Yoga For Diabetes Patients: 5 Best Asanas To Regulate Blood Sugar Levels And Boost Insulin Production Naturally

How to regulate high blood sugar levels naturally? Here are the top 5 yoga asanas that can help regulate blood sugar levels and manage diabetes symptoms naturally.

Yoga For Diabetes Patients: A sedentary lifestyle, wrong eating habits, and stress have become a major cause of increased blood sugar levels resulting in Diabetes, Insulin resistance, or Gestational diabetes. According to the International Diabetes Federation, Diabetes affects at least 285 million people worldwide and is expected to reach 438 million by the year 2030. Symptoms of high blood sugar levels include excessive thirst, hunger, fatigue, and the urge to urinate frequently. Diabetes can lead to complications like vision loss, heart attacks, kidney failure, dementia and nerve damage.

Yoga, an ancient science,e is beneficial in various lifestyle disorders, including diabetes. Yoga practice includes yogic asanas, breathing techniques, mudra, and meditation that not only prevents but also heals the illness. In this article, Yoga and Spiritual Leader, Himalayan Siddhaa Akshar, founder of Akshar Yoga Kendraa, tells us more about how yoga can help in managing blood sugar levels in the body naturally.

How Does Yoga Help Manage Blood Sugar Levels?

Studies have shown that yoga is effective in regulating blood sugar levels by increasing insulin sensitivity, reducing levels of free fatty acids, reducing body weight and body fat, and improving glucose tolerance and lipid metabolism. Several studies have reported that the practice of yoga significantly reduces HbA1c levels, thus aiding the regulation of blood sugar levels.

Here are some of the effective things that yoga does inside your body:

1. Stress Management: Yogic techniques like pranayama, meditation, and yogic asanas help reduce stress and cortisol levels, which improves insulin sensitivity.
2. Improve Blood flow: The practice of yoga improves blood flow to muscles, which can increase glucose intake.
3. Mindfulness: Yoga helps improve mindfulness, which helps reduce stress, make better choices, and improve quality of life.
4. Muscle use: Practicing Yoga asanas helps use the glucose reserves in the muscle, which lowers the blood sugar levels.

Yoga Poses To Manage High Blood Sugar Levels In The Body

If you are looking for effective yoga poses that can help control diabetes symptoms and manage blood sugar levels in your body, try to practice these asanas daily:

1. Ardha Matsendra Asana- Half spinal twist

How to Perform it?

1. Sit with your legs stretched out.
2. Bend the right leg with the foot touching the left buttock. Now, take the left knee over the right leg, placing the foot flat on the mat outside the left knee.
3. Exhale and twist slowly towards the left with the left hand at the back and the right hand grabbing the right toe.
4. Sit up as straight as possible.
5. Repeat from the other side.

Benefits:

• It massages the abdominal organs alleviating digestive ailments.
• It regulates secretions of adrenal glands, liver and pancreas and is beneficial for the kidneys.

2. Paschimottanasana

How to Perform it?

1. Sit on the floor in Dandasana with feet together.
2. Inhale, stretch both the hands up and with an exhale bend forward to hold the big toes with the forehead touching the knees.
3. Hold the position as long as you are comfortable.

Benefits

• The asana tones and massages the entire pelvic and abdominal region, including the liver, pancreas, spleen, kidneys and adrenal glands.
• It helps in removing the excess weight from the abdominal area.

3. Balasana

How to Perform it?

1. Sit in vajraasana with hands on the knees.
2. Exhale and bend lowering the torso so that the arms are stretched out resting on the mat and the abdomen is pressed against the thighs with the hips touching the heels.
3. Stay there as long as one is comfortable.

Benefits

• Effectively Calms the Mind: It soothes and relaxes the brain the brain that helps in destressing.
• Therapeutic for Digestion: This asana enhances digestive fire, it massages internal organs and aids digestion.
• Enhances blood circulation: Regular practice improves blood circulation supporting optimal functioning of various organs.

4. Vajrasana

How to Perform It?

1. Sit with knees on the mat and resting the hips on the heels.
2. Keep your back straight and hands on the knees.
3. Breath normally with a slow inhale and exhale.
4. Time duration: 10-15 minutes.

Benefits

• Aids in digestion
• Helps manage glucose blood levels
• Stimulates pancreatic function

5. Kapalbhati pranayama

How to Perform It?

1. Sit in a comfortable meditation posture with head and spine upright. Rest your hands on your knees.
2. Close your eyes and relax your body.
3. Inhale and exhale through both nostrils forcefully, contacting the abdominal muscles.
4. Inhalation is passive with the relaxation of the abdominal muscles.
5. Continue with the rhythmic movement of the breath and abdominal muscles.
6. Time duration- morning and evening, 10 minutes each
7. Contra-indication- Kapalbhati should be practiced on an empty stomach. A person suffering from heart problems, high blood pressure, gastric ulcer, or hernia should avoid the practice.

Benefits

• Improve pancreas efficiency in insulin production
• Control glucose levels in the blood.
• Helps in losing abdominal fat.

By incorporating the above techniques with a mindful eating pattern, the blood sugar levels can be normalized, eliminating health complications. One can even include Himalayan techniques like Arambh Dhyaan, Siddha Walk, and Healing Walk to enhance the quality of life.