Science and Shoulderstand

Most of us who have practiced yoga for any length of time have eventually encountered a statement from a teacher, magazine article, book or website telling us that shoulderstand has a beneficial effect on our system through its action on the thyroid gland. Although this statement seems to be most prevalent among Iyengar-style influenced teachers, it is not exclusive to this style. Similar statements have been made by Sivananda style teachers, and I clearly remember hearing it from my Kripalu teacher nearly 13 years ago. I was then, as now, curious about the validity of that statement. Though I don’t feel I need to understand the scientific basis behind every benefit offered by yoga, the specificity of the association of the pose shoulderstand and thyroid function struck me as worth thinking about. Shoulderstand, “the queen of asanas” is given prominence by Iyengar teachers and practitioners as a pose of particular benefit to women, especially in alleviating discomfort and ailments associated with hormonal changes during maturation and menopause. Clearly, information gained from decades of experience has provided B.K.S. Iyengar and his daughter Geeta abundant anecdotal evidence that shoulderstand has numerous benefits, as described in Yoga, the Path for Holistic Health, and Yoga, a Gem for Women. Iyengar’s students continue to recommend of this pose as therapeutic for women as can be seen, for instance, in Patricia Walden and Linda Sparrowe’s The Women’s Book of Health and Wellness.  Popular literature describing health benefits of yoga is abundant, as even a relatively casual collector of yoga books will know.

Curious as to the scientific basis for the connection between shoulderstand and thyroid function, I started searching the literature for peer reviewed, scientific studies that might provide experimental evidence for this claim, using the standard search engines and databases available to the university I attend. It didn’t take long to realize that scientific studies on the physiology of shoulderstand’s effects on the thyroid gland, were extremely scant. Apart from a small handful of studies published in the mid-70’s in the Indian Journal of Medical Research, experimental evidence for shoulderstand’s effect on thyroid function is notably lacking. No studies were located that seem to have built on those early findings.

Does any of this matter? For the average practitioner who enjoys including shoulderstand in their regular practice and enjoys the physical, mental and emotional benefits from the pose, there is certainly no reason to worry about the science behind it. However, as yoga students begin to perceive yoga as a form of therapy or complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), and health care providers and HMOs respond to the public’s drive to include CAM as part of their coverage, the questions arise: can yoga be prescribed as a health care practice, akin to physiotherapy? And if so, can the student/client/patient ask that it be included as part of their coverage? Objective evidence of the efficacy of yoga would certainly assist that process – if that process is what we really want as students, clients or patients. Experimental evidence has been steadily accumulating for benefits on musculoskeletal disorders and factors in cardiovascular disease risk, among others, but remains scarce for yoga and endocrine function. There have, however, been pilot studies demonstrating that restorative practice (including shoulderstand) has alleviated hot flashes in menopausal women. These provide encouragement for further studies on a larger scale using appropriate randomization and control groups.

Part of me is hesitant at the thought of offering yoga up to the altar of the controlled double blind, but in a practical sense, perhaps allowing yoga to be integrated into the health care system as a complementary therapy could still be consistent with one of yoga’s main purposes – to alleviate suffering. The removal of sources of discomfort, disease, and physical ailment remains consistent with Patanjali’s aphorism 1.30: “The inner obstacles that disperse the mind are sickness, mental inertia, doubt, haste, apathy, intemperance, errors in judgement of oneself, lack of perseverance, and the inability to stay at a level once reached.” Many of us who practice yoga have already experienced a taste of relief from these obstacles. Will validating yoga through science contribute to helping others get a taste of that relief? Of would the process of scrutinizing yoga through western scientific methods take something away from a holistic practice meant to address all aspects of human nature?

Comments

[Bonnie]

I'm particularly interested in this asana for a variety of reasons. At this time in my life, the purported menopausal benefits (i.e. hot flash diminishment) really draw me to regular practice!

It seems that yoga under western scientific scrutiny has held up fairly well (at least from what I've seen), so a part of me thinks "bring it on". If people who do not currently practice see yoga therapies validated by their health care plans, they might be more likely to try yoga and then the other holistic benefits from regular practice would follow.

Really great thought provoking article, Sophie.

[sophie]

that's certainly part of the reason I'm interested in it, Bonnie - I'm heading in that direction myself, as are many of my friends. I still waver between the "bring it on" attitude and a certain feeling of protectiveness - however, what do we have to fear, really? I think if research is approached with a genuinely open mind, it can help us tailor our practice even more to our individiual needs.

[Sharon Frost]

I agree that it's a little unsettling to cast yoga to the scientists but agree that it would be a great thing if more people could receive the benefits of the practice. I think studies would only encourage it's use.

I change my mind almost every day about where I am with yoga. And right now I feel my practice has deepened considerable over the last year and I'm working more and more with it in the context of daily life.

I was in the dentist's chair earlier in the week and Dr. Strangelove said to me "now, before you go to that yoga place of yours..." I realized it was true -- he was right: I do yoga and meditation in that chair -- the best meditation sessions I have...and fine supta baddha konasana too. I know it can relieve suffering. More people should know it and do it.

[Elliott Goldberg]

1/10/08

Dear Sophie,

I’ve been trying to hunt down the origin of the notion that the Shoulder Stand enhances the workings of the endocrine system for a book that I'm writing about the formation of modern hatha yoga. I believe it originated with Swami Kuvalayananda in the 1920s.

I’ve also been trying to find studies on the physiological efficacy of the Shoulder Stand on the endocrine system. I’ve found nothing. I’ve just read your thoughtful April 30, 2007 posting about the scarcity of scientific studies for the Shoulder Stand. You found very little. But at least you found something.

1. You wrote: “It didn’t take long to realize that scientific studies on the physiology of shoulderstand’s effects on the thyroid gland were extremely scant. Apart from a small handful of studies published in the mid-70’s in the Indian Journal of Medical Research, experimental evidence for shoulderstand’s effect on thyroid function is notably lacking.”

EG: 1) Could you possibly give me the exact dates of all the studies published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research? (I couldn’t find archived articles beyond the last few years on the journal’s website.) I’ll write the journal for copies of the studies or try to find them at a library here in New York.

2. You wrote: “Experimental evidence has been steadily accumulating for benefits on musculoskeletal disorders and factors in cardiovascular disease risk, among others, but remains scarce for yoga and endocrine function.”

EG: 2) What evidence have you found for the benefits of yoga on musculoskeletal disorders? I’m very interested in finding evidence of the effect of asana practice on the spine. Do you happen to have this information at hand? I understand if you don’t.

EG: 3) What evidence have you found for the benefits of particular asanas (as opposed to the relaxation effect) on factors in cardiovascular disease risk? Do you happen to have this information at hand? I understand if you don’t.

EG: 4) What “scarce” evidence have you found for effect of particular asanas (as opposed to the relaxation effect) on endocrine function? Do you happen to have this information at hand? I understand if you don’t.

3. You wrote: “There have, however, been pilot studies demonstrating that restorative practice (including shoulderstand) has alleviated hot flashes in menopausal women. These provide encouragement for further studies on a larger scale using appropriate randomization and control groups.”

EG: 5) What do you mean by “restorative” practice? Could you possibly give me more information about these pilot studies?

Any help that you may be able to provide me with my research would be appreciated.

All the best,

Elliott

[sophie]

Hi Elliot,

I believe I replied to you personally last November. Perhaps you did not receive my reply, so I will send it again to the address passed on to me earlier.

Sophie