As we grow older, our immune system weakens and sickness is inevitable.
A few days ago, someone very dear to me sat me down.
“I have diabetes.”
His words rendered me speechless. We had always jokingly worried about me getting diabetes as I grew up on a diet that comprised of disgustingly large amounts of sugar. I would order 200% sugar level for my bubble milk teas, pour packets of white sugar straight into my mouth, there was a month i spent eating 7 big bars of chocolate every single day.
A few months ago, he still asked me “hey, maybe you don’t have depression. Maybe you’re just diabetic. Depression is a symptom of diabetes.”
Did you know, that Singapore has the second highest rates of diabetes in Asia.
Did you know, that 1 in 3 Singaporean youths are diabetic?
Unfortunately, yoga is not a definite cure of diabetes but it will definitely help diabetic patients manage it better. Also for those that do not have diabetes, practicing yoga will help keep you in the low risk range of onset late adult diabetes because out of the other profound benefits it possesses, yoga mitigates stress. I’m not going to delve deeply into stress.
“Breathing and moving the body with focus and concentration takes the mind out of its habitual preoccupation with worrisome thoughts. It brings the mind into a continuum, and in that moment when the mind is completely absorbed, it forgets where it is, who it is, and what disease it has”
Studies have shown that slow and steady breaths and deep concentration I practiced with each pose as well as silent meditation that follows keep heart rate and glucose levels steady.
In all asanas, there is a perfect balance point that tips out of equality and we fall out of the pose. Despite the ups and downs of daily practice, I am reminding myself to be grateful for the opportunity to find that balance.
Benefits of yoga (especially for diabetics) :
– weight loss
– slow the process of fat accumulation
– maintenance and reduced blood pressure and cholesterol levels
– mitigate stress
– improve blood sugar control, cholesterol profile
– enhance lung function, mood, sleep, and quality of life
Asanas that will help (especially for diabetics) :
- sethu bandhasana (avoid when having neck or back injury)
- balasana (avoid when pregnant, have knee injury or diarrhoea)
- vajrasana (
- sarvangasana (perform un
- halasana
- dhanurasanas
- paschimottanasana
- ardha mastyendra