Vandana Kumar, of Palo Alto, CA, writes as follows:
Over the past 18 years, I have had a thyroid problem that led to a significant weight gain and other health issues. While living in India until recently, I used to watch Baba Ram Dev’s yoga program on the television, but that did not inspire me to begin my own yoga practice, as the benefits of yoga did not seem real to me. I had the impression that the people raving about how yoga had healed their health issues had been planted on his show. By good fortune after that, public yoga classes began to be offered in a park near our home in New Delhi. I began attending, and started began my own yoga experience with pranayama, and in particular with kapalbhati, bhramari, and ujjayi breathing.
Mandana Kumar, Palo Alto, CA
Surprisingly, this practice allowed me to gain better control over my thyroid problem. From having excess weight, constant headaches, nausea, and a 50 mg dose of thyroid medication, I was able to stop taking any medication for thyroid. I also had a constipation problem that required a separate medication and, with Kapalbhati, I was relieved from that issue as well. Regrettably, my yoga practice became irregular after coming to the US, resulting in my having to go back on a 25 mg dose of the thyroid medication.