by Lauren Mclaren

Created on: January 27, 2010

Yoga for a Healthy Endocrine System

Yoga is above all else a quest for unity: The union of mind and body; the union of individual self and divine universal self; the union of breath and action, energy and intention. Union occurs on many levels, some more esoteric than others, but, importantly, that union ultimately brings not just spiritual satisfaction, but physical harmony as well. If this physical harmony, or what we might call health, is to be a goal of yoga practitioners, then they cannot but explore Kundalini Yoga, or the branch of yoga in which the Chakra system is a main focus. Here too there is a seeking of union; the marriage of Kundalini energy and the higher self or super consciousness. Swami Vishnu Devananda calls this “cosmic consciousness” (Devananda, p. 294), and its attainment is the outlying goal of Kundalini Yoga. Along the way to the achievement of this “cosmic consciousness”, practitioners stimulate and balance the Chakra system and this, in turn, brings balance and healthy function to the Endocrine System. 

The endocrine system is a complicated network of glands which, when functioning at their peak, create and maintain health. This system works in myriad ways. From controlling insulin production to stimulating sex hormones to its crucial role in the creation of T-cells and a strong immune system, the endocrine system is a frequently overlooked but vital component of our physiological being. Located in many different areas of the body, the glands which comprise the endocrine system are dramatically affected by the positive and negative stress we exact upon our bodies. As such they work with varying degrees of success. Fortunately, we have at our disposal means by which we can affect positive change throughout this glandular system – namely yoga that stimulates the chakra system.

Complicated as it is, the endocrine system finds its parallel universe in the chakra system. Each of the seven crucial chakras of the subtle body corresponds with certain “nerve plexuses, glands or actual centers” in the physical body (Hewitt, p. 462). Working with all, or even specific chakras will eventually bring these glands to a more harmonious and efficient operation.

Before exploring further the intimate connection between the endocrine system and the chakras, it is essential to understand more about what chakras are. Meaning wheel or spiral, a chakra has been defined variously as a “spinning vortex of

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