Yoga For Diabetics: How Yoga Helps Cure and Prevent Type II Diabetes
While Type I diabetes is often not preventable (and mostly due to genetics or environmental factors), Type II diabetes is running rampant in America.
As a matter of fact, 90-95% of people with diabetes have Type II.
Type II diabetes is preventable and even curable! And yoga is a natural and holistic way to do just that.
Because diabetes is the cause of secondary health issues like neuropathy, infections, immune problems, kidney issues, eye damage, and heart disease, I wanted to make sure all people had access to therapeutic yoga designed specifically for diabetics.
That’s why I started teaching a Therapeutic Yoga for Diabetes class on MyYogaTeacher! If you haven’t become an MYT member yet, I encourage you to take advantage of their 2-week free trial. You’ll have access to my class and 35+ other classes, one of which will surely meet your needs!
In the meantime, I felt it was important to discuss exactly how yoga helps cure and prevent this terrible disease.
1. Yoga encourages behavioral changes
Even though yoga is an ancient practice, it is just now starting to be recognized worldwide as a practical and applicable treatment for many types of illnesses, including Type II Diabetes.
While yoga is traditionally seen as a spiritual practice of enlightenment, it is, just as importantly, a practice of health management. Studies show that the mind-body connection that results from a regular yoga practice is directly linked to improved dietary lifestyles and medication compliance.
Yoga provides plenty of opportunities for self-awareness, reflection, and behavioral changes.
Also, the meditation aspect of therapeutic yoga for diabetics reduces mindless eating practices that occur when we’re stressed out, burnt out, or emotional. This is called mindful eating.
Stopping the cycles of emotional and binge eating is a huge part of healthy lifestyle changes, but especially crucial for Type II diabetics!
Mindful eating is proven to help people increase their intake of fruits and vegetables and take more notice of actual hunger cues versus eating out of boredom or stress.
A consistent yoga practice also improves discipline. Being more disciplined often carries over into other parts of life! Disciplined eaters focus more on food nutrition (eating to fuel your body) and less on random eating.
And because yoga meets you where you are, it’s an easy exercise for anyone to start at any age! Which means you are more likely to keep practicing it. Weight loss can be an effective treatment for Type II Diabetes. Yoga definitely helps with that!
2. Yoga creates positive psychological changes.
Earlier, I mentioned stress eating, boredom eating, and emotional eating. All of which are often harmful to your health.
If you haven’t read some of our other articles about how yoga affects your mental health, you might want to check out “Five Ways Meditation Can Start Improving Your Life Right Now” or “How Yoga Helps You Handle Trying Times in the New Year.”
Both of those are great!
But for now, I can give you some ways yoga specifically helps Type II diabetics manage their mental health better, which helps prevent those harmful eating patterns while also benefiting your glucose levels!
- Yoga for diabetics includes meditation, which reduces stress, relaxes muscles, and relieves tension, several things that specifically help diabetics feel better.
- Hormones and chemicals such as serotonin, endorphins, and oxytocin are released into the body during yoga, which alters your mood in a positive way, preventing emotional eating.
- The consistent practice of yoga is shown to cause physical changes to the brain, which have psychological side effects like more mental stability, the ability to handle stress better, and faster reactions to stimuli.
Yoga is meditation. It’s not just a physical exercise. It’s a spiritual practice! But it doesn’t have to be related to religion.
Many people are hesitant to start a yoga practice because they’ve been led to believe it’s religion-based. I feel it’s important for everyone to understand that yoga is spiritual in the sense that it helps you become self-aware and more aware of the world around you. It teaches us how to bring harmony to our inner and outer world, how to be more compassionate, kind, and loving to ourselves and others.
And all of those things help us feel better mentally and physically! Which leads us to the last way that yoga helps diabetics.
3. Yoga promotes physiological changes.
What are physiological changes? Changes in the normal function of the human body. In this case, a regular therapeutic yoga practice for diabetics creates a whole multitude of positive changes in the body!
Let’s go over some of them:
- Yoga helps lower body weight and increases exercise tolerance (which means exercise gets easier faster and you can tolerate more sooner).
- Yoga literally reduces triglycerides and free fatty acids in your blood, which reduces your bad cholesterol and improves heart health.
- A regular yoga practice improves immunity and reduces inflammation – two huge factors that diabetics struggle with.
- Therapeutic yoga for diabetics (specifically) increases insulin secretion and decreases insulin resistance! This means fewer insulin shots and less money spent on insulin for diabetics.
- Yoga improves cardiac function and reduces the risk of cardiac events, one of the primary causes of sudden death in diabetic patients.
- Regular yoga practice improves glycemic control without increasing your body weight. In fact, as discussed earlier, you’re likely to lose weight!
Without going into all the technical, scientific jargon, suffice it to say that yoga changes your body at a cellular level. And because of that, the improvements listed above are, quite literally, good side effects!
Plus, who doesn’t want to lose weight, improve cholesterol levels, have better immunity, less inflammation, and a healthier heart?!
Everyone can benefit from yoga, but especially diabetics. Type II Diabetes is controllable, preventable, and curable. Without medication, even. But definitely consult your doctor before stopping any prescribed medications!
Are you diabetic? I’d love the opportunity to help you feel better, healthier, and more energetic! Check out my class, Therapeutic Yoga for Diabetes on myYogaTeacher. All are welcome there. And if you haven’t grabbed your 2-week free trial of myYogaTeacher yet, you can do that here!
I hope to see you there!
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{"slug":"yoga-for-diabetics","recentPosts":[{"id":"cl8kb5f23jq1w0ciscs2h2bxw","slug":"benefits-of-yoga-for-pregnancy","author":{"name":"Will","teacherMytSlug":"will-1","pictureUrl":"will.jpeg"},"title":"What are the Benefits of Yoga for Pregnancy?","subTitle":null,"seoTitle":null,"seoDescription":"Yoga for Pregnancy is excellent for stress relief, pain relief, and preparation for labor. Read more to understand the benefits of Yoga for Pregnancy","readTime":null,"excerpt":null,"tags":[],"createdAt":"2022-09-27T14:42:36.767798+00:00","coverUrl":"kvvlqndsbow5dsckhw7i.jpg","content":{"text":"When you get pregnant, people come out of the woodworks with advice, remedies and old wives tales. Everyone’s got an opinion on how you should spend your pregnancy. But the one thing we know for sure is, yoga is great for mom and baby alike. If you’re curious about prenatal yoga, you’re in the right place. Let’s break down why this type of yoga is excellent for moms (and babies).\\nWhat is prenatal yoga?\\nPrenatal yoga was designed for women who are expecting. Rather than taking a regular class and having to worry about modifications or safety, this class is specifically designed for pregnancy. The practice can help women with common pregnancy aches and pains, ease hormonal and emotional stress and help women’s bodies prepare for birth and their postpartum journey. A regular yoga practice when pregnant has tons of amazing benefits!\\nBenefits of Prenatal yoga: \\nWe asked women who’ve done prenatal yoga while pregnant for their reviews, one said “ It’s excellent for stress relief, pain relief, and preparation for labor.” And they all said they’d recommend it to friends! \\nSo let's break down the benefits: \\nRelaxation : \\nPregnancy can be very stressful! But yoga will help you to relax physically, mentally and emotionally and create a safe, relaxing environment for birth. Prenatal helps you with coping and breath techniques for all stages of your pregnancy.\n\\nPreparation for birth : \\nFor first time moms, and even sometimes vets, labor can be scary. This practice will help you to learn birth techniques so you’re relaxed and ready to go!\n\\nYoga can Help with Labor : \\nIn a 2015 study\\n, It was found that a regular yoga practice in the last 10-12 weeks of pregnancy can improve the mother's comfort during labor and help facilitate the labor process. The “yoga group” in this study on average was in labor two hours less than those who didn’t practice. Past your due date? Prenatal Yoga is also known to help induce labor\n\\nCommunity : \\nYoga classes have always been known to help us build community but during pregnancy, it's so important to have a group of women who understand what you’re going through. Taking part in a prenatal class puts you in a group of women who get it. You’ll have a built in support system and maybe even first friends for your baby!\\nFrequently Asked Questions about Prenatal Yoga:\\nIs Yoga for Pregnancy safe?\\nYes. Yoga is generally considered safe during pregnancy. However, you should always consult your doctor & make sure you’re practicing with a teacher who understands the prenatal experience and can keep you safe. Our teachers are experts in yoga and are ready to help you on your journey. If you’d like to check out our offerings, you can get started today with a two week free trial! \\nWhen during pregnancy can you practice yoga?\\nDuring your first trimester, you can stick to your regular practice with some modifications. \\nYour second trimester is a GREAT time to start prenatal yoga! At this point, you’ll be starting to officially come into your “pregnancy body” and you’ll need to be practicing poses more specific to prenatal. The second and third trimester are considered the “prep period” for your body to prepare for labor. So it's a great time to keep moving and stretching in your new skin as you make room for the baby to grow! \\nWhat yoga poses should you avoid doing? \\nFor the most part, yoga is considered safe during pregnancy. You really only need to focus on any poses that put pressure on your abdomen. You should avoid any and all twisting poses, backbends and inversions.. \\nYoga for Pregnancy Poses you can perform at Home :\\nIt’s important to stay active during your pregnancy for both mom and baby! You should try to get in some sort of movement daily for at least 30 minutes. You can stick to low impact workouts or walks but if you want to do some yoga at home, it’s a great way to end your day. Yoga while pregnant can help with pain, help you sleep better and fight tiredness and fatigue. \\nHere are some poses you can practice at home to keep you moving! And as a bonus, most of these poses will also help your body prepare for giving birth!\\n1. Bound angle pose (Baddha Konasana) :\\n\\nBaddha Konasana pose will help you open your hips, releasing any pain in your back. It can also help to reduce swelling\\nHow it helps with labor: Opening the hips will help you to stretch the muscles needed to open the birth canal.\\n2. Cat-cow pose (Marjaryasana Bitilasana) :\\n\\nMarjaryasana Bitilasana pose release back and shoulder pain and also reduce pressure from the belly\\nHow it helps with labor: Back pain is a common occurrence during the birth process. This pose will help to keep your muscles limber and help to avoid muscle spasms and pain in your back during labor. \\n3. Yogi squat (Malasana) :\\n\\nBeen sitting too long? This is a great hip opener and will also release lower back pain. \\nHow it helps with labor: This pose will widen the pelvic floor making the birth easier,which may help to reduce injury during birth.\\nRemember, if you’re practicing at home, it’s always best to consult your doctor and make sure yoga is safe for your pregnancy.\\n\\nOther ways to practice self-care during pregnancy\\nBeing a mom is the hardest job in the world. And there are no days off. Starting with pregnancy, we feel out of control of our body, its growth and the way we feel. Remember to take time during this beautiful process to practice self-care so you can be present, happy and relaxed. \\nBook a prenatal massage :\n\nA prenatal massage is GREAT for mom and baby. It can help reduce stress and swelling without meds, help you to sleep and get your body ready for labor and delivery. \\nTake a bath :\n\nTaking a warm bath while pregnant can also help to reduce stress and lower your blood pressure. It’s a great way to relax and rest your growing body. If you’re feeling pain or swelling, it can be very beneficial to relax in a warm bath. \\n\\nAyurveda for Pregnancy :\\n\n\nThis week, MyYogaTeacher has a special Ayurveda event running where you’ll learn how to align with your best self through nutrition and health changes. This specific class is designed to help you have your most healthy pregnancy with nutrition guidelines for a mom and foods to help with baby's development! \\n\nYou can also choose to work 1 on 1 with an instructor of your choice through your MyYogaTeacher membership! Let us help you have your healthiest pregnancy possible! \\n\\nGet started today!\\n"},"category":[]},{"id":"cl8ka13l4ionz0ck2fe0pme7l","slug":"chronic-neck-pain-relief-yoga-poses","author":{"name":"Will","teacherMytSlug":"will-1","pictureUrl":"will.jpeg"},"title":"Are you suffering with Chronic Neck Pain? 10 yoga poses to find relief!","subTitle":null,"seoTitle":null,"seoDescription":null,"readTime":null,"excerpt":null,"tags":[],"createdAt":"2022-09-27T14:11:15.683866+00:00","coverUrl":"rbh6duxy7hy3y207sg1c.jpg","content":{"text":"Do you suffer from chronic neck pain? Nearly 30-50% of adults suffer from recurring neck pain. \\nNeck pain can be a common occurrence for people who:\\nhave long commutes or sit at a desk all day\\nwho have issues with posture \\nwho have chronic sleep issues\\nOur neck and shoulders can also be a place where we may carry tension or pain due to stress. In any case, the good news is yoga can help you to relieve your neck pain and move on symptom free! \\nDaily changes you can make to avoid neck pain\\nStay in alignment. Keep good posture and try not to carry heavy bags on one side of your body. Also, if you sit at a desk and work on a computer, move your monitor to eye-sight so you’re not looking up or down. Need help finding your center? \\nWe can help here at MyYogaTeacher! \\n\\nStay active! It’s important to stay mobilized. If you sit all day, take breaks to move around and give your body a break from being stuck in one position. Can’t take breaks at work? Try to go for a walk on lunch or maybe before or after your workday. \\nCheck your sleep environment. Make sure your mattress and pillows are still in good shape. Look into the best pillows for your sleep type or body. Getting quality sleep will help you avoid tossing and turning and can be your remedy to wake pain free. \\nIf you’re feeling like you need to move, starting with any slower yoga practice will help! Yin, hatha and restorative classes will all leave your body feeling relaxed, renewed and free of pain. Want to flow on your own? Here are our top ten poses to try! \\n10 Yoga Poses to relieve Chronic Neck Pain :\\n1. Easy seat with ear to shoulder stretch\\nThis pose releases your neck and shoulders and helps relieve tension and stress.\\nStart by sitting with your legs crossed and a straight back. Shoulders down. Bring your ear down to your shoulder. To deepen the stretch, bring your opposite arm overhead. \\n\\n\\n\\n2. Child’s Pose\\nReleases tension in the upper body including the neck and chest.\\nBring your knees as wide as the mat and sit into your heels. You can bring your chest to the mat and extend your arms forward or come to rest on a pillow or bolster. Try to hold this pose for up to 5 breaths. \\n\\n\\n\\n3. Downward facing dog\\nHelps to relieve neck pain by strengthening the upper body and releasing the spine. \\nStart by coming onto all fours. Check your alignment- make sure your shoulders are over your wrist, and your hips over your knees. Without changing the position of your hands and feet, push up and back to bring your heels into the ground. Relax your head, neck and shoulders down. \\n\\n\\n\\n4. Bridge Pose\\nReleases chest, neck, spine and hips.\\nLay down on your mat, bring your feet as close to your glutes as possible. Bring your hands to the sides of your body palms down. Push into the feet and hands while you lift your core and back to the ceiling. Try to relax and breathe here. \\n\\n\\n\\n5. Wide Leg forward fold\\nReleases spine, neck and back. If you’re in pain perform this stretch slowly, and come up one vertebrae at a time. \\nBring your feet as wide as you can, feet facing forward. Hinge at the hips and slowly bend forward and down towards your feet. You can hang here or grab yogi toe lock around your big toe. \\n\\n\\n\\n6. Cow face pose\\nStrengthens core and spine.\\nSit up tall and stack your knees directly over one another. Reach one arm back around your waist and one arm over your shoulder with your palms reaching towards one another. If you can, clasp your hands. If not, rest them on your back, you will still benefit from the pose. \\n\\n\\n\\n7. Sphinx pose\\nThis pose will help to physically open up the shoulders and neck. Looking side to side slowly is a great addition to the pose. \\nLie on your stomach and bring your hands next to your chest facing down. On your inhale press into the ground and lift your upper body. \\n\\n\\n\\n8. Thread the Needle \\nIncreases mobility and releases tension in the upper body. \\nCome on to all fours. Check your alignment, make sure your hips are over your knees, shoulders over your wrist. Reach one arm out to the side and thread it through the opposite side under your ribs. You can stay here or open up the opposite side by reaching the hand to the back or straight up and over. Make sure to do both sides. \\n\\n\\n\\n9. Legs up the wall\\nReleases tension and stress from the upper body by reversing blood flow. \\nFind a wall near your practice space and sit next to the wall as close as possible. Lower your head, neck and shoulders onto your mat, then roll onto your back and stretch your legs up the wall. You can stay in this restorative pose for up to 10 minutes. \\n\\n\\n\\n10. Savasana\\nSavasana releases any stress, lowers heart rate and calms the body. \\nCome onto your back on your mat, and release your body down. This is known as corpse pose because it is a full and final rest at the end of our practice. Release and let go of any and all tension. \\n\\n\\n\\nClasses to help relieve neck pain \\n\\nYoga fusion for joints \\n- This class will help you roll out your joint pain and stretch your tight limbs and joints. \\n\\nYoga for Back Pain\\n - Sometimes, neck pain can be caused by tightness in the spine. Experts say yoga helps soothe muscle pains. Try this class to strengthen and lengthen your neck and back for pain relief! \\n\\nYoga for Neck and Shoulder Pain\\n - Do you sit all day at work? Struggle with your posture? This class will help relieve upper body tension. \\n\nSo if you’re ready to make your neck pain a thing of the past, join us today. Our trial includes two free weeks of group fitness classes, one on one classes and so much more! \\nGet started on your yoga journey now!\\n"},"category":["yoga_poses"]},{"id":"cl8cuq5nnh5860biyek2vhu2w","slug":"reproductive-rights-for-women-yoga-workshop","author":{"name":"Will","teacherMytSlug":"will-1","pictureUrl":"will.jpeg"},"title":"Reproductive Rights for Women Yoga Workshop - Supporting Women Through Yoga","subTitle":null,"seoTitle":null,"seoDescription":null,"readTime":null,"excerpt":null,"tags":[],"createdAt":"2022-09-22T09:28:27.679552+00:00","coverUrl":"dkjwcigamkavxe0yziwq.jpg","content":{"text":"Announcing MyYogaTeacher’s first ever Reproductive Rights for Women Yoga Workshop!\\nHere at MyYogaTeacher, we believe in the wisdom of women to make their own choices about their health. \\n\\nThat’s why we’re excited to offer the\\n Reproductive Rights for Women Yoga Workshop on October 2 from 9 AM - 11 AM PST (12 PM - 2 PM EST) for only $10!\\nIn the past, our community events have been free. So why are we charging a nominal fee for this one?\\nBecause ALL proceeds from the Reproductive Rights for Women Yoga Workshop go to support the \\nCenter for Reproductive Rights\\n charity, a nonprofit organization, the \\nonly\\n global legal advocacy organization dedicated to advancing reproductive rights.\\nIn the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs Wade and on the day before the new term of the Supreme Court begins, we think this workshop is a perfect way to silently protest this new ruling through self-care and donations to an organization like the Center for Reproductive Rights.\\nThis will also be a time of healing and processing with a couple of awesome expert yoga instructors!\\nHow to join the Reproductive Rights for Women Yoga Workshop\\nWhether you’re a member or not, \\nJust click this link and register \\nas you would any other group class! Simple as that.\\nIntroducing a very special guest yoga instructor coming just for this event!\n\\nMeet Harpinder Mann, RYT-500!\\n\\n\n\\nHarpinder is a yoga, meditation, mindfulness teacher, and decolonizing activist based in Los Angeles. She works with women of color who want to reclaim their power and intuition through the lens of a spiritual, joyful, and sustainable path. Her studies have spanned from reading the Japji Sahib since she was 3, to over 700 hours of yogic training within the traditions of Raja, Vinyasa, Kundalini, and Prenatal Yoga. \\nWe’re super excited to have her lead the beginning of the workshop. Afterwards, MyYogaTeacher yoga instructor, \\nTrupti Parikh\\n, will lead us in asanas, and a discussion session will follow.\\nAre you ready to experience a workshop where we solely focus on supporting and advocating for women’s health \\nwhile\\n improving our mental, emotional, and physical health?\\n\\nJoin us for the Reproductive Rights for Women Yoga Workshop!\\n\\nTogether, we make a difference."},"category":["workshops"]},{"id":"cl8a9804vy5de0biznpg4ai2t","slug":"yoga-benefits-for-runners","author":{"name":"Will","teacherMytSlug":"will-1","pictureUrl":"will.jpeg"},"title":"Yoga For Runners : Why Runners Should Incorporate Yoga Into Their Training?","subTitle":null,"seoTitle":null,"seoDescription":"Adopting an active yoga practice to complement your running routine can have tons of benefits! Read now to learn more","readTime":null,"excerpt":null,"tags":[],"createdAt":"2022-09-20T13:50:56.406936+00:00","coverUrl":"tbdacuzob0fuqml8dyjd.jpg","content":{"text":"Training for a big race? Setting some goals you want to crush before the year ends? No matter what your reasons, yoga can be a great way to cross train for running from a 5k to a marathon! Running is great for your heart and body but can also be a huge strain on the muscles. Having an active yoga practice to complement your running routine can have tons of benefits! Let’s dive into how yoga can help!\\n1. Breathing\\nProper breathing and breath stabilization are both incredibly important principles in Yoga and Running. If you can practice proper breathing while running, you can maintain speed longer because you will take long deeper breaths to match your long strides, instead of short breaths which cause instability and speed decline.\\nPracticing Pranayama for runners - \\nAdding a pranayama breath practice before a run can help you to maintain focus as well as speed. Even if running is a release for you, and feels relaxing, Using breathwork to relax and focus can help you clearly see the physical and mental road ahead. Pranayama can also help if things are going off course on your run. If you need to regain control, you can come back to your breath and refocus. With these practices together, your run really can be a religious experience, or a way to relieve stress! \\nTo start a pranayama practice, all you need to do is focus on controlling your inhale and exhale. Start by standing tall and relaxed, or sitting tall and calm if you prefer. Close your eyes and focus inward. Start by breathing in for two and out for two. As you continue to grow your practice, you can build up to breathing in for six and out for six. You can even play with pausing for two to four breaths in between your inhale and exhale. When you finally build a practice you’re confident with, you can start to set intentions and visualize your success. With this practice, you’ll begin to see your running dreams come true!\\n\\n2. Flexibility/Strength\\nIt would be great if in life, we only ever needed to do one thing to get to our goals. But in reality,just like we can’t have cookies for every meal, cross training for runners is essential to maintaining a long term healthy routine. While you could easily just add weight training or stretching a la cart into your week, yoga gives you more by going deeper and getting into those smaller, harder to access ligaments and tendons you might otherwise miss with strength training . Adding yoga into your running routine can reduce the risk of injury and help to maintain your goals. The more flexible your muscles are, the less likely they are to tense up or be stressed during running so you can move with more confidence and ease. Not to mention, it’s always great to look forward to a nice long stretch after a run. \\n\n3. Conditioning \\nWe all know running is GREAT for your cardiovascular health, can add years on to your life and keep your heart pumping at its best! But it doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner or a veteran, running can make your body sore. Yoga is great for conditioning those tired and fatigued muscles without having to “take a day off” to rest. In between your runs or on conditioning days, you can take a class focused on your back or knee health, or even a class to open tight hips after a long run. There’s nothing the magic of yoga can’t do! \\n\n4. Balance/Posture\\nEven though running is a “walk in the park” compared to ballet where balance is concerned, you still need to do your best to focus on alignment while you move.\\nYoga can improve your running form by elongating the limbs so you cover more ground in less time. You'll be PR’ing in no time! Proper alignment is also important when running because as you increase your speed, the level of impact (and injury) becomes greater. Maintaining your body's alignment during movement assures you arrive at the finish line aliment free! Love a tree pose? Want to learn to fly into a warrior? Lots of yoga poses force you to balance on one leg, which helps you to build a unilateral movement practice much like the ebbs and flows you take while running. \\n5. Stress and Mental Clarity\\nFeeling stressed before a big run? Worried about your PR? Yoga can help! Focus your breathing and set an intention. You’ve got this!\\nFocus and clarity are so important when running so you can know where you’re headed and stay on track. Add your yoga practice in before training or race days and you’ll feel your worries melt away. According to scientists at \\nHarvard,\\n adding just minutes of yoga to your week can improve your outlook, slow down the body and decrease stress. You’ll find your body will be more relaxed, focused and ready to run for those goals when you release your tension with yoga. \\nGetting started:\\nSo what do you need to get started? Simple! Yourself, a mat, some water and a quiet space are all you need! Are you ready to add yoga into your running routine? \\nGet started with a two week free trial of our classes and one on one sessions!\\n\\nLet’s figure out where your yoga practice would serve you best! \\nDoing yoga BEFORE your run will help you to warm up your muscles and ligaments. By fully warming up your body before you hit the pavement, you decrease the chances of injury, help with an easier recovery and can improve your PR as you continue to train! \\nBest Yoga Poses to practice before a run :\\nHigh Lunge - This pose stretches the legs from top of the thighs down to the ankle\\n\\nWarrior II - Helps with focus and stamina. Great before heading out!\\n\\nSide angle bend - This stretch helps to stretch the side body and release any tension in the shoulders and spine. \\n\\nPrefer to do yoga after your run? That’s a great option too! Yoga is great for recovery after a run! Finishing your running routine with a yoga stretch helps you to rebalance. You can stretch muscles or limbs that became tight during your run and strengthen anything that may have become fatigued. You can also refocus and deepen your breath to reset for the next part of your day. \\nBest Yoga Poses to practice after a run :\\nButterfly Pose - a basic hip opener to ease into your stretch\\n\\nHalf Pigeon - A great pose for multiple alignments! Working through the psoas and hip flexors. Make sure to practice on both sides.\\n\\nHappy Baby - This pose is great for finishing up your hip opener extension while giving a nice massage to the back and stretching the soles of the feet.\\n\\nWant to take a class? Try some of our favorite classes for runners!\\n\\nYoga for Strength and flexibility \\n\\n\\nYoga for Knee Pain\\n\\n\\nYoga for Back health\\n\\nReady to join us for class? \\nGet started with a free trial now! \\n\\nRemember, with a great training plan for your runs, and an ongoing yoga practice you’ll be ready to run to your greatest finish line feeling and looking your best! Just like peanut butter and jelly, yoga and running are great together!"},"category":["fitness","yoga"]},{"id":"cl81n0o6wh1g80ajz2gpco553","slug":"yoga-at-home","author":{"name":"Will","teacherMytSlug":"will-1","pictureUrl":"will.jpeg"},"title":"How to Start Doing Yoga at Home","subTitle":"Everything you need to know for an at-home yoga routine","seoTitle":null,"seoDescription":"Get a beginner’s guide to starting yoga at home with tips and suggestions for setting up your own practice, including online yoga classes and private lessons.","readTime":null,"excerpt":"Learn how to perform yoga at home with this quick and easy guide","tags":[],"createdAt":"2022-09-14T13:07:13.39269+00:00","coverUrl":"cqivxw3vkrcihpumlny7.jpg","content":{"text":"There are lots of reasons for doing yoga at home instead of a yoga studio, some of which include distance, busy schedules, kids, financial concerns, and health issues. The good news is you can set up your own yoga practice at home, and still get all the benefits of a regular yoga routine — without the studio. It can also be a great way to integrate yoga into your life on a regular basis, and it’s easy to do in your own home.\\nCan Anyone do Yoga at Home?\\nAnyone can perform yoga at home, and you don’t have to be an advanced yogi to try. Even beginners can practice yoga in a home environment, all you need is adequate floor space, a few (optional) pieces of equipment, and guidelines for practicing the primary yoga poses. \\nIf you’re a beginner, it’s recommended to first learn from a certified yoga instructor, so you can progress with the proper technique and alignment to avoid injury. Thanks to online learning platforms like\\n MyYogaTeacher\\n, you can still practice yoga at home with the help of a qualified teacher.\\n11 Tips on How to Perform Yoga At Home\\nThe idea of starting a yoga practice in your very own living room can seem daunting or intimidating at first, especially if you’re accustomed to attending classes in a yoga studio. But with a little bit of preparation and creativity, you can set up your own yoga space and develop a mindful yoga routine that can benefit your life.\\nHere are some suggestions to help get you started:\\n1. Make Space in Your Home for Yoga\\nIt’s easy (and fun) to make your own yoga space, and you can design it as a temporary space or a dedicated one, depending on your needs. All you need is enough floor space to move around and stretch out the full length of your body — a little more than the length and width of your yoga mat. This can be your living or bedroom floor, your kitchen, or your backyard. Just make sure there isn’t any furniture or objects lying around that could get in your way or cause injury.\\n2. Decorate With Calming Accessories\\nYou can also create a comfortable and inviting space for yoga by hanging calming or inspiring artwork on the wall, lighting a candle or incense, and keeping a few house plants nearby for a pleasing atmosphere. The more you can tailor and dedicate your space for yoga, the easier it will be to motivate yourself to keep up a steady routine. Hanging a mirror in front of your practice space is also helpful in maintaining the correct alignment while performing postures.\\n3. Be Prepared With the Right Equipment\\n\\nYou’ll want to invest in a yoga mat, and it’s wise to also keep modifying props on hand — like blocks, bolsters, blankets, and a strap. If you’re just starting out and you’d like to improvise for props, you can use pillows, blankets, and other items around the house to suit your needs. Just make sure your props are sturdy, supportive, and nearby for when you need them.\\n4. Practice Regularly\\nThe best part about practicing yoga at home is it can be done any time you want. The challenge lies in your dedication and commitment to the practice even when your couch appears more inviting.\\n \\nAccording to this study\\n, it can take anywhere from 18 to 254 days to create a new habit. It’s important to be patient with yourself and identify guidelines for your practice that you can realistically follow through with. \\n5. Schedule Your Yoga Session\\nSet yourself up for success by committing to your yoga practice at a certain time of day, and for a specified number of days per week. It’s best to start out easy with goals that are achievable and progress as you gain momentum. For instance, if you’ve never been an early riser, don’t expect yourself to suddenly start practicing yoga at dawn. If that’s the case, try scheduling your yoga session for late morning, afternoon or evening, and keep your existing schedule in mind when planning a time that works for you.\\n6. Keep it Simple\\nRegardless of your experience or ability level, practicing yoga at home means watching out for your own safety. Make sure you have props handy for when you need them, and avoid overdoing it with strenuous poses. When it doubt, keep your routine simple. Even if you’re an advanced yogi, those basic, primary yoga poses are still an important part of a holistic yoga practice, and may be less likely to cause injury.\\n7. Listen to Your Body\\nThe best way to avoid getting hurt while practicing yoga at home is to listen to your body. If any posture causes you discomfort or pain, stop practicing it immediately — no matter how easy or difficult the pose. Don’t push yourself too hard, and remember to focus on your alignment. If you are unsure of how to execute a specific pose, try learning it from a certified instructor before performing it on your own at home.\\n8. Take an Online Yoga Class\\n\\nBy far the best way to practice yoga at home is with an online class. This way, you get all the benefits of doing yoga at home in your own time, with the added help of an instructor who can make sure you’re performing poses safely and effectively. You can find\\n \\nonline group classes\\n for every type of yoga at\\n \\nMyYogaTeacher\\n, with over 42 classes offered throughout the day. Private, 1-on-1 instructors are also available for at-home yoga, giving you plenty of options to get the right kind of training while still practicing in the comfort of your own home.\\n9. Squeeze in a Short Practice\\nThe beauty of an at-home yoga practice means you can squeeze in a quick session when you just have 20-30 minutes of time. Even short yoga routines are beneficial for your body and mind, and performing a few of the primary yoga poses on a daily basis will change your life for the better. Try incorporating the Sun Salutation flow series into your morning routine when you first get out of bed in the morning, or practicing some relaxing poses like Legs-Up-The-Wall or Savasana in the evening. \\n10. Switch it Up and Make it Fun\\nYoga doesn’t always have to be serious, and you can make your home yoga practice fun and spontaneous for you and your family. Practicing with your kids is a great way to help them learn mindfulness and self-awareness, while stretching and strengthening their growing bodies. You can also take your practice to the backyard to enjoy sunshine and good weather, or invite friends over to share in the experience. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box!\\n11. End Every Practice With Savasana\\nWhen practicing yoga at home, it can be tempting to skip important parts of the journey due to time constraints, distractions, or disinterest. If there is one element of yoga you should never skip, it’s Savasana, or otherwise known as Corpse pose. Always end your practice with 5 minutes of relaxation to help your body integrate the routine. Keep a blanket nearby to warm your body after it has cooled down, and consider an eye pillow to help you relax. Your body and mind will thank you as you move on to the rest of your day, having given yourself the gift of healthy movement to better your life."},"category":["yoga","therapy"]}],"randomPosts":[{"id":"ckpsoqqxsavgq0c22yl3nbzlw","slug":"types-of-yoga-breath","author":{"name":"Bharath","teacherMytSlug":null,"pictureUrl":null},"title":"9 Types of Yogic Breathing Exercises and When to Use Them","createdAt":"2021-06-11T18:50:52.169324+00:00","coverUrl":"iw8hvubtyzsebykywef1.jpg","content":{"text":"Don’t you hate it when you’re in a tizzy about something – maybe crying or angry – and someone tells you to “just breathe?”\\n\\nIt’s the worst, right?\\n\\nYou’re all I AM BREATHING! And they’re all “not really.”\\n\\nThe truth is, even though you may be upset at whoever is giving you the very common suggestion to stop freaking out and take a breath, they’re right.\\n\\nIn yoga, breath is your life force. It’s what keeps you grounded, calm, clear headed. It’s what helps you make better decisions in all sorts of situations. Yogic breathing exercises are not like any other type of breathing. \\n\\nFor thousands of years, yoga breathing techniques that we are familiar with are scientifically proven to:\\n\\nImprove blood pressure\\nReduce symptoms of anxiety and depression\\nRestore energy levels\\nReduce pain\\nRelax muscles\\nLower stress-induced cortisol levels\\n\\nAs a yoga teacher, I am constantly integrating different forms of yoga breathing techniques into my practices. It helps my students have more harmony and peace in their lives as well as better focus and mental clarity.\\n\\n[CTA-BREATH]\\n\\nIn the meantime here are the different types of yoga breathing exercises names you should be familiar with:\\n\\n\\n1. Nadi Shodhana or Alternate Nostril Breathing\\n\\nThis type of breathing brings almost immediate relief to those who are suffering from anxiety, panic attacks, or when you’re feeling agitated.\\n\\nIt helps slow your heartbeat, lower your blood pressure, and calms down the central nervous system. Alternate \\nnostril breathing\\n is a good practice for general well being as well. And the more you practice, the easier it will be to use this type of yogic breath during times of stress.\\n\\n2. Ujjayi or Ocean’s Breath\\n\\nOcean’s Breath is the most common form in yoga for breathing practices.\\n\\nThis yoga breathing techniques has been shown to improve the quality of life in cancer patients, patients who suffer from severe depressive issues, and has even been shown in a few studies to help people who suffer from hypothyroidism by improving pulmonary function.\\n\\nIn yoga, breath is even more important than the actual poses. Here are some other names Ocean’s Breath may go by:\\n\\nVictorious breathing\\nSnake breathing\\nWhispering breath\\nSnoring breath\\n\\nWe practice ujjayi breathing in almost every one of the classes I offer on \\nMyYogaTeacher\\n!\\n\\n3. Shitali pranayama or cooling breath\\n\\nThis type of breathing is most effective in the warmer months when your body may need a little help cooling down.\\n\\nCooling breath, also known as “Taco Breath” after the curled tongue used to move the air, is known to:\\n\\nQuelch thirst and hunger\\nImprove bad breath\\nReduce fatigue\\nReduce fevers\\nImprove high blood pressure\\n\\nWhen done properly, this yoga breathing types exercise directs heat away from the head, neck, and digestive system to help cool the body.\\n\\n4. Sitkari pranayama or hissing breath\\n\\nThis type of yoga breath is another variation of cooling breath \\nmeditation\\n. The only difference is shitali pranayama is performed through a rolled tongue stuck out of the mouth, and sitkari pranayama is performed through clenched teeth.\\n\\nDuring hissing breath, do not clench your teeth so tightly that it hurts your teeth or jaws. Teeth should be only just clenched. \\n\\nHissing breath is also another cooling breath and can be done in the heat of the day or any time when the body needs to be cooled down. It also reduces anxiety, anger, agitation, and calms the mind.\\n\\n5. Brahmari or humming breath\\n\\nThe name of this breath type is named after a black Indian bee.\\n\\nIf you have a hard time meditating or maintaining focus while you’re meditating, humming breath is very helpful, but it is also good to do before going to bed.\\n\\nBrahmari pranayama releases cerebral tension and helps lower blood pressure, helping to relax your central nervous systems.\\n\\nThis yoga breathing techniques should not be done lying down. Always practice this breath sitting upright. It is also contraindicated in pregnant or menstruating women, and people who suffer with extremely high blood pressure, epilepsy, chest pain, or ear infection.\\n\\n6. Bhastrika or bellows breath\\n\\nIf you’re wanting to lose weight, this type of yogic breathing might be useful to you! \\n\\nBellows breath is used to energize and awaken the body. It also may help boost digestion and increase metabolism. However, absolutely do not practice this yoga for breathing exercise if you have cardiac issues, extremely high blood pressure, or a hernia (or previous issues with hernia).\\n\\n7. Surya Bhedana or solar breath\\n\\nThe main purpose of the solar breath is to bring vital energy and life to the body, to revitalize it. This type of yogic breathing gives the sympathetic nervous system a boost and increases the efficiency of the digestive tract. \\n\\nYou will be bringing heat to the body through your inhale (on your right nostril) and cooling your body on the exhale out of your left nostril.\\n\\nThe whole digestive system is affected by this form of breathing, so it is best not to do it right after eating.\\n8. Chandra Bhedana or lunar breath\\n\\nThis yoga breath practice is just the opposite of how you perform the solar breath practice. The idea is to bring coolness to the body..\\n\\nIt is important not to do both breaths on the same day and only do twice a day, in the morning and evening.\\n\\n9. Active Yoga Breathing\\n\\nThis yoga breathing exercise will help you be more prepared to do the common Ocean’s Breath during almost any yoga practice.\\n\\nIt is the practice of breathing deeply, evenly, and consistently during physical activity, such as walking or bike riding. If walking, use 5-10 steps for your inhale and 5 to 10 steps to exhale. Doing this helps to calm your body and give you the benefits of deep breathing while also getting exercise.\\n\\n\\nIf you’re looking to learn more about the different types of yogic breathing and their benefits, you should definitely give MyYogaTeacher a try! \\nYou can get your 2-week free trial here and check out all the different yoga teachers and what they have to offer.\\n\\n\\nFeel free to check out any of my classes as well! I offer one called\\n Breathe and Flow\\n that you just may enjoy!\\n\\nI hope to see you on the mat soon!\\n\\nNamaste.\\n"}},{"id":"ckmp3ho54j1zn0b24r8778bpo","slug":"yoga-for-knee-pain","author":{"name":"Pranjal","teacherMytSlug":null,"pictureUrl":null},"title":"4 Exercise Mistakes That Cause Knee Pain (and How Yoga Can Help)","createdAt":"2021-03-25T16:33:31.657286+00:00","coverUrl":"p4_KneePain_W1906_gi1017193182.jpg","content":{"text":"When you’re young – like little kid young, not like 20-somethings young – you probably never considered how running barefoot on the pavement through the neighborhood affected your knees.\\n\\nYou were invincible. There was no pretzel pose you couldn’t do or sit in. Literally nothing bothered you, much less your knees.\\n\\nSkip forward to your 20’s. Yeah, when you start to exercise to maintain your health, weight, fitness. Not because it’s fun.\\n\\nHow did we treat our knees in our 20’s? How \\ndo\\n you treat your knees? Are you protecting them by doing exercises properly or are you still “running barefoot on the pavement?” \\n\\nDo you think about your knees at all if they don’t hurt? No. Probably not.\\n\\nI’m here to tell you how exercise is hurting or has hurt your knees and how yoga can fix it. If you need more help in this area.\n\n[CTA-DEFAULT] \\n\\n\\n\\n1. Misalignment\\n\\nOne of the most common mistakes people make when working out is doing exercises the wrong way. The alignment of your joints is extremely important when working out. When they’re misaligned, it can cause injury.\\n\\nSquats and lunges are the biggest culprits of misalignment for people when exercising. Your knees should never go past your toes when doing squats or lunges. Even if you’re doing yoga. Knees should always track over top of your shoe but not past your toes.\\n\\nIf you have knee pain from doing lunges and squats incorrectly, the pain will be focused around your kneecap and in front of the knee. Runners and jumpers also tend to have this kind of pain.\\n\\nSome yoga asanas to help relieve runner’s knee pain are:\\n\\nDownward facing dog with calf stretches\\nLow lunge and its different variations\\nHamstring stretches like seated forward bend\\nQuad stretches\\n\\nDone properly, these yoga stretches will improve your knee flexibility and decrease or get rid of your knee pain. Yoga is magical like that.\\n\\nEach stretch should be held for at least a minute (more if tolerated) and should be repeated two to three times on each side.\\n\\nWhich leads me to talk about another common exercise mistake.\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n2. Skipping single-leg exercises\\n\\nAre you only doing exercises with both legs? Squats, leg presses, jumps. Plyometrics are often performed using both legs at the same time.\\n\\nMuscle imbalances are normal. We use one leg more than the other. We carry a purse, bag, or backpack on one shoulder more than the other. We lean to one side when we sit. But when you work out, you should be incorporating unilateral exercises into your routine.\\n\\nIf you haven’t been, you may experience knee pain or tightness, as well as tight hips, hamstrings, and glutes. Mostly because you’ve been overusing the stronger side of your body when only doing exercises with both legs.\\n\\nThe best remedy for this type of pain? Yoga for knee pain, of course! Here are some moves that will specifically help:\\n\\nPigeon pose, either sitting or reclined\\nHalf splits\\nThread the needle.\\nDownward facing dog\\nButterfly pose\\n\\nTake a break from plyometrics, squats, leg presses, and jumps for a while. Any exercises where you’ve been using both legs simultaneously. And replace those movements with yoga moves instead! You’ll feel the difference!\\n\\nAnother common mistake?\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n[CTA-GC]\\n3. Lifting too much weight\\n\\nI’m not knocking weight lifting. Providing load to your joints does help keep them strong. But if the muscles around those joints aren’t strong enough to handle the weight you’re lifting, the overload can lead to joint pain.\\n\\nAnd your knees notoriously take the brunt of the overload like the superheroes they are.\\n\\nThe safest type of weight lifting is your own body weight. If you want to safely lift weights that are outside your own body weight, the best way is to start very light and work your way up. Progressive resistance is what the trainers call it.\\n\\nIf you’re experiencing knee pain due to weight overload, try these yoga moves:\\n\\nCrescent lunge\\nLow lunge\\nHalf pigeon or reclined pigeon\\nDancer’s pose\\nStanding splits\\n\\nThe idea here is to use your own body weight to strengthen the muscles around the joints while also stretching them. Yoga for knee pain specifically helps with this!\\n\\nA regular yoga practice is excellent for using your own body weight to strengthen and tone. myYogaTeacher offers 35+ classes each day! \\nTry a 2-week free trial and feel the difference yoga makes in your body and life.\\n\\n\\n4. The wrong shoes\\n\\nBear with me here. Choosing the wrong shoes does count as an exercise mistake!\\n\\nImproper footwear may not cause direct pain or injury, but it is a cause of misalignment and poor form when exercising. And we already know that poor form and misalignment cause knee pain and injury.\\n\\nA good tip is to choose a shoe that supports your foot shape. If you have high arches or flat feet, this will be even more important. The stiffer the shoe, the better.\\n\\nIf you work out in a private setting, I recommend doing strength training barefoot. Yes, for real!\\n\\nStudies have shown that many exercise routines are easier on your joints and knees if done barefoot! I’m not suggesting you start showing up at the gym barefoot or revert back to your childhood days when you ran everywhere barefoot as long as it wasn’t snowing. But barefoot exercise is definitely something you may want to look into!\\n\\nOne of the great things about \\nyoga\\n is that it’s always done barefoot! \\n\\nYoga doesn’t just help heal knee pain. It helps prevent it. By doing yoga barefoot, you are strengthening all the tiny muscles in your feet and ankles that are responsible for keeping you stable. In turn, your knees don’t bear all the weight - pun intended!\\n\\nSo let’s recap. A regular yoga practice isn’t just amazing for reducing or eliminating knee pain, it’s a great way to prevent it. Especially yoga for knee pain, specifically. If you’ve injured your knees due to the common exercise mistakes I talked about above, please be sure to see your doctor about it.\\n\\nThen come see me! My Yoga for Knee Pain Class is designed for people who have all kinds of knee pain for various different reasons. I’m happy to talk with you about your specific pain, give you specific yoga poses or modifications to help reduce your pain. \\n\\n\\n\\nSee you on the mat! \\n"}},{"id":"ckomuppo02fuw0c75ob1gvgv4","slug":"yoga-for-hormonal-imbalance","author":{"name":"Rohan","teacherMytSlug":null,"pictureUrl":null},"title":"Hormonal Havoc: 6 Yoga Poses to Help Regulate Your Hormones","createdAt":"2021-05-13T12:11:42.554984+00:00","coverUrl":"kdfk6tgq348b7wstjcc6.jpg","content":{"text":"This one’s mostly for the ladies. Not that men don’t have hormones too! \\nWe know you do.\\n\\nBut if you haven’t been told (or told yourself) that you’re moody because you’re hormonal at least once in your life, then you might have a hard time understanding what’s being discussed in this article.\\n\\nAlmost all types of yoga positively impacts the endocrine system where our hormones are housed, regulated and released.\\n\\nHormones fluctuate in many stages of a woman’s life. Puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, after childbirth, menopause. \\n\\nSometimes life wreaks havoc on our hormones as well. Things like stress, particularly consistent or constant stress, affect how our hormones are released and work.\\n\\nSymptoms of imbalanced hormones include:\\n\\n Weight gain\\nIrregular cycles\\nMood swings\\nLowered immunity \\nThyroid problems \\nPMS\\nLower back pain\\nFertility problems\\nInsomnia\\nHot flashes\\nBlood sugar imbalances\\n\\nAnd more. \\n\\nThat’s a lot. Yoga helps regulate hormones and ease or eliminate the discomforts associated with hormonal imbalances. That’s why I wanted to offer a \\nYoga for Hormonal Imbalance class\\n on myYogaTeacher!\\n\\nBecause at some point all women will experience some sort of hormonal imbalance. \\n\\n\\nIf you haven’t joined myYogaTeacher yet, you can grab a 2-week free trial here!\\n There are over 35 different classes you can take on a daily basis. All from the comfort of your own home!\\n\\nYoga helps with hormones throughout the body by stimulating the glands associated with releasing them. Yoga is also responsible for stress reduction, lower cortisol levels, and the release of endorphins.\\n\\nI want to provide you with a beginner’s list of yoga poses to help with hormonal imbalances that you can do at home with or without myYogaTeacher.\\n\\nSo try these out!\\n\\n1. Cobra pose\\n\\nThis pose stimulates the adrenal glands, helping your body combat stress and anxiety. While cobra pose is an excellent asana for your reproductive organs, it also opens up your chest, improves digestion, and stimulates the circulatory system.\\n\\nAll of which help alleviate menstrual or premenstrual symptoms like bloating, gas, cramping, stomach upset and headaches.\\n\\nAnd it’s easy to do! I recommend holding this pose for a minute while breathing deeply, releasing, and repeating a few more times for maximum benefit.\\n\\n\\n\\n2. Camel pose\\n\\nCamel pose has lots of benefits, but one is that it stimulates the thyroid and parathyroid glands, two major hormone producing glands in your neck region.\\n\\nThis pose also brings about a really nice stretch in the abdominal region, stretching out the uterine muscles and relieving menstrual cramps. The stretch in the spine helps reduce or eliminate mild lower back pain that can occur with menstruation as well.\\n\\nI recommend holding this pose for 30 seconds to a minute before coming up slowly and repeating several times. Be sure to bring your torso up first!\\n\\n\\n\\n3. Butterfly pose\\n\\nAnother really simple pose that opens up the hips massages the adrenal glands, butterfly is beneficial for relaxation and stress reduction as well.\\n\\nButterfly pose isn’t just a yoga pose for hormonal balance. It’s also a great asana for PCOS prevention and symptom relief. You’ll also feel a good stretch in the spine and lower back. \\n\\nUse a block to rest your head on if this pose gets too intense or your head doesn’t reach your feet. \\n\\nHold butterfly pose for 1-2 minutes and release.\\n\\n\\n\\n4. Bridge pose\\n\\nBridge pose strengthens your core and pelvic floor muscles. If you have lower back pain, place a block underneath your tailbone area for comfort.\\n\\nThis asana will also stimulate the thyroid and parathyroid glands located in the neck area, but be careful not to put too much pressure on your neck in bridge pose and cause an injury.\\n\\nIf you’re unsure of how to do this one or any of the poses I mention here without injuring yourself, you should definitely check out my class, Yoga for Hormonal Imbalance.\\n\\nHold for 30 seconds, and release from the top of the spine, rolling down. Repeat several times for maximum benefits!\\n\\n\\n\\n5. Child’s pose\\n\\nMany female yogis say this pose is the best for menstrual cramps. Not only does it relieve pressure from your lower back and up towards your neck, it massages and relaxes the abdominal area, including the uterine muscles, and stimulates the adrenal glands.\\n\\nChild’s pose is a pose literally anyone can do! I'm pretty certain you’ve heard of it before, but just in case, I still gave you an example of this one below.\\n\\n\\n\\n6. Supine twists\\n\\nAhhhhh, sweet relief! Supine twists are ahhhhhhmazing for menstrual cramps. As a matter of fact, other twisting poses like seated twists and standing twists are also good. \\n\\nBut who wants to sit or stand to stretch when they’re feeling yucky? Why not just lie down!\\n\\nThis is the easiest way to “wring out” the front of your body and relieve tension in the lower back. Supine twists also help you feel more relaxed and calm, which is something every woman could stand to feel a little more of during that time of the month.\\n\\nHold each side for 30 seconds to a minute, breathing deeply and repeat several times on each side.\\n\\n\\n\\n\\n\\nIf you’re menstruating, you’ll want to avoid most inversion poses like downward facing dog, hand or headstands, shoulder stands, and plough pose. These poses are not good for your menstrual flow and can even increase cramping.\\n\\nWe’d love to have you learn more about yoga poses that help with hormone imbalances and menstrual issues in my class, \\nYoga for Hormonal Imbalances! \\n\\n\\n\\nIf you’re not a myYogaTeacher member yet, you can get a 2-week free trial here\\n and try out any or all of the live group yoga classes offered. There are over 35 of them\\n"}}],"relatedPosts":[{"id":"cl8kb5f23jq1w0ciscs2h2bxw","slug":"benefits-of-yoga-for-pregnancy","author":{"name":"Will","teacherMytSlug":"will-1","pictureUrl":"will.jpeg"},"title":"What are the Benefits of Yoga for Pregnancy?","createdAt":"2022-09-27T14:42:36.767798+00:00","coverUrl":"kvvlqndsbow5dsckhw7i.jpg","content":{"text":"When you get pregnant, people come out of the woodworks with advice, remedies and old wives tales. Everyone’s got an opinion on how you should spend your pregnancy. But the one thing we know for sure is, yoga is great for mom and baby alike. If you’re curious about prenatal yoga, you’re in the right place. Let’s break down why this type of yoga is excellent for moms (and babies).\\nWhat is prenatal yoga?\\nPrenatal yoga was designed for women who are expecting. Rather than taking a regular class and having to worry about modifications or safety, this class is specifically designed for pregnancy. The practice can help women with common pregnancy aches and pains, ease hormonal and emotional stress and help women’s bodies prepare for birth and their postpartum journey. A regular yoga practice when pregnant has tons of amazing benefits!\\nBenefits of Prenatal yoga: \\nWe asked women who’ve done prenatal yoga while pregnant for their reviews, one said “ It’s excellent for stress relief, pain relief, and preparation for labor.” And they all said they’d recommend it to friends! \\nSo let's break down the benefits: \\nRelaxation : \\nPregnancy can be very stressful! But yoga will help you to relax physically, mentally and emotionally and create a safe, relaxing environment for birth. Prenatal helps you with coping and breath techniques for all stages of your pregnancy.\n\\nPreparation for birth : \\nFor first time moms, and even sometimes vets, labor can be scary. This practice will help you to learn birth techniques so you’re relaxed and ready to go!\n\\nYoga can Help with Labor : \\nIn a 2015 study\\n, It was found that a regular yoga practice in the last 10-12 weeks of pregnancy can improve the mother's comfort during labor and help facilitate the labor process. The “yoga group” in this study on average was in labor two hours less than those who didn’t practice. Past your due date? Prenatal Yoga is also known to help induce labor\n\\nCommunity : \\nYoga classes have always been known to help us build community but during pregnancy, it's so important to have a group of women who understand what you’re going through. Taking part in a prenatal class puts you in a group of women who get it. You’ll have a built in support system and maybe even first friends for your baby!\\nFrequently Asked Questions about Prenatal Yoga:\\nIs Yoga for Pregnancy safe?\\nYes. Yoga is generally considered safe during pregnancy. However, you should always consult your doctor & make sure you’re practicing with a teacher who understands the prenatal experience and can keep you safe. Our teachers are experts in yoga and are ready to help you on your journey. If you’d like to check out our offerings, you can get started today with a two week free trial! \\nWhen during pregnancy can you practice yoga?\\nDuring your first trimester, you can stick to your regular practice with some modifications. \\nYour second trimester is a GREAT time to start prenatal yoga! At this point, you’ll be starting to officially come into your “pregnancy body” and you’ll need to be practicing poses more specific to prenatal. The second and third trimester are considered the “prep period” for your body to prepare for labor. So it's a great time to keep moving and stretching in your new skin as you make room for the baby to grow! \\nWhat yoga poses should you avoid doing? \\nFor the most part, yoga is considered safe during pregnancy. You really only need to focus on any poses that put pressure on your abdomen. You should avoid any and all twisting poses, backbends and inversions.. \\nYoga for Pregnancy Poses you can perform at Home :\\nIt’s important to stay active during your pregnancy for both mom and baby! You should try to get in some sort of movement daily for at least 30 minutes. You can stick to low impact workouts or walks but if you want to do some yoga at home, it’s a great way to end your day. Yoga while pregnant can help with pain, help you sleep better and fight tiredness and fatigue. \\nHere are some poses you can practice at home to keep you moving! And as a bonus, most of these poses will also help your body prepare for giving birth!\\n1. Bound angle pose (Baddha Konasana) :\\n\\nBaddha Konasana pose will help you open your hips, releasing any pain in your back. It can also help to reduce swelling\\nHow it helps with labor: Opening the hips will help you to stretch the muscles needed to open the birth canal.\\n2. Cat-cow pose (Marjaryasana Bitilasana) :\\n\\nMarjaryasana Bitilasana pose release back and shoulder pain and also reduce pressure from the belly\\nHow it helps with labor: Back pain is a common occurrence during the birth process. This pose will help to keep your muscles limber and help to avoid muscle spasms and pain in your back during labor. \\n3. Yogi squat (Malasana) :\\n\\nBeen sitting too long? This is a great hip opener and will also release lower back pain. \\nHow it helps with labor: This pose will widen the pelvic floor making the birth easier,which may help to reduce injury during birth.\\nRemember, if you’re practicing at home, it’s always best to consult your doctor and make sure yoga is safe for your pregnancy.\\n\\nOther ways to practice self-care during pregnancy\\nBeing a mom is the hardest job in the world. And there are no days off. Starting with pregnancy, we feel out of control of our body, its growth and the way we feel. Remember to take time during this beautiful process to practice self-care so you can be present, happy and relaxed. \\nBook a prenatal massage :\n\nA prenatal massage is GREAT for mom and baby. It can help reduce stress and swelling without meds, help you to sleep and get your body ready for labor and delivery. \\nTake a bath :\n\nTaking a warm bath while pregnant can also help to reduce stress and lower your blood pressure. It’s a great way to relax and rest your growing body. If you’re feeling pain or swelling, it can be very beneficial to relax in a warm bath. \\n\\nAyurveda for Pregnancy :\\n\n\nThis week, MyYogaTeacher has a special Ayurveda event running where you’ll learn how to align with your best self through nutrition and health changes. This specific class is designed to help you have your most healthy pregnancy with nutrition guidelines for a mom and foods to help with baby's development! \\n\nYou can also choose to work 1 on 1 with an instructor of your choice through your MyYogaTeacher membership! Let us help you have your healthiest pregnancy possible! \\n\\nGet started today!\\n"}},{"id":"cknfz1b6ocvjy0a81nie3aq02","slug":"yoga-for-stress-and-anxiety","author":{"name":"Rohan","teacherMytSlug":null,"pictureUrl":null},"title":"Practice Yoga for Stress and Anxiety Relief","createdAt":"2021-04-13T11:58:36.28949+00:00","coverUrl":"yoga_for_stress_and_anxiety.jpg","content":{"text":"We've all experienced stress and anxiety at some point. It's a natural, human response to stressful situations and can even save us from danger. Sometimes, it can go deeper than that and become a full-blown anxiety disorder that disrupts our lives.\\n\\nMy class, \\nYoga for Stress and Anxiety\\n can help!\\n\\nYoga for Stress and Anxiety: The Research\\nSince the 1970s, researchers have been looking into stress-reduction techniques and tools. Meditation is one such technique that you hear a lot about, but yoga as a whole practice hasn't gotten the same level of attention until recent decades.\\n\\nAccording to researchers at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, a new study from August 2020 found that yoga was significantly more effective for generalized anxiety disorder than simple education on stress management.\\n\\nAnother study from the Ilam University of Medical Sciences (February 2018) found that yoga plays an effective part in reducing stress, anxiety, and depression. The study went on to conclude that yoga can be used as complementary medicine for these conditions.\\n\\nYet another study from The Center for Health Behavior Research at the University of Mississippi (2011) found that yoga offers a host of benefits: enhanced muscular strength and body flexibility, improved respiratory and cardiovascular function, recovery from and treatment of addiction, reduction in stress, anxiety, depression, and chronic pain, improved sleep patterns, and enhanced overall well-being and quality of life.\\n\\nIf you're not using yoga for stress and anxiety management, now's a great time to start. \\nSign up for a free two-week trial of myYogaTeacher\\n and get access to my class as well as more than 35 other live, online yoga courses every single day.\\n\\nWhat Do Stress and Anxiety Look Like?\\n\\nStress and anxiety can look and feel different for different people. For some, it might be a feeling like waiting for the other shoe to drop. For others, it might be all-consuming. Here are some of the symptoms that typically signal stress and anxiety:\\nPersistent feelings of uneasiness, panic, and fear\\nMuscle tension\\nHeart palpitations or a rapid heartbeat\\nDifficulty sleeping\\nIrritability\\nConstricted breathing\\nCold, sweaty palms\\nRumination on unhelpful, negative thoughts\\nIf your feelings of stress and anxiety are keeping you from living your life, we recommend talking to your doctor about treatment options. But don't forget to practice your yoga!\\n\\nAlleviating Stress and Anxiety Through Yoga\\nOur bodies are pretty miraculous, especially with the body's ability to heal itself. Of course, stress and anxiety can drastically reduce that healing. Fortunately, yoga can help us bring calm, peace, and stillness back into our lives.\\n\\nYoga helps to modulate stress response systems, reducing the stress and anxiety we feel. And, yoga can even help us respond to stress more easily.\\n\\nWe recommend a complete yoga practice that includes more than just asanas. In addition to poses and movement (asanas), you'll want to incorporate \\npranayamas (breathing techniques)\\n, meditation, and yoga philosophy.\\n\\nYoga Practices to Alleviate Stress and Anxiety\\n\\nIn this section, we're going to talk about specific asanas, pranayamas, meditations, and mudras that will help you ease stress and anxiety with yoga. While you can absolutely practice this on your own, I would love to have you join my Yoga for Stress and Anxiety class on myYogaTeacher. You can \\nsign up for a free two-week trial of myYogaTeacher\\n and not only get access to my class but access to 35+ other live, online group classes every single day.\\n\\nYoga Poses\\nThere are several yoga poses that can help alleviate stress and anxiety. Here's a short sequence that you can practice at any time. Start seated in a comfortable position and move through the poses as feels comfortable and soothing for you.\\nSeated neck rolls\\nMarjariasana (cat pose)\\nBalasana (child's pose)\\nAdho Mukha Shvanasana (downward-facing dog pose)\\nUttanasana (standing forward bend)\\nVrikshasana (tree pose)\\nJanu Shirasasana (one-legged seated forward bend)\\nPaschimottanasana (two-legged seated forward bend)\\nSetu Bandha Sarvangasana (bridge pose)\\nSarvangasana (shoulder stand)\\nMatsyasana (fish pose)\\nDhanurasana (bow pose)\\nSavasana (corpse pose)\\nPranayama (Breathing)\\nBreathing is a powerful tool for combating stress and anxiety. Here are a few different breathing exercises you can try when you feel stress or anxiety creeping up:\\nDeep breathing\\nNadi Shodhan Pranayama (alternate nostril breathing)\\nBhastrika Pranayama (bellows breathing)\\nUjjayi Pranayama (ocean breathing)\\nBhramari Pranayama (bee breathing)\\nMeditation\\nMeditation helps you calm yourself, grounding you and producing feelings of stability. There are several different types of meditation to choose from, but research has shown that mindful meditations are great for reducing stress and anxiety. Here's a mindful meditation that walks you through progressive relaxation:\\nFind a quiet place where you won't be disturbed and make yourself comfortable. Close your eyes.\\nStarting with your head, tense the muscles in your face and scalp. Hold this as you inhale for a count of eight.\\nOn the exhale, relax your face completely. Unclench your jaw, relax your forehead and eyes, let everything just fall away. Repeat this clenching and relaxing until your face feels completely relaxed.\\nRepeat this process down your entire body: neck, shoulders, chest, abdomen, right arm, right forearm, right hand, left arm, left forearm, left hand, buttocks, right leg, lower right leg, right foot, left leg, left foot.\\nIf you're short on time, you can focus on just your four main muscle groups.\\n\\nMudras\\nMudras can also help you combat stress and anxiety.\\n\\nA mudra is a symbolic or ritual gesture done with the hands and used in combination with Pranayama. They activate our body's potential for healing and growth, stimulating different parts of the body to improve the flow of energy.\\n\\nHere are five mudras I recommend for stress and anxiety:\\nGyan Mudra: Join the tips of your index fingers and thumbs with the other fingers outstretched and together in a relaxed position.\\nAgni Shakti Mudra: Touch all four fingers on each hand to the palms of the same hand (almost in a fist shape). Then, join the tips of the thumbs together.\\nKalesvara Mudra: Bring the tips of the middle fingers together and the first and middle joints of the index fingers together. Then, bring the thumbs together, creating a heart shape, and gently curl the rest of the fingers in. Connect the thumbs to the sternum and reach your elbows out to the side.\\nApan Vayu Mudra: Fold the index fingers to touch the tip to the base of the thumb. Then, bring the tips of the middle and ring fingers to the tips of the thumbs. The pinky finger stays straight and points outward.\\nUttarabodhi Mudra: Interlock the fingers of both hands together and keep the thumbs and index fingers extended and touching. Point the tips of extended index fingers up and the thumbs down.\\nWrapping Up\\nThere's a lot of research that indicates yoga is a wonderful way to reduce stress and anxiety. But we're all different. If you have stress or anxiety that is debilitating, please be sure to reach out to your doctor.\\n\\nIt's also possible that yoga can reveal strong feelings and emotions that you've been suppressing. Practice yoga in a place that makes you feel safe and secure. And don't forget to \\nsign up for a free two-week trial of myYogaTeacher\\n so you can join my next class!"}},{"id":"cl8a9804vy5de0biznpg4ai2t","slug":"yoga-benefits-for-runners","author":{"name":"Will","teacherMytSlug":"will-1","pictureUrl":"will.jpeg"},"title":"Yoga For Runners : Why Runners Should Incorporate Yoga Into Their Training?","createdAt":"2022-09-20T13:50:56.406936+00:00","coverUrl":"tbdacuzob0fuqml8dyjd.jpg","content":{"text":"Training for a big race? Setting some goals you want to crush before the year ends? No matter what your reasons, yoga can be a great way to cross train for running from a 5k to a marathon! Running is great for your heart and body but can also be a huge strain on the muscles. Having an active yoga practice to complement your running routine can have tons of benefits! Let’s dive into how yoga can help!\\n1. Breathing\\nProper breathing and breath stabilization are both incredibly important principles in Yoga and Running. If you can practice proper breathing while running, you can maintain speed longer because you will take long deeper breaths to match your long strides, instead of short breaths which cause instability and speed decline.\\nPracticing Pranayama for runners - \\nAdding a pranayama breath practice before a run can help you to maintain focus as well as speed. Even if running is a release for you, and feels relaxing, Using breathwork to relax and focus can help you clearly see the physical and mental road ahead. Pranayama can also help if things are going off course on your run. If you need to regain control, you can come back to your breath and refocus. With these practices together, your run really can be a religious experience, or a way to relieve stress! \\nTo start a pranayama practice, all you need to do is focus on controlling your inhale and exhale. Start by standing tall and relaxed, or sitting tall and calm if you prefer. Close your eyes and focus inward. Start by breathing in for two and out for two. As you continue to grow your practice, you can build up to breathing in for six and out for six. You can even play with pausing for two to four breaths in between your inhale and exhale. When you finally build a practice you’re confident with, you can start to set intentions and visualize your success. With this practice, you’ll begin to see your running dreams come true!\\n\\n2. Flexibility/Strength\\nIt would be great if in life, we only ever needed to do one thing to get to our goals. But in reality,just like we can’t have cookies for every meal, cross training for runners is essential to maintaining a long term healthy routine. While you could easily just add weight training or stretching a la cart into your week, yoga gives you more by going deeper and getting into those smaller, harder to access ligaments and tendons you might otherwise miss with strength training . Adding yoga into your running routine can reduce the risk of injury and help to maintain your goals. The more flexible your muscles are, the less likely they are to tense up or be stressed during running so you can move with more confidence and ease. Not to mention, it’s always great to look forward to a nice long stretch after a run. \\n\n3. Conditioning \\nWe all know running is GREAT for your cardiovascular health, can add years on to your life and keep your heart pumping at its best! But it doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner or a veteran, running can make your body sore. Yoga is great for conditioning those tired and fatigued muscles without having to “take a day off” to rest. In between your runs or on conditioning days, you can take a class focused on your back or knee health, or even a class to open tight hips after a long run. There’s nothing the magic of yoga can’t do! \\n\n4. Balance/Posture\\nEven though running is a “walk in the park” compared to ballet where balance is concerned, you still need to do your best to focus on alignment while you move.\\nYoga can improve your running form by elongating the limbs so you cover more ground in less time. You'll be PR’ing in no time! Proper alignment is also important when running because as you increase your speed, the level of impact (and injury) becomes greater. Maintaining your body's alignment during movement assures you arrive at the finish line aliment free! Love a tree pose? Want to learn to fly into a warrior? Lots of yoga poses force you to balance on one leg, which helps you to build a unilateral movement practice much like the ebbs and flows you take while running. \\n5. Stress and Mental Clarity\\nFeeling stressed before a big run? Worried about your PR? Yoga can help! Focus your breathing and set an intention. You’ve got this!\\nFocus and clarity are so important when running so you can know where you’re headed and stay on track. Add your yoga practice in before training or race days and you’ll feel your worries melt away. According to scientists at \\nHarvard,\\n adding just minutes of yoga to your week can improve your outlook, slow down the body and decrease stress. You’ll find your body will be more relaxed, focused and ready to run for those goals when you release your tension with yoga. \\nGetting started:\\nSo what do you need to get started? Simple! Yourself, a mat, some water and a quiet space are all you need! Are you ready to add yoga into your running routine? \\nGet started with a two week free trial of our classes and one on one sessions!\\n\\nLet’s figure out where your yoga practice would serve you best! \\nDoing yoga BEFORE your run will help you to warm up your muscles and ligaments. By fully warming up your body before you hit the pavement, you decrease the chances of injury, help with an easier recovery and can improve your PR as you continue to train! \\nBest Yoga Poses to practice before a run :\\nHigh Lunge - This pose stretches the legs from top of the thighs down to the ankle\\n\\nWarrior II - Helps with focus and stamina. Great before heading out!\\n\\nSide angle bend - This stretch helps to stretch the side body and release any tension in the shoulders and spine. \\n\\nPrefer to do yoga after your run? That’s a great option too! Yoga is great for recovery after a run! Finishing your running routine with a yoga stretch helps you to rebalance. You can stretch muscles or limbs that became tight during your run and strengthen anything that may have become fatigued. You can also refocus and deepen your breath to reset for the next part of your day. \\nBest Yoga Poses to practice after a run :\\nButterfly Pose - a basic hip opener to ease into your stretch\\n\\nHalf Pigeon - A great pose for multiple alignments! Working through the psoas and hip flexors. Make sure to practice on both sides.\\n\\nHappy Baby - This pose is great for finishing up your hip opener extension while giving a nice massage to the back and stretching the soles of the feet.\\n\\nWant to take a class? Try some of our favorite classes for runners!\\n\\nYoga for Strength and flexibility \\n\\n\\nYoga for Knee Pain\\n\\n\\nYoga for Back health\\n\\nReady to join us for class? \\nGet started with a free trial now! \\n\\nRemember, with a great training plan for your runs, and an ongoing yoga practice you’ll be ready to run to your greatest finish line feeling and looking your best! Just like peanut butter and jelly, yoga and running are great together!"}}],"blogContent":{"id":"cks7rb8y0066t0c80ah2xtwv8","slug":"yoga-for-diabetics","author":{"name":"Neelmani","teacherMytSlug":null,"pictureUrl":null},"title":"Yoga For Diabetics: How Yoga Helps Cure and Prevent Type II Diabetes","createdAt":"2021-08-11T17:18:45.258817+00:00","updatedAt":"2022-08-01T06:48:40.339313+00:00","coverUrl":"uwnz0l1sgdmmxmggwzjd.jpg","seoDescription":"There is definitely yoga for diabetics! If you are a diabetic, explore how yoga benefits diabetics like you in this post!","content":{"text":"While Type I diabetes is often not preventable (and mostly due to genetics or environmental factors), Type II diabetes is running rampant in America. \\nAs a matter of fact, 90-95% of people with diabetes have Type II.\\nType II diabetes is preventable and even curable! And yoga is a natural and holistic way to do just that. \\nBecause diabetes is the cause of secondary health issues like neuropathy, infections, immune problems, kidney issues, eye damage, and heart disease, I wanted to make sure all people had access to therapeutic yoga designed specifically for diabetics.\\nThat’s why I started teaching a \\nTherapeutic Yoga for Diabetes class\\n on MyYogaTeacher! If you haven’t become an MYT member yet, I encourage you to\\n take advantage of their 2-week free trial.\\n You’ll have access to my class and 35+ other classes, one of which will surely meet your needs!\\nIn the meantime, I felt it was important to discuss exactly how yoga helps cure and prevent this terrible disease.\\n1. Yoga encourages behavioral changes\\nEven though yoga is an ancient practice, it is just now starting to be recognized worldwide as a practical and applicable treatment for many types of illnesses, including Type II Diabetes.\\nWhile yoga is traditionally seen as a spiritual practice of enlightenment, it is, just as importantly, a practice of health management. Studies show that the mind-body connection that results from a regular yoga practice is directly linked to improved dietary lifestyles and medication compliance.\\nYoga provides plenty of opportunities for self-awareness, reflection, and behavioral changes.\\nAlso, the meditation aspect of therapeutic yoga for diabetics reduces mindless eating practices that occur when we’re stressed out, burnt out, or emotional. This is called mindful eating.\\nStopping the cycles of emotional and binge eating is a huge part of healthy lifestyle changes, but especially crucial for Type II diabetics!\\nMindful eating is proven to help people increase their intake of fruits and vegetables and take more notice of actual hunger cues versus eating out of boredom or stress. \\nA consistent yoga practice also improves discipline. Being more disciplined often carries over into other parts of life! Disciplined eaters focus more on food nutrition (eating to fuel your body) and less on random eating.\\nAnd because yoga meets you where you are, it’s an easy exercise for anyone to start at any age! Which means you are more likely to keep practicing it. Weight loss can be an effective treatment for Type II Diabetes. Yoga definitely helps with that!\\n2. Yoga creates positive psychological changes.\\nEarlier, I mentioned stress eating, boredom eating, and emotional eating. All of which are often harmful to your health.\\nIf you haven’t read some of our other articles about how yoga affects your mental health, you might want to check out \\n“Five Ways Meditation Can Start Improving Your Life Right Now”\\n or \\n“How Yoga Helps You Handle Trying Times in the New Year.”\\n\\nBoth of those are great!\\nBut for now, I can give you some ways yoga specifically helps Type II diabetics manage their mental health better, which helps prevent those harmful eating patterns while also benefiting your glucose levels!\\nYoga for diabetics includes meditation, which reduces stress, relaxes muscles, and relieves tension, several things that specifically help diabetics feel better.\\nHormones and chemicals such as serotonin, endorphins, and oxytocin are released into the body during yoga, which alters your mood in a positive way, preventing emotional eating.\\nThe consistent practice of yoga is shown to cause physical changes to the brain, which have psychological side effects like more mental stability, the ability to handle stress better, and faster reactions to stimuli.\\nYoga \\nis\\n meditation. It’s not just a physical exercise. It’s a spiritual practice! But it doesn’t have to be related to religion. \\nMany people are hesitant to start a yoga practice because they’ve been led to believe it’s religion-based. I feel it’s important for everyone to understand that yoga \\nis\\n spiritual in the sense that it helps you become self-aware and more aware of the world around you. It teaches us how to bring harmony to our inner and outer world, how to be more compassionate, kind, and loving to ourselves \\nand\\n others.\\nAnd all of those things help us feel better mentally and physically! Which leads us to the last way that yoga helps diabetics.\\n3. Yoga promotes physiological changes.\\nWhat are physiological changes? Changes in the normal function of the human body. In this case, a regular therapeutic yoga practice for diabetics creates a whole multitude of positive changes in the body!\\nLet’s go over some of them:\\nYoga helps lower body weight and increases exercise tolerance (which means exercise gets easier faster and you can tolerate more sooner).\\nYoga literally reduces triglycerides and free fatty acids in your blood, which reduces your bad cholesterol and improves heart health.\\nA regular yoga practice improves immunity and reduces inflammation – two huge factors that diabetics struggle with.\\nTherapeutic yoga for diabetics (specifically) increases insulin secretion and decreases insulin resistance! This means fewer insulin shots and less money spent on insulin for diabetics.\\nYoga improves cardiac function and reduces the risk of cardiac events, one of the primary causes of sudden death in diabetic patients.\\nRegular yoga practice improves glycemic control without increasing your body weight. In fact, as discussed earlier, you’re likely to \\nlose\\n weight!\\nWithout going into all the technical, scientific jargon, suffice it to say that yoga changes your body at a cellular level. And because of that, the improvements listed above are, quite literally, \\ngood\\n side effects!\\nPlus, who \\ndoesn’t\\n want to lose weight, improve cholesterol levels, have better immunity, less inflammation, and a healthier heart?!\\nEveryone can benefit from yoga, but especially diabetics. Type II Diabetes is controllable, preventable, and curable. Without medication, even. But definitely consult your doctor before stopping any prescribed medications!\\nAre you diabetic? I’d love the opportunity to help you feel better, healthier, and more energetic! Check out my class, \\nTherapeutic Yoga for Diabetes\\n on myYogaTeacher. All are welcome there. \\nAnd if you haven’t grabbed your 2-week free trial of myYogaTeacher yet, you can do that here!\\n\\nI hope to see you there!","html":"<p>While Type I diabetes is often not preventable (and mostly due to genetics or environmental factors), Type II diabetes is running rampant in America. </p><p>As a matter of fact, 90-95% of people with diabetes have Type II.</p><p>Type II diabetes is preventable and even curable! And yoga is a natural and holistic way to do just that. </p><p>Because diabetes is the cause of secondary health issues like neuropathy, infections, immune problems, kidney issues, eye damage, and heart disease, I wanted to make sure all people had access to therapeutic yoga designed specifically for diabetics.</p><p>That’s why I started teaching a <a title=\"https://www.myyogateacher.com/group_classes/therapeutic-yoga-for-diabetes-by-neelmani\" href=\"https://www.myyogateacher.com/group_classes/therapeutic-yoga-for-diabetes-by-neelmani\"><u>Therapeutic Yoga for Diabetes class</u></a> on MyYogaTeacher! If you haven’t become an MYT member yet, I encourage you to<a title=\"https://www.myyogateacher.com/\" href=\"https://www.myyogateacher.com/\"><u> take advantage of their 2-week free trial.</u></a> You’ll have access to my class and 35+ other classes, one of which will surely meet your needs!</p><p>In the meantime, I felt it was important to discuss exactly how yoga helps cure and prevent this terrible disease.</p><h2>1. Yoga encourages behavioral changes</h2><p>Even though yoga is an ancient practice, it is just now starting to be recognized worldwide as a practical and applicable treatment for many types of illnesses, including Type II Diabetes.</p><p>While yoga is traditionally seen as a spiritual practice of enlightenment, it is, just as importantly, a practice of health management. Studies show that the mind-body connection that results from a regular yoga practice is directly linked to improved dietary lifestyles and medication compliance.</p><p>Yoga provides plenty of opportunities for self-awareness, reflection, and behavioral changes.</p><p>Also, the meditation aspect of therapeutic yoga for diabetics reduces mindless eating practices that occur when we’re stressed out, burnt out, or emotional. This is called mindful eating.</p><p>Stopping the cycles of emotional and binge eating is a huge part of healthy lifestyle changes, but especially crucial for Type II diabetics!</p><p>Mindful eating is proven to help people increase their intake of fruits and vegetables and take more notice of actual hunger cues versus eating out of boredom or stress. </p><p>A consistent yoga practice also improves discipline. Being more disciplined often carries over into other parts of life! Disciplined eaters focus more on food nutrition (eating to fuel your body) and less on random eating.</p><p>And because yoga meets you where you are, it’s an easy exercise for anyone to start at any age! Which means you are more likely to keep practicing it. Weight loss can be an effective treatment for Type II Diabetes. Yoga definitely helps with that!</p><h2>2. Yoga creates positive psychological changes.</h2><p>Earlier, I mentioned stress eating, boredom eating, and emotional eating. All of which are often harmful to your health.</p><p>If you haven’t read some of our other articles about how yoga affects your mental health, you might want to check out <a title=\"https://www.myyogateacher.com/articles/meditate-for-health\" href=\"https://www.myyogateacher.com/articles/meditate-for-health\"><u>“Five Ways Meditation Can Start Improving Your Life Right Now”</u></a> or <a title=\"https://www.myyogateacher.com/articles/how-yoga-helps-in-trying-times\" href=\"https://www.myyogateacher.com/articles/how-yoga-helps-in-trying-times\"><u>“How Yoga Helps You Handle Trying Times in the New Year.”</u></a></p><p>Both of those are great!</p><p>But for now, I can give you some ways yoga specifically helps Type II diabetics manage their mental health better, which helps prevent those harmful eating patterns while also benefiting your glucose levels!</p><ul><li><div>Yoga for diabetics includes meditation, which reduces stress, relaxes muscles, and relieves tension, several things that specifically help diabetics feel better.</div></li><li><div>Hormones and chemicals such as serotonin, endorphins, and oxytocin are released into the body during yoga, which alters your mood in a positive way, preventing emotional eating.</div></li><li><div>The consistent practice of yoga is shown to cause physical changes to the brain, which have psychological side effects like more mental stability, the ability to handle stress better, and faster reactions to stimuli.</div></li></ul><p>Yoga <em>is</em> meditation. It’s not just a physical exercise. It’s a spiritual practice! But it doesn’t have to be related to religion. </p><p>Many people are hesitant to start a yoga practice because they’ve been led to believe it’s religion-based. I feel it’s important for everyone to understand that yoga <em>is</em> spiritual in the sense that it helps you become self-aware and more aware of the world around you. It teaches us how to bring harmony to our inner and outer world, how to be more compassionate, kind, and loving to ourselves <em>and</em> others.</p><p>And all of those things help us feel better mentally and physically! Which leads us to the last way that yoga helps diabetics.</p><h2>3. Yoga promotes physiological changes.</h2><p>What are physiological changes? Changes in the normal function of the human body. In this case, a regular therapeutic yoga practice for diabetics creates a whole multitude of positive changes in the body!</p><p>Let’s go over some of them:</p><ul><li><div>Yoga helps lower body weight and increases exercise tolerance (which means exercise gets easier faster and you can tolerate more sooner).</div></li><li><div>Yoga literally reduces triglycerides and free fatty acids in your blood, which reduces your bad cholesterol and improves heart health.</div></li><li><div>A regular yoga practice improves immunity and reduces inflammation – two huge factors that diabetics struggle with.</div></li><li><div>Therapeutic yoga for diabetics (specifically) increases insulin secretion and decreases insulin resistance! This means fewer insulin shots and less money spent on insulin for diabetics.</div></li><li><div>Yoga improves cardiac function and reduces the risk of cardiac events, one of the primary causes of sudden death in diabetic patients.</div></li><li><div>Regular yoga practice improves glycemic control without increasing your body weight. In fact, as discussed earlier, you’re likely to <em>lose</em> weight!</div></li></ul><p>Without going into all the technical, scientific jargon, suffice it to say that yoga changes your body at a cellular level. And because of that, the improvements listed above are, quite literally, <em>good</em> side effects!</p><p>Plus, who <em>doesn’t</em> want to lose weight, improve cholesterol levels, have better immunity, less inflammation, and a healthier heart?!</p><p>Everyone can benefit from yoga, but especially diabetics. Type II Diabetes is controllable, preventable, and curable. Without medication, even. But definitely consult your doctor before stopping any prescribed medications!</p><p>Are you diabetic? I’d love the opportunity to help you feel better, healthier, and more energetic! Check out my class, <a title=\"https://www.myyogateacher.com/group_classes/therapeutic-yoga-for-diabetes-by-neelmani\" href=\"https://www.myyogateacher.com/group_classes/therapeutic-yoga-for-diabetes-by-neelmani\"><u>Therapeutic Yoga for Diabetes</u></a> on myYogaTeacher. All are welcome there. <a title=\"https://www.myyogateacher.com/\" href=\"https://www.myyogateacher.com/\"><u>And if you haven’t grabbed your 2-week free trial of myYogaTeacher yet, you can do that here!</u></a></p><p>I hope to see you there!</p>"},"category":["yoga","restorative"],"utmCampaign":null,"utmMedium":null,"utmContent":null,"utmSource":null,"utmTerm":null,"utmSearchString":null,"imageHyperlink":[]},"loading":false,"blog_content":[{"type":"HTML","value":"<p>While Type I diabetes is often not preventable (and mostly due to genetics or environmental factors), Type II diabetes is running rampant in America. </p><p>As a matter of fact, 90-95% of people with diabetes have Type II.</p><p>Type II diabetes is preventable and even curable! And yoga is a natural and holistic way to do just that. </p><p>Because diabetes is the cause of secondary health issues like neuropathy, infections, immune problems, kidney issues, eye damage, and heart disease, I wanted to make sure all people had access to therapeutic yoga designed specifically for diabetics.</p><p>That’s why I started teaching a <a title=\"https://www.myyogateacher.com/group_classes/therapeutic-yoga-for-diabetes-by-neelmani\" href=\"https://www.myyogateacher.com/group_classes/therapeutic-yoga-for-diabetes-by-neelmani\"><u>Therapeutic Yoga for Diabetes class</u></a> on MyYogaTeacher! If you haven’t become an MYT member yet, I encourage you to<a\n class=\"inline-cta\"\n id=9ab1c5b6-cd0b-44e2-aa11-8165e81f9e58\n href=\"/free-trial-o?utm_source=MYT__article&utm_medium=cks7rb8y0066t0c80ah2xtwv8&utm_campaign=inline_cta&utm_content=CTA-INLINE&entity_name=Yoga For Diabetics: How Yoga Helps Cure and Prevent Type II Diabetes&entity_slug=yoga-for-diabetics&page_or_popup=/articles/yoga-for-diabetics&entity_location=hyperlink_midst_of_article&article_cta=CTA-INLINE&from_article_page=true\"\n onclick=trigger_mixpanel_sign_up_cta(\"9ab1c5b6-cd0b-44e2-aa11-8165e81f9e58\")\n title=\"https://www.myyogateacher.com/\" \n data-title=\"Yoga For Diabetics: How Yoga Helps Cure and Prevent Type II Diabetes\"\n data-slug=\"yoga-for-diabetics\"\n <u><u> take advantage of their 2-week free trial.</u></u> \n </a> You’ll have access to my class and 35+ other classes, one of which will surely meet your needs!</p><p>In the meantime, I felt it was important to discuss exactly how yoga helps cure and prevent this terrible disease.</p><h2>1. Yoga encourages behavioral changes</h2><p>Even though yoga is an ancient practice, it is just now starting to be recognized worldwide as a practical and applicable treatment for many types of illnesses, including Type II Diabetes.</p><p>While yoga is traditionally seen as a spiritual practice of enlightenment, it is, just as importantly, a practice of health management. Studies show that the mind-body connection that results from a regular yoga practice is directly linked to improved dietary lifestyles and medication compliance.</p><p>Yoga provides plenty of opportunities for self-awareness, reflection, and behavioral changes.</p><p>Also, the meditation aspect of therapeutic yoga for diabetics reduces mindless eating practices that occur when we’re stressed out, burnt out, or emotional. This is called mindful eating.</p><p>Stopping the cycles of emotional and binge eating is a huge part of healthy lifestyle changes, but especially crucial for Type II diabetics!</p><p>Mindful eating is proven to help people increase their intake of fruits and vegetables and take more notice of actual hunger cues versus eating out of boredom or stress. </p><p>A consistent yoga practice also improves discipline. Being more disciplined often carries over into other parts of life! Disciplined eaters focus more on food nutrition (eating to fuel your body) and less on random eating.</p><p>And because yoga meets you where you are, it’s an easy exercise for anyone to start at any age! Which means you are more likely to keep practicing it. Weight loss can be an effective treatment for Type II Diabetes. Yoga definitely helps with that!</p><h2>2. Yoga creates positive psychological changes.</h2><p>Earlier, I mentioned stress eating, boredom eating, and emotional eating. All of which are often harmful to your health.</p><p>If you haven’t read some of our other articles about how yoga affects your mental health, you might want to check out <a title=\"https://www.myyogateacher.com/articles/meditate-for-health\" href=\"https://www.myyogateacher.com/articles/meditate-for-health\"><u>“Five Ways Meditation Can Start Improving Your Life Right Now”</u></a> or <a title=\"https://www.myyogateacher.com/articles/how-yoga-helps-in-trying-times\" href=\"https://www.myyogateacher.com/articles/how-yoga-helps-in-trying-times\"><u>“How Yoga Helps You Handle Trying Times in the New Year.”</u></a></p><p>Both of those are great!</p><p>But for now, I can give you some ways yoga specifically helps Type II diabetics manage their mental health better, which helps prevent those harmful eating patterns while also benefiting your glucose levels!</p><ul><li><div>Yoga for diabetics includes meditation, which reduces stress, relaxes muscles, and relieves tension, several things that specifically help diabetics feel better.</div></li><li><div>Hormones and chemicals such as serotonin, endorphins, and oxytocin are released into the body during yoga, which alters your mood in a positive way, preventing emotional eating.</div></li><li><div>The consistent practice of yoga is shown to cause physical changes to the brain, which have psychological side effects like more mental stability, the ability to handle stress better, and faster reactions to stimuli.</div></li></ul><p>Yoga <em>is</em> meditation. It’s not just a physical exercise. It’s a spiritual practice! But it doesn’t have to be related to religion. </p><p>Many people are hesitant to start a yoga practice because they’ve been led to believe it’s religion-based. I feel it’s important for everyone to understand that yoga <em>is</em> spiritual in the sense that it helps you become self-aware and more aware of the world around you. It teaches us how to bring harmony to our inner and outer world, how to be more compassionate, kind, and loving to ourselves <em>and</em> others.</p><p>And all of those things help us feel better mentally and physically! Which leads us to the last way that yoga helps diabetics.</p><h2>3. Yoga promotes physiological changes.</h2><p>What are physiological changes? Changes in the normal function of the human body. In this case, a regular therapeutic yoga practice for diabetics creates a whole multitude of positive changes in the body!</p><p>Let’s go over some of them:</p><ul><li><div>Yoga helps lower body weight and increases exercise tolerance (which means exercise gets easier faster and you can tolerate more sooner).</div></li><li><div>Yoga literally reduces triglycerides and free fatty acids in your blood, which reduces your bad cholesterol and improves heart health.</div></li><li><div>A regular yoga practice improves immunity and reduces inflammation – two huge factors that diabetics struggle with.</div></li><li><div>Therapeutic yoga for diabetics (specifically) increases insulin secretion and decreases insulin resistance! This means fewer insulin shots and less money spent on insulin for diabetics.</div></li><li><div>Yoga improves cardiac function and reduces the risk of cardiac events, one of the primary causes of sudden death in diabetic patients.</div></li><li><div>Regular yoga practice improves glycemic control without increasing your body weight. In fact, as discussed earlier, you’re likely to <em>lose</em> weight!</div></li></ul><p>Without going into all the technical, scientific jargon, suffice it to say that yoga changes your body at a cellular level. And because of that, the improvements listed above are, quite literally, <em>good</em> side effects!</p><p>Plus, who <em>doesn’t</em> want to lose weight, improve cholesterol levels, have better immunity, less inflammation, and a healthier heart?!</p><p>Everyone can benefit from yoga, but especially diabetics. Type II Diabetes is controllable, preventable, and curable. Without medication, even. But definitely consult your doctor before stopping any prescribed medications!</p><p>Are you diabetic? I’d love the opportunity to help you feel better, healthier, and more energetic! Check out my class, <a title=\"https://www.myyogateacher.com/group_classes/therapeutic-yoga-for-diabetes-by-neelmani\" href=\"https://www.myyogateacher.com/group_classes/therapeutic-yoga-for-diabetes-by-neelmani\"><u>Therapeutic Yoga for Diabetes</u></a> on myYogaTeacher. All are welcome there. <a\n class=\"inline-cta\"\n id=d85e50f4-3041-45b5-a6e6-384fbd350998\n href=\"/free-trial-o?utm_source=MYT__article&utm_medium=cks7rb8y0066t0c80ah2xtwv8&utm_campaign=inline_cta&utm_content=CTA-INLINE&entity_name=Yoga For Diabetics: How Yoga Helps Cure and Prevent Type II Diabetes&entity_slug=yoga-for-diabetics&page_or_popup=/articles/yoga-for-diabetics&entity_location=hyperlink_midst_of_article&article_cta=CTA-INLINE&from_article_page=true\"\n onclick=trigger_mixpanel_sign_up_cta(\"d85e50f4-3041-45b5-a6e6-384fbd350998\")\n title=\"https://www.myyogateacher.com/\" \n data-title=\"Yoga For Diabetics: How Yoga Helps Cure and Prevent Type II Diabetes\"\n data-slug=\"yoga-for-diabetics\"\n <u><u>And if you haven’t grabbed your 2-week free trial of myYogaTeacher yet, you can do that here!</u></u> \n </a></p><p>I hope to see you there!</p>"},{"type":"CTA","value":"[CTA-DEFAULT]"}],"isSlugACategory":false,"searchCategory":"yoga-for-diabetics","showPopUp":false,"popUpType":null,"showedPopup":false,"windowWidth":null,"ctaPath":"free-trial-o","redirectURL":"#","ctaContent":[{"id":"ckxrz2i14tov40c25g1dpicsg","name":"[CTA-DEFAULT]","description":{"html":"<p><strong>Get 2 free private yoga sessions and 2 weeks of unlimited group classes</strong> with authentic yoga teachers. No credit card required when you sign up today!</p>"},"title":{"html":"<p><strong>Online Yoga Classes – </strong><u><strong>Live & Interactive</strong></u></p>"},"linkText":"Start Free Trial","linkUrl":"https://www.myyogateacher.com/signup"},{"id":"ckxrz37hsu0cj0a76mgb4594m","name":"[CTA-FREECLASS]","description":{"html":"<p><strong>Get 2 free private yoga sessions and 2 weeks of unlimited group classes</strong> with authentic yoga teachers. No credit card required when you sign up today!</p>"},"title":{"html":"<p><strong>Online Yoga Classes – </strong><u><strong>Live & Interactive</strong></u></p>"},"linkText":"Start Free Trial","linkUrl":"https://www.myyogateacher.com/signup"},{"id":"ckxrz4d5stsye0b75dtlx1w0n","name":"[CTA-TRENDS]","description":{"html":"<p>Get ahead of the next trend and practice with authentic Indian yoga teachers! Sign up today and <strong>get 2 free private yoga sessions PLUS 2 weeks of unlimited group classes</strong>. No credit card required when you sign up today!</p>"},"title":{"html":"<p><strong>Online Yoga Sessions – </strong><u><strong>Live & Interactive</strong></u></p><p><strong>Practice with Authentic Indian Yoga Teachers</strong></p><p></p>"},"linkText":"Start Free Trial","linkUrl":"https://www.myyogateacher.com/signup"},{"id":"ckxrz6nq0tqdr0c258titvagg","name":"[CTA-REVIEWS]","description":{"html":"<p>Find out what all the hype is about! <strong>Get 2 free private yoga sessions and 2 weeks of unlimited group classes</strong> with authentic yoga teachers. No credit card required when you sign up today!</p>"},"title":{"html":"<p><strong>Online Yoga Sessions – </strong><u><strong>Live & Interactive</strong></u></p><p><strong>103,478 Happy Students & 12,086 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reviews</strong></p><p></p>"},"linkText":"Start Free Trial","linkUrl":"https://www.myyogateacher.com/signup"},{"id":"ckxrz7nzktu400b752fym6wpw","name":"[CTA-HATHA]","description":{"html":"<p><strong>Get 2 free private hatha yoga sessions and 2 weeks of unlimited group classes </strong>(including tons of daily Hatha yoga classes). No credit card required when you sign up today!</p>"},"title":{"html":"<p><strong>Online Hatha Yoga Sessions – </strong><u><strong>Live & Interactive</strong></u></p><p><strong>with Authentic Indian Teachers</strong></p><p></p>"},"linkText":"Start Free Trial","linkUrl":"https://www.myyogateacher.com/signup"},{"id":"cky90p88g3zgc0d23yz6taont","name":"[CTA-NASAL]","description":{"html":"<p><strong>Get 2 free private sessions </strong>to relieve post nasal drip and clear out your sinus. </p><p><strong>PLUS, 2 weeks of unlimited group classes </strong>with authentic Indian yoga teachers. No credit card required when you sign up today!</p>"},"title":{"html":"<p><strong>Online Yoga Sessions – </strong><u><strong>Live & Interactive</strong></u></p><p><strong>Relieve Post Nasal Drip & Clear Your Sinus Today!</strong></p><p></p>"},"linkText":"Start Free Trial","linkUrl":"https://www.myyogateacher.com/signup"},{"id":"ckyirvl8g25ce0c70cldmca2g","name":"[CTA-TRATAKA]","description":{"html":"<p><strong>Get 2 free private sessions </strong>with experienced Trataka teachers. </p><p><strong>PLUS, 2 weeks of unlimited group classes </strong>(like ‘Candle Gazing Meditation) with authentic yoga teachers. No credit card required when you sign up today!</p>"},"title":{"html":"<p><strong>Online Yoga Sessions – </strong><u><strong>Live & Interactive</strong></u></p><p><strong>Learn Trataka (Candle Gazing) Meditation Today!</strong></p><p></p>"},"linkText":"Start Free Trial","linkUrl":"https://www.myyogateacher.com/signup"},{"id":"ckyisqh482ck60b79rp1r1jcg","name":"[CTA-YIN]","description":{"html":"<p><strong>Get 2 free private yoga sessions</strong>, work with an experienced yoga therapist to reduce (and even eliminate) your back pain. <strong>PLUS 2 weeks of unlimited group classes </strong>(like ‘Yoga for Back Pain’) with authentic yoga teachers. No credit card required when you sign up today!</p>"},"title":{"html":"<p><strong>Online Yoga Therapy – </strong><u><strong>Live & Interactive</strong></u></p><p><strong>Relieve Back Pain Safely & Effectively Today!</strong></p><p></p>"},"linkText":"Start Free Trial","linkUrl":"https://www.myyogateacher.com/signup"},{"id":"ckyitki4w2liz0b30tqpzhy4i","name":"[CTA-KRIYA]","description":{"html":"<p><strong>Get 2 free private yoga sessions </strong>for Kriya Yoga, Pranayama, and Meditation <strong>and 2 weeks of unlimited group classes </strong>with authentic yoga teachers. No credit card required when you sign up today!</p>"},"title":{"html":"<p><strong>Online Yoga Classes – </strong><u><strong>Live & Interactive</strong></u></p><p><strong>Practice Kriya, Pranayama, and Meditation Today!</strong></p>"},"linkText":"Start Free Trial","linkUrl":"https://www.myyogateacher.com/signup"},{"id":"ckyitxgyg2pot0b79lu1fcpp1","name":"[CTA-BREATH]","description":{"html":"<p><strong>Get 2 free private yoga sessions </strong>for yogic breathing techniques (pranayama) and <strong>2 weeks of unlimited group classes</strong>, like ‘Stretch and Breathe’, ‘Kriya, Pranayama, and Meditation’, and many others. No credit card required when you sign up today!</p>"},"title":{"html":"<p><strong>Online Yoga Sessions – </strong><u><strong>Live & Interactive</strong></u></p><p><strong> Learn Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced Pranayama!</strong></p>"},"linkText":"Start Free Trial","linkUrl":"https://www.myyogateacher.com/signup"},{"id":"ckykb6i2o1o7f0b368s1m7qow","name":"[CTA-LYMPHATIC]","description":{"html":"<p><strong>Get 2 free private yoga sessions</strong> for lymphatic drainage & immunity enhancement. <strong>PLUS 2 weeks of unlimited group yoga classes</strong> (including daily yin-yoga) when you sign up today! No credit card required to sign up.</p><p></p>"},"title":{"html":"<p><strong>Online Yoga Sessions – </strong><u><strong>Live & Interactive</strong></u></p><p><strong>for Lymphatic Drainage & Boosting Your Immune System!</strong></p>"},"linkText":"Start Free Trial","linkUrl":"https://www.myyogateacher.com/signup"},{"id":"cl2vqlpyfe3yh0biohgxyx2hg","name":"[CTA-LEAD]","description":{"html":"<p>Lead Form</p>"},"title":{"html":"<p>Lead Form</p>"},"linkText":"Start Free Trial","linkUrl":"https://www.myyogateacher.com/signup"},{"id":"cl4gnwnrlga640ck37gutx7sn","name":"[CTA-GC]","description":{"html":"<p>CTA-GC</p>"},"title":{"html":"<p>CTA-GC</p>"},"linkText":"Start Free Trial","linkUrl":"https://www.myyogateacher.com/signup"}],"post":{"id":"cks7rb8y0066t0c80ah2xtwv8","slug":"yoga-for-diabetics","author":{"name":"Neelmani","teacherMytSlug":null,"pictureUrl":null},"title":"Yoga For Diabetics: How Yoga Helps Cure and Prevent Type II Diabetes","createdAt":"2021-08-11T17:18:45.258817+00:00","updatedAt":"2022-08-01T06:48:40.339313+00:00","coverUrl":"uwnz0l1sgdmmxmggwzjd.jpg","seoDescription":"There is definitely yoga for diabetics! If you are a diabetic, explore how yoga benefits diabetics like you in this post!","content":{"text":"While Type I diabetes is often not preventable (and mostly due to genetics or environmental factors), Type II diabetes is running rampant in America. \\nAs a matter of fact, 90-95% of people with diabetes have Type II.\\nType II diabetes is preventable and even curable! And yoga is a natural and holistic way to do just that. \\nBecause diabetes is the cause of secondary health issues like neuropathy, infections, immune problems, kidney issues, eye damage, and heart disease, I wanted to make sure all people had access to therapeutic yoga designed specifically for diabetics.\\nThat’s why I started teaching a \\nTherapeutic Yoga for Diabetes class\\n on MyYogaTeacher! If you haven’t become an MYT member yet, I encourage you to\\n take advantage of their 2-week free trial.\\n You’ll have access to my class and 35+ other classes, one of which will surely meet your needs!\\nIn the meantime, I felt it was important to discuss exactly how yoga helps cure and prevent this terrible disease.\\n1. Yoga encourages behavioral changes\\nEven though yoga is an ancient practice, it is just now starting to be recognized worldwide as a practical and applicable treatment for many types of illnesses, including Type II Diabetes.\\nWhile yoga is traditionally seen as a spiritual practice of enlightenment, it is, just as importantly, a practice of health management. Studies show that the mind-body connection that results from a regular yoga practice is directly linked to improved dietary lifestyles and medication compliance.\\nYoga provides plenty of opportunities for self-awareness, reflection, and behavioral changes.\\nAlso, the meditation aspect of therapeutic yoga for diabetics reduces mindless eating practices that occur when we’re stressed out, burnt out, or emotional. This is called mindful eating.\\nStopping the cycles of emotional and binge eating is a huge part of healthy lifestyle changes, but especially crucial for Type II diabetics!\\nMindful eating is proven to help people increase their intake of fruits and vegetables and take more notice of actual hunger cues versus eating out of boredom or stress. \\nA consistent yoga practice also improves discipline. Being more disciplined often carries over into other parts of life! Disciplined eaters focus more on food nutrition (eating to fuel your body) and less on random eating.\\nAnd because yoga meets you where you are, it’s an easy exercise for anyone to start at any age! Which means you are more likely to keep practicing it. Weight loss can be an effective treatment for Type II Diabetes. Yoga definitely helps with that!\\n2. Yoga creates positive psychological changes.\\nEarlier, I mentioned stress eating, boredom eating, and emotional eating. All of which are often harmful to your health.\\nIf you haven’t read some of our other articles about how yoga affects your mental health, you might want to check out \\n“Five Ways Meditation Can Start Improving Your Life Right Now”\\n or \\n“How Yoga Helps You Handle Trying Times in the New Year.”\\n\\nBoth of those are great!\\nBut for now, I can give you some ways yoga specifically helps Type II diabetics manage their mental health better, which helps prevent those harmful eating patterns while also benefiting your glucose levels!\\nYoga for diabetics includes meditation, which reduces stress, relaxes muscles, and relieves tension, several things that specifically help diabetics feel better.\\nHormones and chemicals such as serotonin, endorphins, and oxytocin are released into the body during yoga, which alters your mood in a positive way, preventing emotional eating.\\nThe consistent practice of yoga is shown to cause physical changes to the brain, which have psychological side effects like more mental stability, the ability to handle stress better, and faster reactions to stimuli.\\nYoga \\nis\\n meditation. It’s not just a physical exercise. It’s a spiritual practice! But it doesn’t have to be related to religion. \\nMany people are hesitant to start a yoga practice because they’ve been led to believe it’s religion-based. I feel it’s important for everyone to understand that yoga \\nis\\n spiritual in the sense that it helps you become self-aware and more aware of the world around you. It teaches us how to bring harmony to our inner and outer world, how to be more compassionate, kind, and loving to ourselves \\nand\\n others.\\nAnd all of those things help us feel better mentally and physically! Which leads us to the last way that yoga helps diabetics.\\n3. Yoga promotes physiological changes.\\nWhat are physiological changes? Changes in the normal function of the human body. In this case, a regular therapeutic yoga practice for diabetics creates a whole multitude of positive changes in the body!\\nLet’s go over some of them:\\nYoga helps lower body weight and increases exercise tolerance (which means exercise gets easier faster and you can tolerate more sooner).\\nYoga literally reduces triglycerides and free fatty acids in your blood, which reduces your bad cholesterol and improves heart health.\\nA regular yoga practice improves immunity and reduces inflammation – two huge factors that diabetics struggle with.\\nTherapeutic yoga for diabetics (specifically) increases insulin secretion and decreases insulin resistance! This means fewer insulin shots and less money spent on insulin for diabetics.\\nYoga improves cardiac function and reduces the risk of cardiac events, one of the primary causes of sudden death in diabetic patients.\\nRegular yoga practice improves glycemic control without increasing your body weight. In fact, as discussed earlier, you’re likely to \\nlose\\n weight!\\nWithout going into all the technical, scientific jargon, suffice it to say that yoga changes your body at a cellular level. And because of that, the improvements listed above are, quite literally, \\ngood\\n side effects!\\nPlus, who \\ndoesn’t\\n want to lose weight, improve cholesterol levels, have better immunity, less inflammation, and a healthier heart?!\\nEveryone can benefit from yoga, but especially diabetics. Type II Diabetes is controllable, preventable, and curable. Without medication, even. But definitely consult your doctor before stopping any prescribed medications!\\nAre you diabetic? I’d love the opportunity to help you feel better, healthier, and more energetic! Check out my class, \\nTherapeutic Yoga for Diabetes\\n on myYogaTeacher. All are welcome there. \\nAnd if you haven’t grabbed your 2-week free trial of myYogaTeacher yet, you can do that here!\\n\\nI hope to see you there!","html":"<p>While Type I diabetes is often not preventable (and mostly due to genetics or environmental factors), Type II diabetes is running rampant in America. </p><p>As a matter of fact, 90-95% of people with diabetes have Type II.</p><p>Type II diabetes is preventable and even curable! And yoga is a natural and holistic way to do just that. </p><p>Because diabetes is the cause of secondary health issues like neuropathy, infections, immune problems, kidney issues, eye damage, and heart disease, I wanted to make sure all people had access to therapeutic yoga designed specifically for diabetics.</p><p>That’s why I started teaching a <a title=\"https://www.myyogateacher.com/group_classes/therapeutic-yoga-for-diabetes-by-neelmani\" href=\"https://www.myyogateacher.com/group_classes/therapeutic-yoga-for-diabetes-by-neelmani\"><u>Therapeutic Yoga for Diabetes class</u></a> on MyYogaTeacher! If you haven’t become an MYT member yet, I encourage you to<a title=\"https://www.myyogateacher.com/\" href=\"https://www.myyogateacher.com/\"><u> take advantage of their 2-week free trial.</u></a> You’ll have access to my class and 35+ other classes, one of which will surely meet your needs!</p><p>In the meantime, I felt it was important to discuss exactly how yoga helps cure and prevent this terrible disease.</p><h2>1. Yoga encourages behavioral changes</h2><p>Even though yoga is an ancient practice, it is just now starting to be recognized worldwide as a practical and applicable treatment for many types of illnesses, including Type II Diabetes.</p><p>While yoga is traditionally seen as a spiritual practice of enlightenment, it is, just as importantly, a practice of health management. Studies show that the mind-body connection that results from a regular yoga practice is directly linked to improved dietary lifestyles and medication compliance.</p><p>Yoga provides plenty of opportunities for self-awareness, reflection, and behavioral changes.</p><p>Also, the meditation aspect of therapeutic yoga for diabetics reduces mindless eating practices that occur when we’re stressed out, burnt out, or emotional. This is called mindful eating.</p><p>Stopping the cycles of emotional and binge eating is a huge part of healthy lifestyle changes, but especially crucial for Type II diabetics!</p><p>Mindful eating is proven to help people increase their intake of fruits and vegetables and take more notice of actual hunger cues versus eating out of boredom or stress. </p><p>A consistent yoga practice also improves discipline. Being more disciplined often carries over into other parts of life! Disciplined eaters focus more on food nutrition (eating to fuel your body) and less on random eating.</p><p>And because yoga meets you where you are, it’s an easy exercise for anyone to start at any age! Which means you are more likely to keep practicing it. Weight loss can be an effective treatment for Type II Diabetes. Yoga definitely helps with that!</p><h2>2. Yoga creates positive psychological changes.</h2><p>Earlier, I mentioned stress eating, boredom eating, and emotional eating. All of which are often harmful to your health.</p><p>If you haven’t read some of our other articles about how yoga affects your mental health, you might want to check out <a title=\"https://www.myyogateacher.com/articles/meditate-for-health\" href=\"https://www.myyogateacher.com/articles/meditate-for-health\"><u>“Five Ways Meditation Can Start Improving Your Life Right Now”</u></a> or <a title=\"https://www.myyogateacher.com/articles/how-yoga-helps-in-trying-times\" href=\"https://www.myyogateacher.com/articles/how-yoga-helps-in-trying-times\"><u>“How Yoga Helps You Handle Trying Times in the New Year.”</u></a></p><p>Both of those are great!</p><p>But for now, I can give you some ways yoga specifically helps Type II diabetics manage their mental health better, which helps prevent those harmful eating patterns while also benefiting your glucose levels!</p><ul><li><div>Yoga for diabetics includes meditation, which reduces stress, relaxes muscles, and relieves tension, several things that specifically help diabetics feel better.</div></li><li><div>Hormones and chemicals such as serotonin, endorphins, and oxytocin are released into the body during yoga, which alters your mood in a positive way, preventing emotional eating.</div></li><li><div>The consistent practice of yoga is shown to cause physical changes to the brain, which have psychological side effects like more mental stability, the ability to handle stress better, and faster reactions to stimuli.</div></li></ul><p>Yoga <em>is</em> meditation. It’s not just a physical exercise. It’s a spiritual practice! But it doesn’t have to be related to religion. </p><p>Many people are hesitant to start a yoga practice because they’ve been led to believe it’s religion-based. I feel it’s important for everyone to understand that yoga <em>is</em> spiritual in the sense that it helps you become self-aware and more aware of the world around you. It teaches us how to bring harmony to our inner and outer world, how to be more compassionate, kind, and loving to ourselves <em>and</em> others.</p><p>And all of those things help us feel better mentally and physically! Which leads us to the last way that yoga helps diabetics.</p><h2>3. Yoga promotes physiological changes.</h2><p>What are physiological changes? Changes in the normal function of the human body. In this case, a regular therapeutic yoga practice for diabetics creates a whole multitude of positive changes in the body!</p><p>Let’s go over some of them:</p><ul><li><div>Yoga helps lower body weight and increases exercise tolerance (which means exercise gets easier faster and you can tolerate more sooner).</div></li><li><div>Yoga literally reduces triglycerides and free fatty acids in your blood, which reduces your bad cholesterol and improves heart health.</div></li><li><div>A regular yoga practice improves immunity and reduces inflammation – two huge factors that diabetics struggle with.</div></li><li><div>Therapeutic yoga for diabetics (specifically) increases insulin secretion and decreases insulin resistance! This means fewer insulin shots and less money spent on insulin for diabetics.</div></li><li><div>Yoga improves cardiac function and reduces the risk of cardiac events, one of the primary causes of sudden death in diabetic patients.</div></li><li><div>Regular yoga practice improves glycemic control without increasing your body weight. In fact, as discussed earlier, you’re likely to <em>lose</em> weight!</div></li></ul><p>Without going into all the technical, scientific jargon, suffice it to say that yoga changes your body at a cellular level. And because of that, the improvements listed above are, quite literally, <em>good</em> side effects!</p><p>Plus, who <em>doesn’t</em> want to lose weight, improve cholesterol levels, have better immunity, less inflammation, and a healthier heart?!</p><p>Everyone can benefit from yoga, but especially diabetics. Type II Diabetes is controllable, preventable, and curable. Without medication, even. But definitely consult your doctor before stopping any prescribed medications!</p><p>Are you diabetic? I’d love the opportunity to help you feel better, healthier, and more energetic! Check out my class, <a title=\"https://www.myyogateacher.com/group_classes/therapeutic-yoga-for-diabetes-by-neelmani\" href=\"https://www.myyogateacher.com/group_classes/therapeutic-yoga-for-diabetes-by-neelmani\"><u>Therapeutic Yoga for Diabetes</u></a> on myYogaTeacher. All are welcome there. <a title=\"https://www.myyogateacher.com/\" href=\"https://www.myyogateacher.com/\"><u>And if you haven’t grabbed your 2-week free trial of myYogaTeacher yet, you can do that here!</u></a></p><p>I hope to see you there!</p>"},"category":["yoga","restorative"],"utmCampaign":null,"utmMedium":null,"utmContent":null,"utmSource":null,"utmTerm":null,"utmSearchString":null,"imageHyperlink":[]},"recommendations_group_class":[{"session_uuid":"d571ea70-4753-4ce9-aca7-72dd7f2ac2eb","student_uuid":"161db905-837f-4e96-8223-b3b117f40f74","teacher_uuid":"1ce0e0c3-33bc-485f-a494-06bfff3b7dda","teacher_name":"Bodhi Abhishek Singh","teacher_first_name":"Bodhi ","teacher_slug":"abhishek-2","teacher_photo":"https://res.cloudinary.com/dgerdfai4/image/upload/v1658148568/teacher/photos/yhazvsmbnlhpnj7n3zfd.jpg","group_session_name":"Vinyasa Yoga","group_session_description":"Vinyasa yoga connects each yoga pose to the next through a series of movements. 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