DIABETES MANAGEMENT THROUGH YOGA

Diabetes is a disorder of metabolism—the way our bodies use digested food for growth
and energy. Most of the food we eat is broken down into glucose, the form of sugar in the
blood. Glucose is the main source of fuel for the body. After digestion, glucose passes
into the bloodstream, where it is used by cells for growth and energy. For glucose to get
into cells, insulin must be present. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas, a large
gland behind the stomach. When we eat, the pancreas automatically produces the right
amount of insulin to move glucose from blood into our cells. In people with diabetes,
however, the pancreas either produces little or no insulin, or the cells do not respond
appropriately to the insulin that is produced. Glucose builds up in the blood, overflows
into the urine and passes out of the body in the urine. Thus, the body loses its main
source of fuel even though the blood contains large amounts of glucose. Diabetes is
associated with long-term complications that affect almost every part of the body. The
disease often leads to blindness, heart and blood vessel disease, stroke, kidney failure,
amputations and nerve damage. Uncontrolled diabetes may complicate pregnancy. Birth
defects are more common in babies born to women with diabetes. In absence of proper
utilization of sugar the patient begins to develop various physical ailments like frequent
urination, excessive tiredness, loss of weight, blurring of vision, general weakness and
skin disorders. Chronic diabetic patients may suffer hypertension, kidney and eye
disorders.

There are three types of diabetes:-

Type 1 diabetes: The immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-producing beta
cells in the pancreas. At present, scientists do not know exactly what causes the body’s
immune system to attack the beta cells, but they believe that autoimmune, genetic, and
environmental factors, possibly viruses, are involved. Type 1 diabetes occurs equally
among males and females but is more common in white races of European countries.

Type 2 diabetes: This is associated with older age, obesity, family history of diabetes,
physical inactivity. About 80 percent of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight. When
type 2 diabetes is diagnosed, the pancreas is usually producing enough insulin, but for
unknown reasons the body cannot use the insulin effectively, a condition called insulin
resistance. After several years, insulin production decreases. The result is glucose builds
up in the blood and the body cannot make efficient use of its main source of fuel. Type 2
diabetes is more common in older people, especially in people who are overweight and
occurs more often in African and Asian, population.

Gestational diabetes: Some women develop gestational diabetes late in pregnancy.

Although this form of diabetes usually disappears after the birth of the baby, women who
have had gestational diabetes have a 20 to 50 percent chance of developing type 2
diabetes within 5 to 10 years. Maintaining a reasonable body weight and being physically
active may help prevent development of type 2 diabetes.

Management of diabetes:
People with diabetes must take responsibility for their day-to-day care. Much of the daily
care involves keeping blood glucose levels from going too low or too high. Healthy eating,
physical activity and taking insulin are the basic therapies for diabetes. The amount of
insulin must be balanced with food intake and daily activities. Blood glucose levels must
be closely monitored through frequent blood glucose checking. People with diabetes also
monitor blood glucose levels several times a year with a laboratory tests. At least 65% of
those with diabetes die from heart disease or stroke. Managing diabetes is more than
keeping blood glucose levels under control—it is also important to manage blood
pressure and cholesterol levels. Smoking cessation can also help lower risk of stroke.

Yoga, ayurveda and diabetes:

According to ayurveda, diabetes is the result of pitta and kapha imbalances. This is
difficult to say whether there is complete cure to diabetes through ayurveda and/or
yogabhyasa. Each person is an individual and will be in different stages of the disease.
However, whatever the stage of the diabetes, ayurvedic and yoga assist in the healing
process. Diet plays an important role. It is very important to be sure to have plenty of
bitter taste each day. Your diet should include dark green leafy vegetables, turmeric and
fenugreek. In addition to the using fenugreek (sonuf) in cooking, you may also soak one
table spoon of fenugreek seeds over night and eat them the next morning. Shilajit,
guggulu, turmeric, bitter gourd and the seeds of kalajamoon have curative properties.
Research shows that these most commonly available herbs actually assist restoration of
the pancreas.
Yoga and management of diabetes:

Yogic system of treatment consists of i) regular practice of certain postures, called

asanas, ii) breathing techniques, called pranayama, iii) proper diet management and iv)
meditation. Not only for diabetes for any treatment these are the yogic treatment
methods. Initially for a period of 3-4 weeks, the patient may not find any improvement
through yoga. Thereafter, yoga starts giving permanent and irreversible results. People
around 40-50 years find relief by that time. For juvenile diabetics (i.e., below 20-25 years),
the results could appear after a year or so.

Yogic treatment restores the normal functioning of pancreas and other glands in the body.
When the glands begin to function properly, pancreas gets activated again and results in
normalcy of body functions. Following asanas are selected for diabetes treatment. It is
not necessary that one should all these but should select whichever suitable to them,
depending on time available, age and body ductility. It is imperative that all the asanas
( minimum of 5) should be repeated three times. The yogic practice may be done either in
the morning or evening in empty stomach. Regular practice is needed. Before starting
yoga, one should do some warming up exercises (I need not have to go into this, as these
are the same you did in your middle and high schools). Though yoga has its own warming
up exercises, to learn along with specific asanas would be burdensome to the learner. If
you live in Bangalore, you will find these asanas very easy. After all, you have performed
most of them hanging to bus-bars!
SELECTED YOGASANAS FOR DIABETES

Yogasana How do I do this?

Ardha baddhapadma paschimoottanasana: Stretch
both legs in sitting position. Bring one leg near to
stomach and press against the abdomen. If
possible, you may try to hold the toe using other
hand. Now, breath out and bend forward holding (or
trying to reach) the out stretched leg. Do not strain
but do it slowly and slowly. Take the lead from
Atelji. Follow the great leader! Achieving the final
position is not the goal but attempt is. Hold it until it
slightly lessens the pain and come back to original
position by releasing the outstretched and and
folded leg. Relax for a minute and repeat 2 more
times.
Ekapada galavasana: This is one of the balancing
asanas. You should not perform this asana if you
have weak wrists. First, sit on the floor and bend a
leg and using this leg as a support between hands,
lean forward. Now, take in the breath and slowly
push forward to achieve the final position. Remain
in this position for few seconds and come back to
sitting position. Take care not to push further more
lest you should hit the ground nose down like the
first rocket of ISRO!
Shalabhasana: Lay down on the floor, your stomach
down. Bring two hands together and clasp. Let
thehands be close together and now take in full
breath. Putting all the body weight on the wrists, lift
both legs - not bending at the knees. Got hurt? Oh
sorry, I should have told to remove your punjabi
steel rings and marwadi gold rings.
Padahastasana: Stand straight keeping your legs at
comfortable distance with each other, say one or
two feet. Now, breath out and bend forward keeping
both hands on your legs for support. Slowly reach
towards the floor, if possible your feet! Keep the
knee junction locked. Hold it for some time and
come back to standing position. You may not be
successful in the first attempt. Try two more times.
Do not stand near the wall if you are living in
government quarters. The wall may collapse in case
you loose physical balance and hit the wall. Due to
heavy penal recoveries, you may loose mental
balance too! Take care.
Suptaveerasana: This is an easy asana for diabetes.
Sit on the floor keeping your both legs to the sides-
not too far. Now bend back and come to laying
position. Breath slowly and stretch both hands.
Automatically, there will be tremendous pressure on
your stomach, pulling inside. Repeat two more
times. If you are not able to keep the legs side ways,
you can keep a pillow and try to sit down on it.
Forget this asana until you master keeping the legs
side ways.
Adomukha matsyasana: Sit on the floor cross
legged the bottom portion up (padmasana). If it is
not possible, you can squat on the floor
(swastikasana). If you have studied in rajapraja
schools of AP, you know what I mean. You never sat
on desks till you entered college. Bend forward and
lay down stretching your hands. There is external
pressure on the stomach. Why did you purchase
that costly stomach heating sauna massage belt?
Repeat two more times.
 Urdhwa prasarita padasana: Easy to explain. My
God, it is difficult to perform. Stretch hands
upwards in laying down position. Take in the breath
and lift both legs joined together and hold within
your tolerance limit. Now, you feel worms crawling
in the stomach. Come back to laying position and
breath out. Repeat two more times. Now onwards,
you can throw away your tele marketed pulsator
belt. Some people lift the legs after breathing out.
This will cause severe cramps in stomach and is a
wrong practice.
Chatushpadasana: Stand on the ground keeping
both legs half to one meter apart. Resting your
hands on legs bend forward. Now walk on all fours
without bending hands and legs! Your thighs press
lower abdomen over and over again. Repeat two
more times. Do you know that four legged animals
do not suffer piles? As men and monkeys walk on
two legs keeping back bone erect, the stomach
weight collapses on lower rectum.
Chatushpadasana keeps lower abdomen, bladder
and kidneys in order. If you master this asana, you
have bright future in Congress. Indiraji saw that
every Congress MP is proficient in this asana!
Mahamudra:This is similar to Ardha baddhapadma
paschimoottanasana and is easy to perform. It is
self explanatory. Just remember that you need not
have to care whether you breath in or out. First keep
your hands on the knees and inch by inch progress
towards toes, but the legs be stretched straight.
Repeat two more times. When you get used to retain
this position for say one minute, then when you
bend forward breath out and pull in the stomach.
Urdhwa dhanurasana: Lay down keeping your
hands and legs pulled towards the body, i.e., folded.
Now, take in the breath and push the stomach
upwards. You need not have to make the legs and
hands straight. Push the stomach upwards as far as
possible. When you achieve the final posture,
breath out. Before coming down to normal position
take a full breath. You do not loose physical (or
mental!) balance, though this posture looks
challenging your balance. Problem is to push
stomach upwards!
Bhujangasana: The picture itself explains the
method. Take care to keep the legs together as they
try to fly away from each other. It is not necessary to
make the hands straight but desirable. Breathing?
Anyway, you are still breathing after so many
yogasanas! Thank God! Still have some strength?
Repeat two more times.

Pranayama:

Suryanuloma: Breathing slowly through right nostril (pingala) only 10-20 times.

Bhastrika: Fast single time forceful breathing in through right nostril and expelling rapidly
6-8 times through the same nostril. Fast single time forceful breathing in through left
nostril and expelling rapidly 6-8 times through same nostril. Finally, same procedure is
done with both nostrils for 6-8 times (repeated 3-5 times).

Dhyana:

There is no panacea. No yoga, ayurveda nor any top most doctor can cure unless God is
willing to cure. Every doctor and therapist does his duty but the cure is in the hands of
God, Almighty. Regular meditation helps. The natural significator for diabetes is Sukra.
You can recite any sukra related mantras kavacha etc., You can also recite Mahalaxmi
Asttottara. If you have your natal chart (janma patrika or jataka), you locate the
significators of the 6th house who cause the diseases. Remedial measures to those
planets will help.
Limitation: Yoga is only effective management of body functions and is not a cure by
itself. So, the patient should not ignore his medication. If there is malfunctioning of body
organs, yoga will infuse health into the body. If it is case of handicapment wherein the
organ has a cyst or is damaged in an accident, yoga can not help. No yogic practice can
make an amputated leg to grow!