When 35-year-old Priya Shah was diagnosed with pre-diabetes, it was a wakeup call. It means a case of borderline diabetes her physician asked her to take up yoga. Pre-diabetes is an ailment where the blood glucose levels are higher than normal range but not high enough to be categorized as diabetes.
Must Read: Yoga for Diabetes (Madhumeh)
If the goes undiagnosed and untreated, a pre-diabetes condition can develop into type 2 diabetes. Priya, who is a BPO professional, was asked to change her sedentary lifestyle. She recollects “My mother was diagnosed with diabetes a few years ago. When she started doing yoga in her daily routine, it helped out to control her sugar levels,” she says. Let’s see how Yoga therapeutic for Diabetes works.
Read This Book – Yogic Life For Control Of Diabetes – by Hansaji & Armaiti Desai
Priya joined yoga at the Institute and began pranayama. After learning about various aspects of Yoga she says “I started making diet and life-style changes and with regular pranayama practice, which included Kapalbhati and Anulom Vilom for fifteen minutes and followed by Mandukasana, Dhanurasana and Ardha Matsyendrasana for 30 minutes every day.”
After three months of regular yoga practice, Priya found that her sugar levels had started returning to the normal margin.
She shares some advanced yoga asanas she regularly performs- “My Yoga therapeutic for Diabetes.”
Read This Book – Yoga Asanas Simplified – Shri Yogendraji
Yoga Asanas for Diabetes
Dhanurasana (Bow pose)
Benefit: Backward bending of the spine asana- This action massages the internal organs of the abdomen and improves the functioning of liver, pancreas and the intestines. Thereby helps to control blood sugar levels. Organs like liver, pancreas and hormone (insulin) producing organs will function adequately by practising this asana.
Method:
- Lie prone (on your stomach) with your feet together and your arms by the side of your body.
- Fold the knees and hold your ankles.
- Breathing in, lift your chest and pull up your legs and back.
- Look straight ahead. Relax your facial muscles.
- Keep the pose stable and focused attention towards your breath. Your body is now in bow pose.
- Continue to take long, slow, deep rhythmic breaths and try to relax in this posture. Do not overdo it as per individual capacity.
- After 10 seconds, as you exhale, gently lower your legs, back and chest to the ground.
- Release the ankles and relax. Take few normal breathes.
Halasana (Plough Pose)
Benefit: It stimulates the spleen, pancreas and activates the immune system by gently compressing all the internal organs including the pancreas. Also, it improves the liver functions and strengthens the abdominal muscles.
Method:
- Lie supine with your arms at your sides, palms facing downwards.
- As you inhale, using your abdominal muscles lift your feet off the floor slowly raising your legs at a 90-degree angle. Keep breathing normally and now exhaling supporting your hips and back with your hands, lift them over your head and touch toes to the ground.
- Your back should be perpendicular to the floor. This is an advanced asana technique and should be done under the guidance of a certified Yoga teacher only.
- Hold this pose few seconds only and let your body relax more and more with each steady breath.
- Gently bring your legs down -Avoid jerky movement and slowly bring your legs down. Relax take few normal breaths before you start next round.
Ardha Matsyendrasana (Spine Twist Pose)
Ardhamatsyendr-Asana
Benefits:
This asana gently massages the pancreas, kidneys, small intestines and liver, helping to stimulate digestion and squeezes out the toxins. Helps stimulate the hormonal secretion of the pancreas. Pancreases produce insulin which helps to regulate the blood levels. A beneficial posture for the diabetics. Also, it increases the suppleness of the spine and tones the spinal nerves.
Method
- Sit on the yoga mat, stretch both the legs straight.
- Fold the right leg. Keep the right leg’s heel crossing and touching the left leg’s knee.
- Bring the left hand close to right knee and hold the right leg’s ankle with the left hand.
- Take the right hand to back after twisting your trunk.
- Gently twist the head and shoulder to right side and look behind.
- After few seconds release the posture. Avoid jerky movement and slowly bring your legs down. Relax take few normal breaths before you start next round.
Other than these yoga poses, Suryanamaskar exercise is also recommended for a complete body exercise. Doing this for 15 minutes every morning made a huge difference in increasing my metabolism rate.
Learn More – How to do Surya Namaskar
Yoga offered me a holistic guide to manage my pre-diabetes. I found that it has changed me as a person as well. Earlier needed everything to perfection, but now I have learnt to accept people, things and situations. I do not expect anything from any one. I recommend The Yoga Institute women classes to everyone. Do yoga and live healthy!