5 Yoga Asanas You Should Know To Manage Your Diabetes

Throughout the world, yoga has become one of the most versatile forms of exercise. It improves your strength, flexibility,  and mental health, to name a few of its benefits.¹ Yoga has been the perfect way for individuals who are newly detected with diabetes as well as those living with it for a long time to help take control of their health. With a range of exercises that incorporate fresh beginners and scale up to the most seasoned practitioner, yoga is for everyone!

How is Yoga Helpful for Diabetes?

As an exercise, it can help control blood sugar and increase insulin sensitivity in the cells. Additionally, yoga also promotes better blood circulation and relieves stress, which is a crucial contributing factor to the symptoms of diabetes. It is also easy to start since there are plenty of online courses and guides on yoga asanas for diabetes.

Best Yoga Asanas for Diabetes Patients

How many yoga asanas are there to help manage diabetes? There are 84 recorded asanas and all of them play some part in improving your overall well-being and managing diabetes, such as:

1. Surya Namaskar

Also known as the sun salutation, Surya Namaskar is one of the most comprehensive movement exercises in the world. Doing this asana for 20 minutes elevates your heart rate and helps with weight loss, leading to lowered blood sugar and improved insulin sensitivity.² It is one of the top 10 yoga poses for defeating diabetes because it improves the entire body in terms of strength and flexibility while improving blood circulation.

2. Viparita Karani

This is also called the legs-up-the-wall pose and is one of the most popular yoga asanas recommended for diabetes control. The reason is that it is simple, and doesn’t require anything but a wall. Viparita Karani asana improves your energy levels, relaxes the mind, aids digestion and improves blood circulation. 

Like Surya Namaskar for diabetes, this asana improves a person’s overall health and holistically controls the symptoms of diabetes by making it easier for a person to manage their blood sugar.

3. Halasana

Halasana or the plough pose works multiple muscle groups in the body. The exercise strengthens your shoulders, hamstrings and spine.

If you can not do this asana right away, start with the supported shoulder stand, also known as Salamba Sarvangasana. Once you can maintain balance with the shoulder stand, you can gradually work on doing the full Halasana.

4. Ardha Matsyendrasana

This sitting posture is also called the sitting half-spinal twist or the lord of the half-fish pose. It is a fairly simple asana but requires you to push yourself just a little bit. This asana works your spine, chest and hip, improving the strength and flexibility of these muscles. It can stimulate the organs in the abdomen and facilitate lowered blood sugar. An added benefit of this pose is that it can also improve your digestion. 

5. Shavasana or Savasana

This asana is also called the corpse pose and is a practice of resting within your yoga practice. The asana emphasises rest and releases your body from the effects of stress, making it one of the top 10 yoga poses for defeating diabetes.³ The practice of stillness from the savasana pose helps reduce the tension and stress that normally builds up during a workout.

It is important to perform yoga in the correct way and the asanas that suit your individual health needs. Whether it is morning, evening or late at night, it is essential to practice consistently. Plan sessions to cover multiple asanas throughout the week and give yourself enough rest between sessions. You should always consult a yoga expert for better understanding and practice.

References:

¹ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16519085/

² https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6145966/

³https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4437062/

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