Diabetes is another of the bigest health problems in the West. It is caused by poor diet, stress and some hereditary factors. About 18 million Americans have trouble producing enough insulin. Insulin is created by beta cells in the pancreas. In people with type I diabetes, the pancreas has shut down completely. It will not make insulin at all. With type II diabetes, the pancreas is still making insulin, but the body does not tolerate it very well. Without enough insulin our bodies cannot convert sugars and other foods into energy. Even though so many Americans have diabetes, about 5 million suffer without a diagnosis. Most of the cases of reported diabetes are type II. Obese people suffer from diabetes more frequently because the fat circulating in the blood stream is too much for the cells to handle. Insulin cannot be regulated. The good news is that yoga can help ease the discomfort, and lethargy of diabetes if not cure it altogether. 
There are over twenty different types of insulin medications, and although they do help, the amount of drugs the body needs usually increases and they do not cure the root cause of diabetes. There is another way that will help the considerably without the use of insulin injections or pills. People who used to have blood sugar levels of 140 to 160 reduce their sugar levels to 90-100 after doing yoga for several months consistently. That being said, please consult your doctor and have your insulin checked regularly once you start your yoga practice in order to have your meds adjusted accordingly. Yoga does help to eliminate the disease from the root, instead of just clipping the leaves. There are few documented cases in India, but yogis have been treating diabetes there for many hundreds of years, if not longer. Western medicine is beginning to catch up and there are some documented clinical cases now of yoga’s positive effects on patients with diabetes. There is an enormous gap between the way India and the West treat yoga, however. India treats diabetes as a psychosomatic disorder, in which the causative factors are sedentary habits, physical, emotional and mental stress and strain. It has studied the beneficial effects of the practice of yoga, which is much more than asana practice. The west understands diabetes as purely a physical disorder, and thus, have difficulty treating it without lifetime courses of insulin shots and pills.
Of course, adopting a yogic diet will help considerably also. The diet cannot be ignored in treating diabetes. Ayurvedic practices are especially helpful when adopted alongside yoga because ethey treat the patient from a holistic perspective. The way yoga itself works is relatively simple. By supporting the internal organs, including the pancreas, the body doesnot have to work as hard to do the things it normally does to keep you healthy. Cells receive more oxygen and work at peak performance. The body weight is reduced if yoga is practiced often enough, and with enough zeal (this is where sun salutations come in.) Yoga also treats stress levels in order to reduce weight and control blood sugar levels. When we are stressed out, high levels of cortisola nd adrenaline are dumped into the blood, which make it harder for the body to regulate sugar in the blood. Breathing practices conducted along with yoga asana help to reduce the phsyioloigcal barriers in the body. The hormones become balanced and stress is released from the body. Meditation practices help to alleviate the psychological stress we accumulate in our daily lives. In yoga, the mind, body and soul are all treated at the same time.Additional benefits for people who have diabetes include repair of the blood vessels and various organs which become damaged due to problems with the autonomic nervous system. This is an unfortunate by-priduct of the disease. Periferal nerves can also become damaged, and there are preliminary studies which show that yoga can help improve nerve conduction in people with diabetes. When the skin becomes ulcerated, due to poor blood circulation, especially on the feet, one is likely to walk in an unbalanced manner. Standing postures in yoga help to restore balance as well as increase blood circulation to try to lessen or prevent skin ulceration in the preliminary stages.
The following postures are recommended for diabetics:
Easy Pose (Sukhasana) This is a simple Indian-style seated asana performed with hands in Dhyana mudra. It opens the hips, lengthens the spine, promotes groundedness and inner peace, amplifies feelings of tranquility and serenity and decreases or completely eliminates anxiety, as well as relieves physical and mental exhaustion.
Shoulder Stretches are warm up positions which help to relieve stress and tension in the shoulders as well as the entire upper back. You will need a yoga strap or kitchen towel to practice these warm ups. Sit in any comfortably erect position. You can sit in Sukhasana, Half Lotus, Full Lotus, or Hero Pose. Hold the strap or kitchen towel and straighten your arms forward in front of you, making your arms about shoulder distance apart. As you inhale, move your arms up until they are overhead, and exhale as you bring them down behind you. Try to make as big a circle with this movement as you can. As you bring your arms forward, breathe in, as you bring them back exhale. Try to be relaxed as you move the arms forward and back.
Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskar) are a great way to get an aerobic workout and to stretch several large muscles in the body. Here are just some of the benefits of Surya Namaskar: the asanas tone the digestive system by the stretching and compressing of alternate abdominal organs, thereby strengthening the abdominal muscles. The asanas ventilate thelungs and oxygenate the blood, detox the body by getting rid of enormous quantities of carbon dioxide and other airborn toxins in the lungs. The entire nervous system is toned up. The endocrine glands are normalized, especially the thyroid. For diabetics, this can greatly help with weight loss. The skin is refreshed and skin disorders are averted. Muscles become more flexible. In women, the breasts become more firm. Sleep is improved. Menstrual irregularity is suppressed. Childbirth is eased. The asanas prevent hair loss and graying. They eliminate unpleasant smells from the body due to the decrease of toxic build up. The breath is fresher. The eyes are brighter. Abnormal prominence of the Adam’s apple is reduced. Fat is reduced from the entire body. The chest becomes broader and the arms more toned. The gait becomes fluid and graceful. The spine and waist become more flexible. Strength and longevity are increased. To practice Surya Namaskar, follow the following steps: Inhale in standing position. The feet are together and the hands are in Namaste Position with the thumbs into the sternum. All mantras are said from this position before continuing to the next pose. Exhale into forward bend. The palms should touch the floor with the thumbs lining up just to the outside of the smallest toe. Do not bend the knees. Allow gravity to take the head forward and focus on releasing tension fro the neck, shoulders and hamstrings. Inhale, taking the left leg back as far as possible placing the left toes curled under onto the floor. Press the waist and shoulders down while brining the gaze up. The right foot and hands should stay as they were in the forward bend position (no.2). The right leg is folded under the body. Hold the breath and take the right foot back to meet the left, curling the toes under and bringing the feet together into plank position. The torso should be straight. The body should be aligned and the gaze should be slightly forward past the hands as if preparing to do a push-up. Exhale into Ashtanga position which means eight points on the floor. Bend both arms in the elbows and touch the forehead to the ground without allowing the nose to touch the floor. The forehead, chest, palms, knees and toes are the only parts of the body touching the floor. The buttocks should be slightly raised so that there is a nice arch in the lower back. Inhale into cobra position. Straighten the elbows. Stretch the shoulders upward, and press the waist down toward your yoga mat. The arms should now be straight. The knees and toes should be on the floor with the feet together. The gaze should be toward the ceiling stretching the muscles of the neck. Holding the breath, assume the downward dog position. Bend the neck forward and tuck the chin into the chest. Push the body back so that the heels are touching the floor and the buttocks are facing the ceiling as much as possible. The palms stay flat on the floor. Aim to push the head through the shoulders in order to further open and stretch the shoulder blades. Hold the breath and assume position number three again by taking the left leg forward and placing it between the knees. You should feel a nice stretch in the right side of the body through the hip flexors and waist. Exhale and bring the back leg forward into forward bend. Hang here and allow gravity to loosen the shoulders and neck. If you cannot straighten the legs completely, just work on breathing into the hamstrings and focus on releasing tension there. Inhale, and return to the original standing position with hands in Namaste position. It should be noted that there are varying breathing patterns and asanas depending on the tradition of the guru. Some Surya Namaskar are also practied with mantra in between rounds in order to increase the benefit to the cardiovascular and nervous systems.
Tree Pose (Vrksasana) is a balancing pose which helps to restore the body and mind. It also strengthens the legs and feet, as well as increases flexibility in the hips and knees. The tree pose is incorporates three lines of energy, emitting from the centre outwards. One line proceeds down the straight leg, one line extends up the spine and out the fingertips, and the third moves outward through the bent knee. Being in mountain pose and gently bring the left foot up and place it against the inside of the right thigh. Lift the quadricpet of the right leg. Breathe deeply, find your balance and bring the hands to Namaste. From here you can also bring your arms up into the air either placing the palms together or reaching the arms out like branches of a tree. Release the leg down and practice on the other side. If it is too difficult to bring the foot all the way to the inner thigh of the opposite leg, you can also balance the foot against the inside of the calf muscle. Just do not rest it against the knee. Also concentrate on bringin the abdominal muscles in toward the spine and keeping the breath deep and even, inhaling and exhaling through the nose.
Fish Pose (Matsyasana) will help to reduce your stress levels. Lie flat on the floor with your palms facing down on either side of your torso. Placing the weight of your upper body on your elbows, gently life the head and place the very top or the crown of the head on the mat so that your neck is stretching considerably. Arch your chest and breathe deeply and evenly through the nose. You can also squeeze the buttocks and legs and then release them in time with your breath, further releasing tension from your lower extremities and hips. Open the chest as much as possible. To release the pose, simply adjust the weight back to your elbows, and gently lift the head and replace the head back on the floor in a comfortable lying-down position. Make sure to release carefully so that you do not injure the neck. Try to hold fish pose while breathing deeply for two to three minutes.
Kapala bhati or skull shining is a great breathing exercise with helps to detox the mind. After practicing this exercise for several rounds you will feel invigorated and peaceful. To practice, you will be creating short, rapid, forced exhalations with the belly followed by forecul inhales. Begin from any seated position. Start by taking several deep breaths. Inhale fully and then exhale forcefully, bringing thebelly ino to the spine to force the air back out. Let the subsequent inhale happen passively, and continue this breathing for approximately sixty seconds, resuming a normal deep breath after a round. Continue for three to four ounds.
Anuloma Viloma (alternate nostril breathing) will balance the brain and bring you feelings of great peace. Using Pranava mudra (curl in the last two fingers of the right hand, leaving the thumb to cover the right nostril and the first two fingers to cover the left nostril), cover the right nostril, inhale through the opposite side, then cover the left nostril and exhale on the right, inhale right, cover, exhale left, inhale left, cover, exhale right . . . Follow this pattern for ten cycles of breathing. This type of breathing has been shown on EEGs (electroencephalographs) to balance the communication between our left and right brains. This induces relaxation in the body as well as benefits the immune and cardiovascular system. It also stabilizes the entire nervous system. This practice will allow the majority of your energy to be used for running the body efficiently, instead of fighting the stress you accumulate in your body on a daily basis.
Shavasana or Corpse Pose is a great way to relax after your yoga asana practice. Lying on your back, let the arms and legs drop open, with the arms about 45 degrees from the side of your body. Make sure you are warm and comfortable. If you need to, place blankets under or over your body. Allow the head to relax comfortably in the middle of yoru shoulders, or to hang to the left or right side. Scan the body and relax each and every part. Concentrate on the breath. Notice the temperature of the breath as it enters and exits the body. Notice the gentle rise and fall of your chest. Continue to concentrate on the body and the breathing for five to fifeteen minutes. Shavasana allows for great amounts of stress to be eliminated from the body and mind.
For further scientific evidence of yoga’s effects on diabetes, you can consult articles from the Journal of Diabetes Association of India from the 1980s. there is also a great article in Diabetes Research and Clinical practice from 1993 which had success with over one third of their diabetes patients eliminating their medicatiosn completely after practicing a forty regime of yoga, ayervedic diet, cleansing techniques and paranayama. There are probably more recent articles as well if you look at your local library or check with a medical library if you have access to one. Yoga does help tremendously, and the changes you make could save your life.
Diabetes today is a major problem in the UK and in the rest of the world; the treatment of which costs millions of pounds for which purchasing medical insurance for diabetics is a good solution.
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