The endocrine system plays a crucial role in maintaining the body’s balance in metabolism, growth, sexual development, mental processes, sleep cycles and much more. Hormones secreted by various glands in the endocrine system can begin functioning irregularly due to stress and other factors. Practicing yoga regularly can help restore that balance.
How Yoga Affects Your Hormones
The relaxation techniques found in some forms of yoga may have a significant beneficial effect on stress response as the poses can reduce the secretion of cortisol and adrenaline and increase secretions of melatonin. The latter is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland is responsible for feelings of well-being. Participating in a regular yoga practice results in compression and decompression of the glands in the body’s endocrine system, thereby regulating hormone secretion.
Different types of yoga and the poses you perform can affect your endocrine system in different ways. Let’s take a look at some of the forms of yoga and what they can do for you.
Pranayam
Pranayam yoga includes a lot of stretching while modifying and lengthening the breath. Learning breath control helps control the mind and body. During a Pranayam practice, you supply more oxygen to your lungs, which in turn gets transported to every cell in your body. The brain and hypothalamus also benefit from additional the blood and oxygen supply, thereby allowing better control of stress and emotions. In addition, you will have an improved relationship among with hypothalamus, pituitary and other glands in the endocrine system.
Yoga Nidra
Yoga Nidra is, more correctly, a state of consciousness rather than a technique. Participants embark on a journey of awareness through their own bodies, focusing on individual sections of the body to identify where the flow of prana, or energy, has stopped. The idea is to stay awake to control thoughts and senses. Positive thoughts begin to replace negative ones while relaxing and energizing the body. Yoga Nidra improves brain function and provides the same boost to the endocrine system that Pranayam yoga does.
Yoga Poses
Certain yoga poses can benefit targeted areas of the body through improved blood flow. Poses that stimulate the throat center, such as shoulder stand, plow, fish and cow, stimulate the thyroid. Restorative poses, like savasana and legs up the wall, ease the adrenal glands. Asanas that place one leg over the other, including eagle and gomuhkasana, stimulate the ovaries and testes.