By Faye Martins
Does Yoga activate the pituitary gland? As physical activities go, Hatha Yoga is one of the most therapeutic pursuits a person can participate in. In short, if you compare physical Yoga techniques to walking, running, biking, weight lifting or swimming, there are holistic benefits in all of these activities. In that case, it is wise for participants seeking only physical benefits to cross train. After all, to improve the physical quality, a mix of activities adds vital spice to one’s life.
Yoga for the Pituitary Gland
The Difference and Importance
For the most part, people are unaware of the pituitary gland. Does the effect of Yoga on a gland the size of a bean really make a difference? To begin with, the pituitary gland, located behind the nose, secretes hormones that travel through our blood stream, controlling functions like thyroid activity, hormones, childhood growth, sex hormones, and urine production. To explain, think of it as a computer that controls all other hormone-producing glands. Thus, it determines our reactions to emotions. Hence, it affects our ability to bond with others. At the same time, we might experience what we call an “instant connection” to some of the people we meet. That said, intuition is a life saver and well worth developing.
Holistic Health
The pituitary is associated with the Anja Chakra, also known as the Sixth or Brow Chakra. Consequently, this chakra affects our physical, mental, and spiritual growth and gives us the confidence we need to trust our intuition and become our “real” selves. As a result, people who have under-developed pituitary glands often experience feelings of loneliness and isolation from others. To begin with, a lack of intuition doesn’t help relationships. Ultimately, we want to develop intuition as a navigation tool for good relationships.
Activating the Pituitary Gland
For the most part, Kundalini Yoga recommends meditation for opening the Sixth Chakra while “Yoga Journal” provides a series of poses designed to stimulate the pituitary gland. In brief, these postures are included within the following list for students. For the most part, we can classify these as challenging poses.
King Pigeon Pose
Upward Bow or Wheel Pose
Handstands and Supported Handstands
Elbow Balance Pose
For not-so-Advanced Students
There are simpler alternatives for students of various abilities. Here is a brief list of suggested techniques to from, as shown below.
Triangle Pose
Child’s Pose
Seated Wide Leg Forward Fold
Alternate Nostril Breathing
Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose
Bridge Pose
Push-ups
Chanting
Music with binaural beats
About Inversions
Any Yoga pose that raises the heart above the head sends blood to the brain and stimulates the pituitary gland. However, these are classified as inversions and may not be suitable for students with high blood pressure or heart problems. To summarize: As with any other physical activity, one’s doctor should be consulted before exercising.
The Pituitary Gland and Spirituality
In addition to its physical functions, the pituitary gland, sometimes called the Third Eye, acts as a receiver for psychic information and intuitive impressions. In other words, it also rules our dreams and is associated with the color indigo. To put it another way, the mantra for this chakra is “om.” This sound is a chant used around the world to induce theta brain waves during meditation. In fact, the musical note used to activate the Brow Chakra is a high “A.”
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Learned so much! Really good yoga article!
Due to COVID, I just don’t get out as much. Thank you! I love reading your Yoga posts, since I also don’t have the courage to go into a studio during this pandemic. I just follow your tutorials online and it works well for my body. Thank you and hope for more posts from you Faye Martins. You are awesome!