift your upper spine away from the floor. Gaze softly at your chest

19. Hold the pose for ~30 seconds, adding 5 - 10 seconds a day until you can hold the pose for ~3 minutes

Continue for 3 minutes a day then build up to holding the pose for ~5 minutes a day

20. To come out of the pose, exhale and bend your knees into your torso

21. Release rolling your upper, middle, then lower onto the mat keeping the back of your head on the floor

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Additional Restorative for Underactive and Overactive Thyroid

Shavasana (Corpse Pose)

Halasana (Plough Pose)

Sit on the floor with your knees bent, feet on the floor, and lean back onto your forearms
Lift your pelvis slightly off the floor and push the back of your pelvis towards your the tailbone, then return the pelvis to the floor
Inhale and slowly extend your right leg, then your left, pushing through the heels
Release both legs, soften your groins, and make sure your legs are angled evenly relative to the mid-line of the torso
Turn your feet turn out equally. Narrow the front pelvis and soften (but don't flatten) the lower back
Lift the base of your skull away from the back of the neck and release the back of your neck down towards your tailbone
If you have difficulty doing this, support the back of your head and neck on a folded blanket
Broaden the base of the skull and lift the crease of the neck diagonally into the center of the head
Make sure your ears are equidistant from your shoulders
Reach your arms toward the ceiling, perpendicular to the floor
Rock slightly from side to side and broaden the back ribs and the shoulder blades away from the spine
Release your arms to the floor, angled evenly relative to the mid-line of torso
Turn your arms outward and stretch them away from the space between the shoulder blades
Rest the backs of the hands on the floor as close as you comfortably can to the index finger knuckles
Make sure the shoulder blades are resting evenly on the floor
Spread your collarbones
Soften the root of the tongue, your nose, your inner ears, the skin of your forehead and between the eyebrows
Let your eyes sink to the back of the head, then turn them downward to gaze at the heart. Release your brain to the back of the head
Stay in this pose for 5 minutes for every 30 minutes of practice
To come out of the pose, first roll gently with an exhalation to the right - take 2 or 3 breaths
With another exhalation press your hands to the floor and lift your torso. Your head should come up last

Kneel on the floor. Touch your big toes together and sit on your heels.
Separate your knees about as wide as your hips
Exhale and place your torso down between your thighs
Broaden your lower back across the back of your pelvis
Shrink your hip bones towards your navel, so that they rest on your inner thighs
Lengthen your tailbone away form the back of your pelvis
Lift the base of your skull away from the back of your neck
Lay your hands on the floor alongside your torso, palms up.
Release the front of your shoulders onto the mat
The weight of your front shoulders pulls your shoulder blades wide across your back
Stay in the pose anywhere from 30 seconds to a few minutes.
To come out of the pose lengthen your front torso, inhale and lift from your tailbone lifting your head last

If you're new to yoga, blankets are important to support your shoulders and neck.
A yoga mat will provide a comfortable non-slip surface for your practice.
It's important to make sure your body is properly supported in each pose.