I know, its been awhile. Camel pose revisited.

OK I been busy with a number of things.
1. Muay Thai sparring. Its a new thing I am doing and I DO NOT love it. But its hard and challenging and I want to not get hit in the head SO damn much.
2. Teaching more Yoga! YAYY!
3. Still doing Bikram. This is my last week with it and honestly I am not really into it anymore. Not that I was to begin with. I don't have the craving for it that I have with the other things I do (Muay Thai, Vinyasa, running)

So my post today is about Camel Pose or Ustrasana. I love backbends! So this is going with my Bikram trial the past month...in that its part of the Bikram series. Here was my previous post about Ustrasana. I am also revisiting this post because it is beneficial to those who have Thyroid diseases. So listen up Thyroid Disease sufferers, do this pose! It helps balance the hormones...we have general hormone imbalances -not just thyroid hormones.

Here are the benefits of the pose:
-Compresses the kidneys and adrenal glands, helps reduce excess production of cortisol
-Eliminates toxins from the body
-Stretches abdominal organs and cures constipation
-Stretches the throat, thyroid and parathyroid
-Good for reproductive organs and digestive system
-Stimulates the nervous system
-Good for anxiety and depression

Thing to note: you will feel dizzy and out of sorts after this pose, so don't be alarmed. Just take a rest and breathe. It's not recommended to drink water before or after this pose

You should NOT do camel pose if:
-You have severe back pain
-heart problems
-high blood pressure
-people who have had abdominal surgery
-pregnancies in the second and third trimesters

How to get into the pose:
1. Come to standing on your knees. Bring your knees about hip distance apart. Toes can be tucked or untucked.
2. Place your hands on your lower back/booty as if you're putting your hands in your back jean pockets.
3. Pull your ribs in and start bending in your upper back first. Keep the hips above the knees.
4. Drop the head back and if you feel comfortable enough, bring your hands to the top of your heels.
5. Don't let the fact that you're feeling dizzy and out of sorts freak you out! Breathe it out.

Another reason why I wanted to write about the pose today was because I am working on getting into the full backbend of the pose which looks like this:

Right now, I am at the point where I can get the top my head on the floor behind me but I can't seem to figure out how my forearms or elbows are supposed to lay on the floor like that without my body snapping in half. Something to work on!

New Year's Resolutions

This is overdue in the sense that its well into January but to be fair I am ethnically Chinese so I am just getting ready ahead of time for the year of the rabbit.

The other day I attended an all day seminar about called "Living With Thyroid Disease". It was great and extremely informative. Mary Shomon seems to be THE go to woman on all things Thyroid. She was specific, not preachy. So with that said I walked away with a plan on how to deal with my own thyroid issues and hopefully this leads to a better way of living for me. Some specific things I decided to work on was my diet. I am really good about exercising (seriously 7 days a week) but really bad about eating correctly. I can have steamed fish and veggies for dinner, eggs for breakfast...but what happens in between I cannot be responsible for! So my #1 resolution is to cut my processed foods almost completely. Which means I have to start forgoing things that come in packaging. Living with a thyroid disease means I cannot afford to have anymore toxins in my body. So I will also be going as organic as possible. I already am organic with eggs and milk but I will have to be better about things I juice, especially apples.


I have a TON of other resolutions like:
paying bills ALL ON TIME
running a 5k at some point in the year
volunteer an hour once a month
more spinning
get at least 3 stamps on my passport
get hit and kicked in the head without feeling sad about it (in sparring)

more outdoor running, longer runs

Black Sesame

So as I've mentioned in previous posts, I have Hypothyroidism. Its not that uncommon but it does suck. Its a constant struggle to maintain normal thyroid levels and I have to get blood tests, A LOT. Also there is so much conflicting information out there about diet and nutrition when it comes to hypothyroidism. The biggest problem I have with it is, hair loss. It just falls out all over the place! So my acupuncturist suggested to me recently among other things, black sesame. Which is kind of cool because there are lots of yummy black sesame snacks out there. So here are 3 black sesame products I like.

This candy is chewy and kind of peanutty tasting. Very yummy!

The powder form is good to mix with hot water and some milk. OR can be sprinkled in oatmeal or cereal.

And my favorite. These come in a back of tiny little cracker type candies.

Follow up on Yoga for Thyroid

So I posted about this workshop concerning balancing the Thyroid and 5th Chakra. I went to the workshop and disappointingly found it to be not as informative as I wanted it to be. I feel there is so much conflicting information out there and this further confused me! Also, because we ran out of time there was little info on diet and nutrition. So in this post I will go over my own findings and reinforce ideas that I did not find conflicting information on.

Great Yoga poses for balancing the Thyroid hormones. This applies to different thyroid conditions as it is a balancing effect. Shoulderstand, fish pose, camel pose and plow pose.

Now the rest of this is for Hyperthyroidism -that's what I have. Slower metabolism -basically. So what sucks is, I gain weight easily. I find that Yoga is great for it. I felt the most balanced during the months in which I did teacher training. That was about 4 months of practicing Yoga 5-8 times a week. Also, it created balance in my appetite. I felt it was the most manageable and also more realistic. Doing any type of weight training makes me ravenously hungry. So overall -more Yin type of exercises -anaerobic, slower paced was helpful. However my personal wants are to do more Yang type activities like Martial Arts, so its a balancing act. I just stay away from weight training. I had to give up kettlebell training a year ago.

As for diet I found all the conflicting info. So the best I can say is, stay away from processed foods. This is hard! But I try to eat lots of raw fruits and veggies. I try to go organic for certain staples like eggs and milk. Also being that I have to take thyroid medications every morning I have to be sure not to take any supplements or soy products until about 4 hours after the medication because they affect the absorption of the meds into the body.

Yoga for Thyroid

There are some cool events and workshops coming up at Prema Yoga. A very cute studio in Carroll Gardens where my very good friend Carol (HA!) teaches. She is amazing and everyone should take her class! I am planning to check out this class since I am one of the 30% of people that has a Thyroid problem. 

Yoga for Thyroid Balancing | Awakening 5th Chakra
with Sarah Willis
Saturday October 30, 2010 | 4:00 - 6:00pm
$35 early-bird (up to October 25) | $40 at the door
Please pre register for this event by emailing info@premayoganyc.com

Some studies indicate that up to 30% of the American population suffers from thyroid disease, ranging from mild hypo- or hyper-thyroidism, to Graves Disease, and Haschimotos. Commonly employed modern medical practices include taking synthetic thyroid hormone daily; introducing radioactive iodine into the system; and in some cases, surgical removal of the gland. The ancient science of Yoga tackles the problem from a more wholistic point of view. Very specific yoga postures, pranayamas (breathing exercises), and meditation, are incorporated into daily practice, along with diet modification. Following such a protocol can provide real and lasting results to people suffering from thyroid disease, because when followed faithfully over time, the work re-calibrates and revitalizes glandular, and immune system function.

This workshop is open to everyone, whether you are diagnosed with hypo- or hyper-thyroid conditions. You do not need prior Yoga experience, nor do you have to be currently afflicted with thyroid disease to participate. 5th Chakra (for which thyroid and parathyroid glands are the energetic center) work is also helpful for those who would like to improve their hearing, and singing voices.

2 hour workshop includes:
*learning 5 Tibetan Rites (asana)
*correct practice of Thyroid Balancing Yoga poses
*Pranayama
*discussion of anatomy & physiology of thyroid / parathyroid glands
*hand-outs with pertinent information for continuing study & practice
*nutrition / diet pointers
*a light healthy snack!