Updated April 27, 2015.
Yoga is an excellent alternative form of healing that is very suited to the needs of thyroid patients and can also be of tremendous help as a healing therapy for people with thyroid cancer. Yoga is much more than exercise -- it is bringing of mind and body and spirit into balance!
The "Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Hypothyroidism" chapter of my book Living Well With Hypothyroidism covers the subject of yoga and thyroid disease at great length.
Poses for the Thyroid
There is a specific pose that is thought to be of great benefit to the thyroid. It's known as a shoulder stand, or sarvangasan.
To see some illustrations and detailed instructions for the Sarvangasan/Shoulder Stand Pose for the thyroid, see:
- Shoulderstand, Animated -- Animated gif showing how the shoulderstand is done, from the Yoga Anand Ashram Santosha.com
- The Sarvangasana - the Mother of all Yoga Poses -- Excellent description with illustration
Even if you can't do this pose without support, you can lay on the floor, and prop your legs up against the wall, or bend them over the seat of a chair or sofa, to get the benefit of this inverted pose.
Resources
More detailed information on Yoga and Thyroid disease and the Shoulderstand is featured online.
Also, read this excellent article on Yoga and Cancer.