Yoga for Diabetes

Affecting more than 18 million Americans, diabetes leaves many sufferers overweight, fatigued, and weak, and when untreated, blindness, nerve damage, and heart disease can result. While there is no cure for diabetes, many diabetics have found relief by incorporating yoga into their routine.

According to Jasmine Lieb, R.Y.T., a Los Angeles-based yoga instructor at Yoga Works who specializes in rehabilitating students recovering from injuries and chronic diseases and has worked with many diabetics in her therapeutic classes, yoga can help at any stage. "I once worked with a gentlemen who had gone blind and lost feeling in his hands and feet from type 2 diabetes. We modified the poses until he was able to do them independently, and he felt more confident and comfortable by the end," says Lieb. Not only did some feeling come back in his hands and feet—he was able to walk further and longer. "Through yoga, that feeling of powerlessness is gone."

Yoga's focus on breath and movement can boost circulation, especially through the extremities. It is one of few exercises that sets the entire body in motion with the breath, circulating the blood through parts of the body that might otherwise go unused in our day-to-day routine. While daily practice is ideal, Lieb says you shouldn't stress yourself out or feel pressured by a set schedule. Instead, do these poses while your kids are doing homework at the dining room table, or after you've tucked them into bed. 

Please note that these poses should be done under the supervision of an instructor. 

Modified Shoulderstand
"Through inversions like shoulderstand, we can focus on stimulating the thyroid, which is often linked to the weight gain and water retention suffered by many with diabetes," Lieb says. Diabetics also have a higher incidence of thyroid disorders than the rest of the population. When the legs are raised above the heart in shoulderstand, blood is drawn to the crook of the neck where the thyroid gland is located. For many diabetics, increasing circulation in the thyroid can help bring relief. 

To begin, lie down with your back on the floor and your feet flat on a wall, knees at a 90-degree angle. If you are comfortable in your lower back, build up to straightening the legs and bringing the pelvis up. Place your hands on your lower back for support with your fingers pointing toward your feet. Keep your shoulders away from your ears as you straighten your legs and push your feet toward the wall. You can hold the posture here if you're comfortable, or cycle through a few rotations (about 2 to 5 minutes) of slowly raising the pelvis up and holding for a couple of breaths, and then bringing it back down to the floor. If you are not able to breath easily,get out of the pose by gently lowering your hips to the ground. 

Ujjayi Breath with Reclined Twist
To begin this breathing exercise, take a deep breath of air in through your nose. Close your lips softly so that no air goes through them. Slowly channel the breath through the throat so that an ocean sound is made as you exhale through the nose, Lieb says, like waves on a beach. "By directing the air that way, the diaphragm muscle brings more oxygen and nutrients into the blood than normal breathing," she says. Combine with a teclined twist or seated twist to increase circulation in the pancreas, which helps the body digest sugarsone of the greatest challenges of a diabetic. Lieb recommends doing this breathing exercise for 5 to 10 rounds, depending on your comfort level.