Exclusive: Practice yoga to help manage your diabetes

On International Yoga Day, we share with you how practicing this ancient exercise form can help you manage diabetes.

Pic Courtesy: Pixabay

New Delhi: India is the second most affected country with diabetes with a whopping estimate of 77 million people suffering from the disease. Type-2 diabetes is classified by many experts as a ‘lifestyle disease’ which can be controlled by adopting healthy eating habits and adding exercise in your daily routine.

On International Yoga Day, we spoke to  Endocrinologists who told us how this ancient form of holistic exercise can help you manage your blood-sugar levels.

“Yoga has shown promising results in controlling blood glucose levels. The various yoga asanas help exercise the muscles so that the muscles consume more sugar from the blood, thus decreasing the blood glucose levels,” explains Dr Sunetra Mondal, Consultant Endocrinologist, HealthWorld hospital, Durgapur.

Further elaborating Dr Mondal shares, “there are particular yoga asanas suitable for people with diabetes. These yoga asanas help stretch the pancreas, stimulating insulin-producing beta-cells present in the islet of Langerhans of the pancreas. Apart from decreasing the blood glucose level, yoga also helps in weight reduction, thus, reducing your risk of developing complications associated with diabetes.”

Dr M R Warun Kumar, Pediatric Endocrinologist,VMC Speciality Hospital, Madurai says, “Yoga is a boon for people with diabetes. People with diabetes must include yoga in their daily exercise regime. But if you are new to yoga, you must go slow. You must initially start with breathing exercises and then start practicing asanas.”

He also suggested few asanas that diabetes patients can practice:

Frog pose or Bhekasana: You need to kneel down, resting your buttocks on your feet for the Frog pose. While doing this pose, keep your fists pressed together in front of the nave and bend forward horizontally while stretching your head forwards.

Twist pose or Ardha Matsyendrasana: for this pose, place one of your feet flat on the floor outside the opposite leg and torso and twist it toward the top leg. The bottom leg may be bent with the foot outside the opposite hip or extended with toes vertically. The arms help leverage the torso into the twist and may be bound (Baddha Ardha Matsyendrasana) in a number of configurations by clutching either feet or opposite hands.

ASANAS THAT DIABETES PATIENTS SHOULD AVOID

“People with diabetes must avoid inverted asanas like head-stand as inverted asanas can increase the pressure in your eyes, which may cause severe complications later. In case you feel any pain or discomfort while doing yoga, seek advice from your doctor and your yoga instructor,” shares Dr Kumar.