How to Defeat Diabetes by Powerful Yoga Exercises?

Yoga for diabetes. Not only for Diabetic. Applicable to everyone.

Genetics is one of the major causes of Diabetes.

You might wonder, ‘Hang on!!! My parents are not diabetic. Neither am I. Then how would it be applicable to everyone?’.

Yes, that’s a valid question. But do you know what the other causes of Diabetes are? Overweight and Lifestyle factors.

Lifestyle factor is a simple word. Still, it encompasses a broad meaning. Stress, ill-timed food intake, smoking, alcohol consumption, lack of physical activities, long sitting hours, irregular sleeping pattern etc.

A WHO report says, ‘An estimated 500 million adults are living with diabetes i.e. 10% of the total adult population’. Lifestyle factors are a significant cause behind this reality. Our lifestyle has changed over the years, and we are living a stressful life. There is no denial about that.

Are you still confident it wouldn’t be applicable to everyone? Well, doesn’t matter. Denials won’t change the facts.

However, the good news is that- DIABETES IS REVERSIBLE. With the right holistic Diet, Yoga and Fitness Regime- it pretty much is 🙂 And yes, that too without medicines.

Read on…

What is Diabetes?

We’re aware of this word. We must have heard it a million times. But do we know the science behind this word? No. Complete knowledge gives us control over this disease. As they say, ‘Prevention is better than cure.’

We eat food. Our food consists of protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals. Each of the nutrients has its work to do. Among these, carbohydrates convert into glucose. Glucose is the fuel that runs our body. Insulin regulates this process and transports the glucose to our cells. The pancreas produces insulin.

Let’s connect the dots.

• If the pancreas doesn’t produce any insulin, our body cells won’t get any energy.
• If the produced insulin doesn’t / Couldn’t perform its functions, we wouldn’t get our fuel.

These conditions lead to Diabetes.

What Can Diabetes Do to our body?

Types of Diabetes

1) Type 1 diabetes

We cannot prevent Type 1 diabetes by any means because our own immune system attacks our pancreas’s ability to produce insulin. In simpler terms, our own anti-virus is attacking our computer.

Why does this happen? Our medical community has no answers. Some researchers link it to genetics and its interaction with environmental factors.

2) Type 2 diabetes

A variety of factors are responsible for Type 2 diabetes -family history, obesity, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, smoking, childhood malnutrition etc.

Yoga for Diabetes

The human body is a boat sailing on this vast universe. If the boat gets a hole anywhere on its circumference, it’ll sink. We should look after our physical fitness, Mental health and spiritual awareness. Even if one of them malfunctions, we’ll sink. They all should be in sync with each other.

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and Hatha yogic literature concentrated on the combination of physical, mental and spiritual practices.

How does yoga come into this diabetes scenario?

Let’s discuss it through the Asanas (Postures), Mudras (Gestures) and Pranayama (Breathing).

Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand)

• Lie on your back. Keep your hands on the side of the body. Palms should be open, touching the floor.

• Lift your legs while keeping your chest down. Don’t bend your knees.
• Your legs should be at a 90 degree to your head. Support the lower body by keeping the hands on your back.
• Point your toes towards the ceiling. Your focus should be on those toes.
• Stay in this posture for a minute.
• Bend the knees towards your head. Take back your hands to its initial position. Lower your hips slowly.

Breathing pattern: Exhale while going to the asana and inhale coming down the asana. Keep normal breathing while in the asana.

If this asana is challenging for you, do Ardha-Sarvangasana till you get comfortable.

• Lie on your back. Keep your hands on the side of the body. Palms should be open, touching the floor.
• Bring the feet towards your hip. Knees would be bent in this position.
• Lift the lower part of your body.
• Place your hands on the back for support. Elbows should be touching the ground.
• Remain in this asana for a minute and return to the initial position.
• Follow the breathing pattern of Sarvangasana.

Halasana (Plough Pose)

• To do Halasana, you should be in Sarvangasana.
• Inhale and lower the legs on the opposite side until your toes touch the ground.
• After the toes touch the ground, Exhale completely and follow the usual breathing pattern while remaining in the asana.
• Keep your spine at 90degree to the floor.
• Move the hands from your back and Put your palms facing down on the floor. If you’re not comfortable, keep your hands supporting the back.
• Maintain the posture for 30 seconds and go back to the initial position in the reverse order.

Paschimottanasana (Sitting Forward Bend Pose)

• Sit straight with your legs stretched in front of you.
• Inhale and raise your arms towards the ceiling.
• Relax your arms.
• Exhale and lower your chest forward. Your face should be touching your legs.
• Hold your heel by your hands. If you’re comfortable with this posture, hold your toes instead of heels.
• Relax your hip and move it further against your thighs.
• Remain in the posture for a minute.
• Inhale and return to the original posture.

Dhanurasana

• Lie on your stomach facing the floor. Relax your body
• Inhale and lift your legs with bent knees.
• Move your arms backwards and Catch the ankle.
• Open up your upper chest by pulling your upper torso backwards. Catching your ankle will support this movement.
• Push the head and pull the legs until your thighs are lifted off the ground.
• In this posture, breathing would be difficult since you’re balancing on the pelvis. Breathe slowly.
• Remain in the asana for 30seconds and come back to the initial posture.

Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Spinal Twist Pose)

• Sit straight and stretch your legs.
• Raise your left leg and place it outside the right leg’s thigh.
• Twist the upper body towards your right side. Hold onto your left leg for support and further twisting.
• You can keep your right leg straight, or you can fold it towards your left hip.
• Come back to the initial position and change the legs.

Mandukasana (Frog Pose)

• Stand straight. Bend your knee forward and let it touch the ground.
• Sit on your legs. Your toes should touch each other.
• Your spine should be erect. (The posture you’re in now is Vajrasana)
• Place your right palm over your left palm and keep it covering your navel.
• Exhale and lower your head forwards until you can’t lean further.
• Hold your breath and remain in the position for 30 seconds.
• Inhale and go back to Vajrasana.

Chakrasana (Wheel Pose)

• Lie on your back. Relax your body.
• Raise your legs and fold the knees. Bring the feet closer to your body. Feet should be well pressed on the floor and hip wide apart.
• Take your hands backwards over your shoulders.
• Press the palm firmly on the floor. Your elbows should be facing upwards.
• Raise the abdomen by pressing your hands and feet against the floor.
• Stretch out the body. You’ll look like a semi-circle now.
• Stay in the position for a minute.
• Come back to the initial posture.

Kapalabhati Pranayama (Skull Shining Breath)

• Sit straight and cross-legged.
• Your abdomen should be in a relaxed position.
• Inhale.
• Exhale quickly and forcefully. Try to do 60 such exhale shots in a minute.
• After a minute, take a deep breath and exhale through your mouth.
• You can do Gyan mudra while doing this.

Mudras – Yoga for Diabetes

Surya Mudra

Surya Mudra is a Gesture exercise.

• Open your palms.
• Fold the ring finger inwards and place your thumb on top of the ring finger.
• Keep the other fingers straight by gently pressing the thumb.
• Keep the mudra for at least 15 minutes.

Prana Mudra

• Open your palms.
• Bring your ring finger, thumb and pinky closer so that they touch each other.
• The touching three fingers shouldn’t be erect. Bend those fingers, forming an arc.
• Keep the mudra for 30 minutes.

Gyan Mudra

• Open your palms.
• Bring your forefinger and thumb together, forming a circle inside it. Fingers should be touching each other’s tip.
• Keep your other fingers straight.

From Gyan mudra enter the Apan Mudra

• Release your forefinger.
• Bring your middle finger, ring finger and thumb together, forming an inner circle. They should be touching each other’s tip.
• Keep your other fingers straight.

Shavasana (Corpse Pose)

Shavasana is performed at the end of yoga sessions. We relax our bodies and concentrate only on our breathing.

• Lie on your back facing upwards.
• Your legs should be wide apart. Place your hands on the side.
• Breathe in and out.
• Maintain this posture for at least 10 minutes.

Benefits of Asanas – Yoga for Diabetes

• Sarvangasana, the Queen of Asanas, effectively balances the respiratory, circulatory and digestive systems. It increases the blood circulation to extreme parts of the body.
• Yoga exercises prevent sagging of the lower abdomen. It helps us lose the bulky waistline.
• Yoga stimulates and enhances the functions of endocrine glands.
• It stretches and relaxes the spinal cord. It increases our oxygen intake.
• Mandukasana stretches our pancreas. It helps in better digestion. Also, flexing our thighs and hamstrings.
• Dhanurasana activates endocrine glands, which are specific to Type 2 diabetes.
• Matsyendrasana twists our spinal cord and strengthens our abdominal muscles.
• Yoga keeps your weight in check. Refresh your mental agility.
• It massages every organ and enhances its health.
• Yoga helps us calm our minds and relieve our stress.
• Regular incorporation of yoga into our daily lives can change our Lifestyle. It reduces the Type 2 Diabetes risk factor.
• Appetite is a significant issue nowadays. With our daily life running fast, we are losing our desire to eat. Yoga helps develop our appetite.

Precaution

Unlike weight lifting or High-intensity interval training, yoga is relatively a safer way to keep our body healthy. But Asanas like Sarvangasana, Halasana and Chakrasana are inconvenient postures.

If you have a specific medical condition like Slipped disc, Cardiac issues, Chronic neck pain or high blood pressure, consult a physician about your intention of practising yoga for diabetes

Seek the guidance of any certified yoga teacher until you’ve become comfortable with the asanas.

In Conclusion

Let’s make something clear. Yoga or even modern medicine cannot completely cure diabetes. But it can improve our body so that we can live our life without any need for medications. This condition is called remission. Infuse yoga into your daily life. There is no use in doing it for 30 days and done with it. It doesn’t work that way.

Also, overdoing yoga is a dangerous habit. Increase your reps over time so that your body can get accustomed to the new regimen. Surya mudra increases the metabolism in our body but overdoing it will increase the temperature of the body. Like food, it should be taken in the correct quantity. Yoga will take care of the rest. For further clarifications, visit Soulsaga.

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And if you are looking for a Diabetes Diet Schedule to help you get rid of this disease, check here for a fool proof Food Plan to reverse Diabetes.

To know how to practice yoga for weight loss, go through this article.