​The throat chakra gets a lot of attention these days because everyone is talking about something! Located directly in the throat, Vishuddha Chakra also includes the mouth, tongue and ears. This reminds me of something my mother liked to say when we were kids: “We have one mouth and two ears so we can listen more and talk less.” Wouldn’t that be nice?!

The throat chakra assists us with communication of all kinds, more than just talking, but singing, creating, making art, disseminating information, etc. We can ask ourselves these questions: What information are we sharing? What information are we consuming? Is it helpful or harmful? Truthful or duplicitous? Are we using the best means possible to communicate with others?

The endocrine gland associated with the throat is the thyroid. Its main role in the body is to regulate metabolism by monitoring how quickly or slowly the body converts food into energy. A slow metabolism can cause one to gain weight and feel lethargic, while a fast metabolism makes it difficult to put on weight while feeling anxious and cold. 

Fortunately, there is evidence that yoga postures—like all forms of exercise—help to balance the metabolism. A balanced metabolism is able to speed up or slow down appropriately according to what is eaten, the activities undertaken and the time of day. Here are some yoga practices to consider when working with the throat chakra:

√ Breathing that emphasizes the throat, such as humming and victorious breath. To practice humming, simply take in a deep breath through the nose and breathe out with a long, closed-mouth hum. Do this 7-10 times. For victorious breath, take in a deep breath through the nose and breathe out through the nose while moving the breath over the back of the throat. The sound will be like a breathy “haaaaa.” Do this 7-10 times, take a short break and do 7-10 more.

√ Movement that stimulates the metabolism, like Sun Salutations, flowing Cow/Cat/Child pose repetitions, or flowing Plank/Upward-Facing Dog/Downward-Facing Dog repetitions.

√ Postures that move the throat, such as neck stretches and rotations, tilting the head up in Warrior 1, Camel pose and Fish pose, turning the head to the side in Warrior 2, Triangle, Side Angle and Balancing Half Moon. Tucking the chin in Bridge pose, Shoulderstand and Child pose.

√ Calming the nervous system in a restorative pose such as Savasana, supported Bridge pose or Legs-up-the-wall.

​We’re continuing our journey through the chakras and the endocrine system, the network of glands that secrete hormones to regulate all the activities of the body. It’s amazing how the yoga practitioners in ancient days were intuitively aware of these powerful connections, even before science could describe concepts like “glands” and “hormones.” These connections endure even today since we get the benefits through our yoga practices.

With this post we reach the fourth chakra, usually called the heart chakra. Its Sanskrit name is Anahata. Its location tells us a lot about what it controls: the heart and lungs, circulatory system, chest and breasts, upper back, skin, lymphatic system, arms and hands. The heart chakra covers a lot of territory because of the energy that flows from the heart to the hands.

The heart chakra is also quite emotional since it is linked to our feelings of love, goodwill, empathy and compassion. It ties us together in friendship, marriage and partnership. It draws us to the work we want to do to make our mark on the world. 

The endocrine gland that sits just behind the sternum (breast bone) is the thymus, a small gland that supports the immune system. It produces special white blood cells called T-cells, and like all white blood cells, they fight infection and disease. Three interesting facts about the thymus: 1) Most T-cells are produced in childhood thereby providing us with immune protection our whole life. 2) The thymus is very large when we’re a baby, then shrinks throughout the rest of our life. 3) Thymus means “soul” in Greek, as the ancient Greeks believed that our soul is located in this special space behind the sternum. 

Here are some ways we can support the thymus and heart chakra through our practice of Yoga:

• Heart opening poses like Cat/Cow, Sphinx, Cobra, Bow, Wheel

• Poses with arms extended like Warrior variations, Triangle variations, Tree, Crane

• Twisting poses like Shiva twist, Half Lord of the Fishes, Lying down spinal twist

• Heart breathing: Sit in a meditation pose with spine extended but relaxed, or lie down in Savasana. For the first minute breathe naturally and feel your connection to the earth. To begin the practice, imagine that you could breathe in through the top of the head. The breath passes through the crown chakra, third eye chakra, throat chakra until it reaches the heart chakra. Imagine you could breathe out through the heart chakra, sending the breath into the space in front of the body. If you like, you can link the breath to heart-felt emotions such as love, empathy or compassion. Practice for 5-10 minutes. To finish, return to natural breathing. Notice how you feel in body, mind and emotions. Slowly get up to return to daily activities. 

​We’re continuing a short series on the endocrine system and its connection to the chakras in yoga. This post is about the third chakra known as Manipura in Sanskrit. It’s located between the navel and solar plexus. I think of it as a yellow band around the midsection of the body. This is the location of the digestive organs, so this fire chakra is associated with digestion of all kinds—food, thoughts and emotions. 

The endocrine gland for digestion is the pancreas, a fish-shaped organ that is about the size of a human hand. The two hormones it produces are insulin and glucagon. Since the job of the pancreas is to stabilize blood sugar, it releases insulin to lower blood sugar that is too high and releases glucagon to increase blood sugar that is too low.

The pancreas figures prominently in diabetes. In type 1 diabetes the pancreas is unable to make insulin to regulate blood sugar. In type 2 diabetes the pancreas is unable to use insulin properly due to insulin resistance making blood sugar unstable.

As the very center of the body, the third chakra is nurtured by a variety of yoga poses and practices:

• Forward bending and back bending stimulate all the organs of digestion, but just be sure to do these at least an hour after eating: breathe in as you stand up and breathe out at you fold forward repeating several times, standing forward bend with the buttocks leaning against the wall, seated forward bend with a bolster over the legs so you can rest there awhile, any of your favorite back bends like sphinx, locust, cobra, bow and wheel.

• Twisting poses are especially stimulating to the digestive organs: standing, seated and lying down twists, especially half lord of the fishes and lying down belly twist.

• Meditation postures seated and lying down: If you’re having issues with food, such as craving carbs and sweets, making time every day to sit quietly for 5-10 minutes can help you discover what it is you’re really craving. Hint: It’s not food.

• Bellows breathing: From a supported seated position, breathe deeply into the belly, expanding and releasing the abdominal muscles with full, long breaths. 30 seconds, rest, 30 seconds more. If you get light-headed, you’re trying too hard.

• Relaxation: Stress is the greatest disruptor for the digestive system. Make time every day for 10-30 minutes of savasana, legs up the wall, or some other restorative yoga pose. Life always flows better when body, mind and breath are in sync.

​We’re making our way through the seven main chakras and considering their relationship to the endocrine system. Remember that each of these chakras is related to a gland in the endocrine system that secretes specific hormones for our health. 

This week we look at the second chakra, called either the pelvic chakra or the sacral chakra because it’s located in the pelvis and the sacrum. Its Sanskrit name is Svadisthana. Physically this chakra governs the pelvis, reproductive organs, kidneys, bladder, colon and lower back. Emotionally, it is related to creativity, sexuality, pleasure and delight. It’s also linked to money, so any fears or concerns about finances can be felt in this part of the body.

The male and female reproductive organs secrete the hormones estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. As we age we secrete less of these hormones and many people—both male and female—are currently replacing these hormones through medical interventions.

Here are some ways that our Yoga practice supports our pelvic/sacral chakra as well as our reproductive hormones: 

• Lying down on our stomach in yoga class puts gentle pressure on a marma point called Nabhi. It’s actually a set of five marma points that start at the navel (nabhi means navel) then reaches out in an X pattern to the four quadrants of the abdomen. These points are considered the seat of prana, our life force, linking us to our innate and unlimited creativity. Remember this the next time you’re practicing Sphinx, Locust or Crocodile pose.

• Elevating the hips on a block, bolster or blanket brings emphasis to the reproductive organs and colon. At the same time, this position passively stretches the lower back. This gentle lift heals the lower abdominal organs and eases tension in the lower back. 

• Helpful yoga poses: Chair pose, Figure 4, Lord of the Dancer pose, Pigeon pose, Bound angle, Bridge pose, Savasana with hands on the lower abdomen

We’re continuing our series on yoga and the systems of the body, a series I’ve been calling “Your Body on Yoga.” We’ve discussed many systems already, focusing on how yoga is so good for us. We’re getting close to the end of the series with just two more systems to go. This week we explore the endocrine system and how it relates to the chakras. Let’s get started!

The endocrine system is made up of many different glands in the body that release various hormones to regulate the systems of the body. We’ve already looked at all of these systems individually, but not as one overall system related to hormonal balance. This is a big topic in our modern world since hormones are constantly being disrupted by toxins in our food, water and environment. 

In Vedic philosophy and Ayurvedic medical practice, the chakra system was used to describe the function of the endocrine glands long before scientists even had terms like “endocrine” and “hormone.” The chakras have always been understood as subtle energy, meaning that they cannot be seen with the eyes but that their energy could be experienced through their effect on the body.

Here are the connections between the endocrine glands and their related chakras:

Root chakra at the base of the spine (muladhara chakra) is related to the adrenal glands which release the fight or flight hormone adrenaline.

Pelvic/sacral chakra (svadisthana chakra) is related to the ovaries and testicles which release the sex hormones estrogen, progesterone and testosterone. 

Navel/solar plexus chakra (manipura chakra) is related to the pancreas which release insulin and glucagon. This is the chakra of the digestive system.

Heart chakra (anahata chakra) is related to the thymus, a small gland located just behind the sternum. It is responsible for T cell production necessary for a healthy lymphatic system. When it is weak a person is more susceptible to autoimmune disorders.

Throat chakra (vishuddha chakra) is related to the thyroid and parathyroid which release hormones to control metabolism, physical growth and nervous system activity.

Third eye chakra (ajna chakra) is related to the pineal gland which secretes melatonin to regulate sleep.

The crown chakra (sahasrara chakra) is related to the master gland pituitary. It secretes a variety of hormones to bring the whole endocrine system into harmony.

Note: Some yoga teachings relate the glands and chakras a little differently. Specifically, the sex organs can be associated with the root chakra while the adrenals are associated with the pelvic chakra. Additionally, the pituitary gland can be associated with the third eye while the pineal gland can be assigned to the crown chakra. 

Here is a practical application from Yoga:
For someone who is dealing with anxiety and worry, Yoga can offer guidance by recognizing the relationship between the adrenal glands—the physical mechanism for releasing hormones that ramp up the fight or flight response—and the root chakra which can ground this energy. When the root chakra is in balance a person feels stable, calm, rooted and steady. Try these practices to balance the root chakra:

Sitting or lying down on the floor and feeling all the places where the body is touching the earth. Chant the mantra LAM (LUHM), the seed syllable for the root chakra.

Breathe in through the nose and feel the air filling the lungs and belly. Breathe out through the nose while visualizing the breath moving down the center of the body to the base of the spine, down the legs and into the earth. Practice for at least 5-10 minutes.

Helpful yoga poses: Mountain pose, Tree pose, Goddess pose, Triangle pose, All seated poses especially meditation postures, Squatting, Knees to chest, Corpse pose

​In the last post we offered lots of ideas for supporting the immune system with Yoga and Ayurveda. In this post we add a fun breath practice that can be helpful this time of year. 

Sit in a chair so that your feet are on the floor and you can sit tall on your sitting bones. Rest your hands on your thighs, close your eyes and feel your feet making contact with the earth, your seat making contact with the chair. Breathe in and out through the nose for about a minute of centering. 

Make fists with your hands and begin to make gentle percussion beats on your chest, then around the front and sides of your ribcage. Breathe in through the nose and breathe out through the nose or mouth. Do this for two minutes. If you have a friend nearby, they can gently percuss your upper back as well. 

When you’re done, sit quietly in the chair as you did at the beginning. What feels new or different in your breath, body or mind?

​We are continuing our series called “Your Body on Yoga” looking at how yoga affects all the systems of the body. We started this journey on June 2, 2025 and we’ve covered a lot of systems since then. Just a few more to go.

This post is about the lymphatic system which is part of the immune system and is responsible for removing wastes and toxins from the body. The lymphatic system kind of looks like the nervous system or the circulatory system because it is made up of many vessels traveling throughout the body. The vessels carry toxins to lymph nodes for removal. These nodes are located in the head and neck, the armpits, the chest, the abdomen and pelvis, and the groin. 

The lymphatic system is quite different from the nervous and circulatory systems, however. Information moves through the nervous system due to electrical impulses and the blood that travels through the circulatory system due to the pumping of the heart. The lymphatic system does not have an internal mechanism for moving fluid through its vessels and must rely on gravity or mechanical movement to make this happen. In other words, the lymphatic system works best when the body is moving, only minimally when at rest. 

Yoga postures are an excellent way to activate the immune-supporting properties of the lymphatic system. For example,

√ Moving through flowing sequences like Cat/Cow, Sun Salutations and standing lunges to squeeze the vessels and enhance immune function.

√ Inverting the body encourages the lymph fluid to flow in the direction of the lymph glands, most of which are concentrated in the upper part of the body. Excellent choices are standing forward bends, legs up the wall (especially with hips elevated), bridge pose (with a block under the hips) and headstand.

Ayurveda, Yoga’s science of diet and lifestyle, adds two practices for the lymphatic system: self-massage with oil and dry brushing. 

√ Self-massage can be done with special oils for the doshas, or simply use sesame oil or jojoba oil because they are tridoshic. Massage from the hands up the arms toward the heart. Massage from the feet up the legs toward the heart. Massage clockwise circles on the abdomen and back. 

√ Dry brushing can be done with a medium bristle brush (not too hard or soft). Massage in the same way, toward the heart from the hands and feet, and circles on the abdomen and back.

These two practices encourage the movement of stagnant lymph fluid toward the lymph glands, thereby encouraging a quicker release of metabolic wastes. 

All of these lymphatic practices are vital during the spring season when we are shedding winter weight and coping with seasonal allergies. Give them a try and see if you feel better this season.

​Spring blooms and spring winds can kick up spring allergies. This affects our breathing this time of year. It’s a good idea to use a neti pot in the morning or evening to irrigate the nasal passages. This practice will wash away allergens so they don’t sit in the nose and irritate you for hours. This is also a good time of year to establish a regular breathing routine that can help the body tackle seasonal allergies.

There are many types of pranayama (yogic breathing practices) taught in yoga classes, but there are two specific types that are most helpful in the spring. 

The first type is made up of stimulating, warming and energizing breath practices used to counteract the heavy, stuck, dull qualities of kapha dosha (check out the last post for more on the qualities of the season). Three good choices are right nostril breathing (breathing in and out only through the right nostril), bellows breathing and skull shining breath. The last two are best learned from a qualified yoga teacher. Here’s a modified bellows breath:

Sit on the edge of a chair or cross-legged on the floor. Sit up tall with a long spine. Place your hands on your knees. First, establish a calm and regular breathing pattern for about a minute. To breathe like a bellows, breathe in as you open your chest and roll your shoulders back. Breathe out as you round your back, tuck your chin and draw your shoulders forward. Make the breaths long and full. Practice for a minute. Rest for a minute. Practice for another minute. At the end your body will feel warmer and your mind will be more alert.

The second type of pranayama for the spring reduces congestion in the head—ears, nose, sinuses, throat—and relieves seasonal allergies. The most accessible options are humming and chanting OM. And it’s so easy to do: Take a deep breath in, then heartily hum or chant OM on the exhale. Practice in the car, in the shower, or outside while you’re enjoying the seasonal blooms. 

Healthy breathing = Happy spring!

​Early Spring means early Spring colds and allergies. Here’s what you need to do now to stay well!

Why is everyone having such a tough time? Ayurveda teaches that Spring is the season of melting—just as snow melts in the mountains to fill the rivers, fat melts in the human body to help us shed the winter weight and “wake up” from the winter slumber. The melting occurs in two ways—the shedding of winter weight and the loosening of mucus in the body. And if our digestive system is not working at its optimal, that mucus will turn into colds and allergies.

Use a neti pot: This little genie’s bottle really does work some magic on congestion. Fill the pot with warm distilled water and add some nasal salt. Lean over the sink and pour the salt water in one nostril and out the other. If you lift your head too much and the water goes into your throat, simply spit it in the sink. Gently blow the nose and you’ll have easy breathing all day.

Exercise: This is the best time of year to break a sweat. Sweating assists the body’s melting of the fat layer we put on in the winter. And it also helps counteract the coolness of Spring days when it’s easy to get a chill and feel out of sorts. Try a brisk walk by the pond to see the birds pairing up for mating season or do some vigorous Sun Salutations.

Eat seasonal foods: Mother Nature provides us with greens, dandelions and other early Spring plants to help detox the liver and assist this melting process. Also eat beets, ginger, spinach, berries, garbanzo beans and lentils. Use lots of spices and herbs in your food. Avoid dairy and sugar in the Spring.

If you’d like to learn more about how to make these recommendations more specific to your constitution and lifestyle, consider doing an Ayurvedic consultation with Janet this Spring.

To follow up on our exploration of trust and creativity, I am sharing two quotes and two inquiries to spark creativity in your life this week. It’s a good week for this inquiry because of the total lunar eclipse on March 3. The moon will be full and shining a spotlight on our lives, asking you “What’s working and what is not?” The eclipse will turn the moon red, however, blurring the picture and making it harder for us to see what’s really happening. If we’re seeking solutions to a situation, we have the promise that the solution is on its way, even though we can’t see it right now. The message is to “trust.”

To practice, set aside some time when you will not be disturbed. Turn off distractions like notifications on phone and computer. Close the door to your room. Open your journal or have paper and pen nearby. Light a candle if that makes the space feel more sacred to you. Read one quote out loud and silently to yourself. Contemplate its meaning for your life. Repeat with the second quote. Spend the rest of the time writing in response to the inquiries. If it helps, set a timer for 5 minutes and write continuously, letting lots of words spill out of your mind and heart. The best advice I ever heard was “write as if you were being paid by the word.” When you’re done, place these writings somewhere you can find them again in the months ahead. The energy of the eclipse is active for six months!

Here are the quotes: 

“Yoga is a light, which once lit will never dim. The better your practice, the brighter your flame.” -B.K.S. Iyengar

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” -Rumi

Here are the inquiries: 

1. What areas of your life are in need of more “light” and how can you bring more brightness to them?

2. How can you use your skills and organize your daily life to assist you in being more productive in meaningful ways?