Yoga for Type 2 Diabetes

Diabetes Mellitus 

Diabetes → fountain, Mellitus → sweet; therefore this disease is also called the sweet fountain disease

Definition: DM is a metabolic disorder characterized by chronic hyperglycemia

• Chronic → occurring over a long period or recurring constantly
• Hyperglycemia → an excess of glucose/sugar in the bloodstream

How to detect diabetes?

• Fasting blood glucose level (FBS) – after 8 hrs of fasting
• Postprandial blood glucose level (PPBS) – 2 hrs after a meal
• Glycated Haemoglobin test (HbA1c) – average blood sugar of past three months

What is Type 2 diabetes?

Diabetes Mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a metabolic disease that causes high blood sugar. The hormone insulin moves sugar from the blood into your cells to be stored or used for energy. With diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t effectively use the insulin it does make.

Yoga practices such as cleansing processes, asanas, pranayama, mudra, bandh, meditation, mindfulness, and relaxation are known to reduce blood glucose levels and to help in the management of co-morbid disease conditions associated with type 2 Diabetes Mellitus resulting in significant positive clinical outcomes.

Type 2 diabetes is an impairment in the way the body regulates and uses sugar (glucose) as a fuel. This long-term (chronic) condition results in too much sugar circulating in the bloodstream. Eventually, high blood sugar levels can lead to disorders of the circulatory, nervous, and immune systems.

In type 2 diabetes, there are primarily two interrelated problems at work. Your pancreas does not produce enough insulin — a hormone that regulates the movement of sugar into your cells — and cells respond poorly to insulin and take in less sugar.

Type 2 diabetes used to be known as adult-onset diabetes, but both type 1 and type 2 diabetes can begin during childhood and adulthood. Type 2 is more common in older adults, but the increase in the number of children with obesity has led to more cases of type 2 diabetes in younger people.

There’s no cure for type 2 diabetes, but losing weight, eating well, and exercising can help you manage the disease. If diet and exercise aren’t enough to manage your blood sugar, you may also need diabetes medications or insulin therapy.

Symptoms of  Type 2 diabetes

Signs and symptoms of type 2 diabetes often develop slowly. You can be living with type 2 diabetes for years and not know it. When signs and symptoms are present, they may include:

1. Increased thirst
2. Frequent urination
3. Increased hunger
4. Unintended weight loss
5. Fatigue
6. Blurred vision
7. Slow-healing sores
8. Frequent infections
9. Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet
10. Areas of darkened skin, usually in the armpits and neck

Yoga for Type 2 diabetes

What is Yoga?

According to Bhagwad Gita Equanimity, Stability, Balance, Harmony, Equipoise is yoga i.e. Samatvam Yoga Ucchyate.

According to Sage Vashistha, yoga is the skill to calm down the mind i.e. Manah Prasanna up ayah yoga.

And according to Great Sage Maharishi Patanjali yoga is the cessation of mental modifications i.e. Yoga is to gain mastery over modifications of Mind.

According to Guruji Shubham Barwala Ji, yoga is the recognition of Mental Modifications the moment they arise in our consciousness.

According to Guruji Neeraj Medharthi, Ji Yoga is the state of perfect balance.

Evidence-based yoga therapy or Yoga for Type 2 diabetes

At Vedamrita our purpose is to bring the best and scientific research and evidence-based yoga therapy to our beloved readers and our students likewise and thereby increasing the general acceptability of Yoga therapy amidst the field of various treatments available. Below are a few research papers we find out related to yoga and Type 2 diabetes.

Research Papers: –

Therapeutic Role of Yoga in Type 2 Diabetes

Raveendran AV, Deshpandae A, Joshi SR. Therapeutic Role of Yoga in Type 2 Diabetes. Endocrinol Metab (Seoul). 2018 Sep;33(3):307-317. DOI: 10.3803/EnM.2018.33.3.307. Epub 2018 Aug 14. PMID: 30112866; PMCID: PMC6145966.

The effects of yoga among adults with type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Thind H, Lentini R, Balletto BL, Donahue ML, Salmoirago-Blotcher E, Bock BC, Scott-Sheldon LAJ. The effects of yoga among adults with type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Prev Med. 2017 Dec;105:116-126. DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2017.08.017. Epub 2017 Sep 4. PMID: 28882745; PMCID: PMC5653446.

Yoga for Adults with Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review of Controlled Trials

Innes KE, Selfe TK. Yoga for Adults with Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review of Controlled Trials. J Diabetes Res. 2016;2016:6979370. DOI: 10.1155/2016/6979370. Epub 2015 Dec 14. PMID: 26788520; PMCID: PMC4691612.

Yoga as a Complementary Therapy for Adults with Type 2 Diabetes: Design and Rationale of the Healthy, Active, and in Control (HA1C) Study

Thind H, Fava JL, Guthrie KM, Stroud L, Gopalakrishnan G, Silica M, Gidron N, Bock BC. Yoga as a Complementary Therapy for Adults with Type 2 Diabetes: Design and Rationale of the Healthy, Active, and in Control (HA1C) Study. Int J Yoga Therapy. 2018 Nov;28(1):123-132. DOI: 10.17761/2018-00026. Epub 2018 Aug 21. PMID: 30130144; PMCID: PMC6237625.

Panch Kosha Based Yoga Therapy or Yoga for Type 2 diabetes

 Yogic Diet – Yoga for Type 2 diabetes

• High fiber, low-calorie food – more veggies and proteins
• No sweets/ fast foods/ fried items/non veg food
• Salt restriction (to avoid edema and also to avoid HTN)
• 1 fruit every day recommended
  • avoid apple/banana
  • Guava, orange can be given
  • Tomato has necessary nutrients – can be given

Asanas – 10 Yoga Poses for Type 2 diabetes

• Surya namaskar
• Abdominal twisting asanas – AKC, AC, Padahastasana, paschimmotannasana, vakrasana, bhunamanasana, Bhujangasana, dhanurasana, pavanamuktasana, navasana cakrasana
• All asanas are good if given slowly

Kriyas – Yoga for Type 2 diabetes

• Avoid dynamic fast kapalabhati – the ideal is 60 strokes/min – 1- 2 rounds
• All kriyas with plain water
• Pancha kriya – Trataka, Kapalabhati, Nauli, Agnisara, LSP
• All kriyas can be given unless a strong contraindication

Pranayama – Yoga for Type 2 diabetes

• Avoid bhastrika
• Nadishuddhi
• Bhramari
• Candra anuloma viloma
• Ujjayi
• Cooling pranayama

Manomaya Kosha – Yoga for Type 2 diabetes

• Yoga Nindra
• Bhajan
• Chanting
• Emotional counseling
• Prayer
• Mind Sound Resonance Technique (MSRT)

Vijnanamaya Kosha – Yoga for Type 2 diabetes

• Counseling about the disease, triggering factors, diet

Anandamaya Kosha – Yoga for Type 2 diabetes

• Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Spend time with family and loved ones.

Explore this Health Topic to learn more about Yoga for Type 2 diabetes, the role of yoga and yoga therapy for various diseases, and where to find more information regarding it.

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