Yoga for diabetes

If you’re someone with diabetes and you are trying to improve your health and lifestyle, it can be overwhelming at first. Diabetes is a condition that affects many parts of the body, and as such, there are many different approaches you can take when looking to improve your health. This includes things like exercise, diet, drug or alcohol use, etc. 

However, one approach that is sometimes overlooked is yoga. Yoga, which originated in India, combines physical exercises with breathing methods to prove a plethora of health benefits for its practitioners, and those with diabetes are no exception to this fact. Let’s take the time to explain some of those benefits and explore which poses (referred to as asanas) are best for people with diabetes. 

Yoga for Diabetes: What are the Benefits of Yoga for People with Diabetes?

It’s common knowledge that exercise and lifestyle are big contributing factors to maintaining good health as someone with diabetes. However, it’s often overlooked that poor mental health can have a negative impact on your health as a person with diabetes as well. Yoga provides the best of both worlds, as it is a holistic system that provides benefits for both mental and physical health. 

Through breathing and meditation, yoga helps with stress management. It has been proven that stress is directly linked to high blood sugar levels, so keeping your stress in check is incredible for keeping your blood sugar low - which in turn can help prevent issues such as heart disease. 

Additionally, practicing yoga can help to promote weight loss, which also helps to prevent worsening health for people with diabetes. Certain poses also help to stretch your pancreas, the organ which produces insulin. By stretching the pancreas, you help to replenish the pancreatic cells, which is great for the health of the organ. 

Yoga can also help with nerve pain, which is often caused due to high blood sugar levels. Since yoga can help to reduce blood sugar levels, it will in turn also help to reduce nerve pain.

Which Poses Are the Best - Yoga for Nerve Pain

With that being said, here are our picks for the best yoga poses to help with your diabetic nerve pain. All of these poses will help to improve your blood sugar levels and blood pressure, which in turn will help to alleviate your diabetic nerve pain.

  • Seated Forward Bend 

This pose is fantastic because it helps to lower your blood pressure by stretching your pelvic and glute muscles. Try holding the pose for up to 3 minutes for the best results. If you can’t hold it for that long, that’s ok! Keep at it and work your way up to that 3-minute goal. You’ll start to feel the benefits in your nerve pain right away.

Seated forward bend yoga pose

 

  • Upward-Facing Dog 

This pose may prove to be challenging for some, but the benefits for people with diabetes are great due to the fact that this pose helps to boost circulation and stimulate abdominal organs, like your pancreas. 

Upward facing dog yoga pose

 

  • Bow Pose

This pose helps to stretch your back muscles, which can help to stimulate your chest as well. This one is particularly great for those who smoke (if you’re diabetic, we recommend quitting!), as it helps to open the chest, providing relief to the respiratory organs. 

Bow yoga pose

 

 

Which Poses Are Best for Foot Pain? Yoga for Foot Pain

Foot pain is one of the most debilitating types of chronic pain that many people with diabetes suffer from. Luckily for those suffering from it, there are yoga poses you can try that can help to relieve your diabetic foot pain, which is often caused by poor blood flow to the legs and feet. 

  • Mountain Pose 

Also known as tadasana, this pose is both easy to accomplish and beneficial for helping to stretch the muscles in your shoulders, hips, back, and, most importantly, your feet. This helps to improve blood flow to the feet, which can help to prevent diabetic neuropathy. 

Mountain yoga pose

 

  • Reclining Bound Angle 

This pose is great for stretching your plantar fascia. Try holding the pose for a few minutes while breathing deeply to also provide benefits to your parasympathetic nervous system. 

Reclining bound angle pose

 

  • Warrior Pose 

The warrior pose is essentially a yoga lunge pose this provides a deep stretch to your heels and calves, which helps to promote better blood flow to those areas which can often experience swelling and neuropathy. 

Warrior yoga pose for neuropathy

 

Other Way to Treat Diabetic Foot Pain - Diabetic Socks

If you deal with swelling of the legs and feet and foot issues in general, there are a couple of treatment options you should consider in addition to yoga for neuropathy. One great way to help treat diabetic neuropathy is by wearing diabetic socks. Our recommendation is Viasox Non-Binding Socks

Viasox is North America’s favourite diabetic sock brand, designed specifically to help treat diabetic neuropathy. We’ve included a variety of features to help people with diabetes get back on their feet again, including: 

  • Charcoal-bamboo infused materials to prevent infections and keep your feet dry 
  • Triple-padded soles for improved comfort 
  • Non-binding fit to reduce irritation and improve blood flow
  • Dozens of fun patterns so you never have to sacrifice on style again

But you don’t have to take our word for it, we have thousands of positive reviews from Viasox customers who know the positive impact these socks have had on their lives. We also donate $1 of every sale to diabetic charities, to help people with diabetes everywhere improve their health. 

So pull up your socks and get a pair of Viasox diabetic socks today!

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