Yoga for Diabetes: Best 5 Beneficial Poses
Yoga for diabetes is becoming more and more popular as a complementary practice in holistic health care. Yoga is good for your health in many ways, but its focus on deep breathing and lowering stress is especially helpful. When the body is under stress, it releases chemicals like cortisol, which can raise blood sugar levels. Yoga for diabetes on a regular basis can help relax the nervous system, which may help you better control your blood sugar and improve your health in general.
Asanas, or yoga poses for diabetes, can be a great part of a full health plan. They gently push on and stimulate the organs in the abdomen, improve circulation, and help you relax deeply. If you have a long-term illness like diabetes, it’s very important to talk to your doctor before starting any new exercise routine.
Here are five yoga poses (yoga for diabetes) that are beneficial for people with diabetes and focus on important health issues:
1. Paschimottanasana (Seated Forward Bend)
Yoga for Diabetes Pose 1
This classic pose is a deep stretch that has a grounding and calming effect.
How to Do:
- Follow these steps when doing yoga for diabetes pose.
- Seated: Sit on your mat with your legs straight in front of you (Dandasana/Staff Pose). Maintain an upright posture with your toes pointed upward.
- Take a deep breath in and raise both arms above your head. This will lengthen your back.
- Take a deep breath out, then bend forward at the hips, bringing your chest up to meet the floor. Remain in a completely neutral posture.
- Keep your muscles taut: Lower your hands to a comfortable spot on your legs, such as your shins, ankles, or feet. Do not arch your back too much.
- Take a deep breath in to return to a sitting upright position, and then let out a sigh to bring your arms back down.
Other Benefits:
- As a forward bend, it encourages self-reflection and calms the nervous system, which is important for lowering stress hormones that affect blood sugar.
- This gives the hamstrings, hips, and spine a strong stretch that helps with back pain.
- Light pressure on the abdomen can help get the digestive system going, and some people say it makes internal organs like the pancreas work better.
Awareness & Safety Note:
- Focus on the Hinge: The movement should come from the hips, not the lower back. Maintain the length of the spine and visualize drawing your abdomen toward your thighs when doing Paschimottanasana in Yoga for Diabetes.
- Modify as needed: If you have tight hamstrings, sit on a folded blanket or block with your knees slightly bent. The goal is a long spine that does not touch your toes.
- Breathing: Inhale to stretch the spine; exhale to slightly deepen the fold, but only while keeping the back flat.
2. Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Lord of the Fishes Pose)
Yoga for Diabetes Pose 2
In yoga for diabetes, twisting poses are very helpful because they squeeze and then relax the abdominal area, which may help blood flow to the organs inside.
How to Do:
- Follow these steps when doing yoga for diabetes pose.
- Start Sitting: Place your feet straight out in front of you and sit down. Begin by bending your left knee and placing your left foot level on the floor, near your right hip.
- Step your right foot over your left thigh and put it flat on the floor next to your left knee. This is called crossing your legs. You’ll have your right knee pointing up.
- Get ready for the twist: Breathe in and wrap your left arm around your right knee, which is lifted. Hug it close to your chest to assist in stretching your spine.
- Twist: Put your right hand on the floor behind you, like a kickstand. Take a deep breath out, then slowly turn your body to the right so that you can see over your right shoulder.
- Hold and breathe: With each breath in, lengthen the spine, and with each breath out, strengthen the twist a little more.
- Release: Let go of your body and do the move again on the other side.
Other Benefits:
- Moving your spine can ease pain in your hips and back and make it more flexible.
- The twisting motion massages the stomach’s organs, which helps with detoxification and digestion.
- Twists can be a refreshing workout that helps get rid of stress that has built up in the back and shoulders.
Awareness & Safety Note:
- Start the twist in the lower abdomen and work your way up to the shoulders and neck.
- Before you twist, sit up straight. As you breathe in, lengthen, and as you breathe out, spin gently.
- The thigh hug against the abdomen should be soft and soothing, with the goal of stimulating, not straining.
3. Viparita Karani (Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose)
Yoga for Diabetes Pose 3
This healing inversion stance is great for lowering fatigue and encouraging deep relaxation, both of which are important for treating diseases like diabetes.
How to Do:
- Follow these steps when doing yoga for diabetes pose.
- Put your mat against a wall that is clear. You could put a pillow or a blanket on the floor to support your hips.
- When you sit on the floor, put one side of your body right next to the wall. Lying back, swing your legs up the wall so that the backs of your legs are against the wall. Your body should be shaped like an L.
- Move your hips as close to the wall as you can without feeling uncomfortable. If you have a prop under your hips, make sure it supports your pelvis well.
- When you want to relax, put your arms in your lap with your palms up or put one hand on your heart and the other on your stomach.
- Stay in this position for 5 to 15 minutes to let your whole body relax.
- To lean out, bend your knees a little, push away from the wall, roll onto one side for a few breaths, and then slowly sit up.
Other Benefits:
- Encouraging lymphatic and venous drainage can help reduce mild swelling in the feet and ankles.
- The “rest and digest” state is when the body is relaxed and upside down. This is when the parasympathetic nervous system kicks in. This process stops the effects of stress right away.
- This procedure can help a lot with tired legs and feet that have been standing or walking for a long time.
Awareness & Safety Note:
- You should be able to hold this position for five to fifteen minutes. If you need to, put a cushion or folded blanket under your hips.
- Relax your neck and chin. Don’t look around; just let your eyes relax.
- To make mindful breathing more relaxing, focus on taking long, deep, even breaths.
4. Dhanurasana (Bow Pose)
Yoga for Diabetes Pose 4
Bow Pose is a stimulating backbend that provides a deep stretch to the front of the body while activating the back muscles.
How to Do:
- Follow these steps when doing yoga for diabetes pose.
- Lie on your stomach with your arms situated alongside your torso, palms facing upward. You can place your forehead on the mat.
- Bend your knees and use your hands to grab your ankles or the tops of your feet. Your knees should be hip-width apart.
- When you exhale, lift both your chest and your legs off the floor by kicking your feet into your hands. This will produce the shape of a bow.
- Look directly ahead. Your pelvis and abdomen should be the only areas of your body that touch the floor. Take a couple of deep breaths.
- Exhale slowly to let go of your grip, dropping your torso and legs back to the mat. Put one side of your head down.
Other Benefits:
- The pressure on the abdomen in this prone position might help massage the digestive system.
- Helps prevent slouching by strengthening the ankles, chest, and back muscles.
- Backbends are inherently invigorating poses that can help fight off lethargy that is frequently brought on by blood sugar swings.
Awareness & Safety Note:
- Start by using your thigh muscles to raise your legs and chest at the same time.
- Limiting your knees’ splay out wider than your hips may lessen the pose’s desired results.
- Keep your breath steady and deep to support the lift and stretch over your chest.
5. Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation)
Yoga for Diabetes Pose 5
Although it’s a series rather than a single pose, doing a few light Sun Salutations each day provides a full-body workout that combines movement and breathing.
How to Do It (Basic Steps of the Flow):
- Follow these steps when doing yoga for diabetes pose.
- Stand in front of your mat with your feet together and hands facing inward (Prayer Pose/Pranamasana). Inhale deeply.
- Inhale (Raised Arms Pose/Hastauttanasana): Raise your arms and sweep them back, making a slight arch.
- As you breathe out, bring your hands to rest on the floor next to your feet in the “Hand-to-Foot Pose” (Hasta Padasana).
- As you breathe in, bring your right foot back, lowering the knee, and lift your chest into Equestrian Pose, also known as Ashwa Sanchalanasana.
- Mountain Pose/Adho Mukha Svanasana Exhale: Step your left foot back to meet the right, lifting your pelvis into an inverted ‘V’ shape.
- Hold for a moment with your knees, chest, and chin down to the floor while keeping your hips slightly lifted, and then exhale (Eight-Limbed Pose/Ashtanga Namaskara).
- As you breathe in, find your center, then slowly arch your back into a cobra pose (also called Bhujangasana).
- Exhale (Mountain Pose/Adho Mukha Svanasana): Tuck your toes and raise your hips back to the inverted ‘V’ shape.
- Inhale (Equestrian Pose/Ashwa Sanchalanasana): Move your right foot forward between your palms, elevating your chest.
- As you breathe out, bring your left foot forward to touch your right, folding forward in the posture known as Hand-to-Foot Pose or Hasta Padasana.
- Raised Arms Pose (Hastauttanasana) is a breathing exercise in which you raise your body by sweeping your arms overhead.
- As you breathe out, return your hands to your chest in prayer pose, also known as pranamasana. One round has been completed.
Other Benefits:
- When done quickly, it can raise heart rate, which benefits the heart and circulation in general.
- The dynamic nature of the sequence works and stretches almost all of the major muscle groups, which serves to improve physical efficiency and speed up metabolism.
- The rhythmic flow of 12 poses is accompanied by conscious breathing, promoting a vital mind-body connection that decreases mental clutter and tension.
Awareness & Safety Note:
- For blood sugar management, training at a slow, thoughtful speed is typically more effective than aggressive cardio, as it allows for deep stretching and deliberate organ activation.
- To get the most out of each posture (such as Downward-Facing Dog, Plank, and Cobra/Upward-Facing Dog) and prevent strain, pay close attention to alignment.
- Adjust positions as necessary, such as putting the knees down in a plank, and prioritize fluid, continuous movement at the time of doing yoga (Yoga for Diabetes)
Conclusion in Yoga for Diabetes:
Including regular yoga for diabetes in your daily routine might be a beneficial addition to your current health management regimen. Gentle exercise, focused organ stimulation, and deep stress relief work together to support your body in many ways, which may improve your general health and vitality. Remember that mindfulness is the most effective practice.
Disclaimer: When doing yoga (Yoga for Diabetes) you should not use this article as a substitute for expert medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. A licensed yoga instructor or a skilled healthcare professional who is familiar with your health profile should always be consulted before beginning a Start a new fitness regimen.
Author: Tapas Kumar Sahoo, I am writing to make India happy and developed.
If you have any queries about any asanas in yoga for Diabetes blog and you are serious to solve it write it in comment. I will be glad to help.
To Know more follow the links: 1. Yoga for Beginners, 2. Basic to Advance with 5 easy steps 3. What is Yoga