yogastretchandmove.com
Yoga for Self-Care and Diabetes Management
Dana Halkowski, MBA, MS, C-IAYT, RYT-500
Clinical Supervisor, Maryland University of Integrative Health Owner, Yoga Stretch and Move, LLC
Background
• Yoga practitioner for over 30 years
• Yoga instructor for 9 years
• Master of Science in yoga therapy from the Maryland University of Integrative Health
• Family history of Type 2 Diabetes
• Clinical Supervisor at the Maryland University of Integrative Health
• Owner of Yoga Stretch and Move, LLC
Yoga is…
Yoga is poses, meditation, breathing practices, and yogic principles like non-harming/self-care,
truthfulness, contentment, self-discipline, self-study, cleanliness, surrender/acceptance, non-stealing, moderation, and non-grasping.
Evidence-Informed Yoga
“Yoga therapy is the process of empowering individuals to progress toward improved health and well- being through the application of the teachings and practices of Yoga.” (International Association of Yoga Therapists, 2019)
Randomized and nonrandomized control trials provide evidence to support the use of yoga in the management and treatment of various chronic conditions.
More specifically, research supports using evidence-informed yoga and traditional medical treatment in the management of T2DM.
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This Photo by Unknown Author is
yogastretchandmove.com
Yoga and Diabetes Research
Yoga-Based Practices and T2DM Management
In a 2016 systematic review of literature1, researchers analyzed findings from 25 controlled trials that examined the use of yoga and its effect on various aspects of T2DM.
Collectively, these findings suggest that “yoga-based practices (along with standard medical treatment) may have significant beneficial effects on multiple factors important in DM2 management including:
• Glycemic control
• Insulin resistance
• Lipid profiles
• Body composition
• Blood pressure.”
“More limited data suggest that yoga may also:
• Lower oxidative stress
• Decrease sympathetic activation
• Improve nervous system function
• Enhance pulmonary performance
• Enhance mood, sleep, and quality of life…”
Controls groups included “Waitlist/no treatment, standard care (only medication or medication and a special diet or exercise) and/or group education, or a comprehensive conventional exercise program.”
The systematic review of literature included findings from 13 nonrandomized, and 12 randomized trials with 2, 170 participants.
1Kim E. Innes, Terry Kit Selfe, "Yoga for Adults with Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review of Controlled Trials", Journal of Diabetes Research, vol. 2016, Article ID 6979370, 23 pages, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/6979370
yogastretchandmove.com The Effect of Yoga Practice on Health Parameters in the Prediabetic State
In a 2019 systematic review and meta-analysis2, researchers analyzed findings from 14 studies.
Compared to controls (stretching, physical exercise, education, dietary intervention, or waitlist), yoga intervention improved:
• fasting blood glucose (FBG)
• low density lipoprotein (LDL)
• triglycerides
• total cholesterol
• systolic blood pressure
“These results suggest that yoga intervention could be considered as an effective alternate treatment or lifestyle therapy for people who are under high risk of (developing) T2DM.”
The systemic review and meta-analysisincluded 12 randomized control trials and 2 non-randomized control trials with 834 participants.
2 Ramamoorthi, R., Gahreman, D., Skinner, T., & Moss, S. (2019). The effect of yoga practice on glycemic control and other health parameters in the prediabetic state: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PloS one, 14(10), e0221067.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0221067
For today’s practice
• Pain vs. sensation-If a pose causes pain in a joint,
stop or adjust. If you feel a sensation in a muscle, it may just be strengthening.
• Listen to your body. If something doesn’t feel right, stop.
• Most of the movements and poses will be in a chair with some optional standing.
• This is not synchronized yoga-do what feels right for you.
•
And, as always, follow your doctor’s guidelines regarding exercise and movement.
yogastretchandmove.com Yoga for Self-Care and Diabetes Management
Meditation on the breath This meditation encourages recognition of the effects of the breath throughout the body.
(Sullivan, p. 223-224) Joint freeing series:
Nose circles Shoulder shrugs Cat/cow with arms
Straight arm rotation across midline with arc Forward fold
Barrel rolls
Knee to chest/chest to knee
Straight leg lifts/ankle and wrist circles
Straight leg lifts/ankle and wrist point and flex The following poses can be done standing or seated:
Heel lifts Weight shifts Single leg balance Warrior 1
Warrior 2
Extended side angle Down dog
Closing-done seated Straight leg reach Energy pull and push Breathing ball
Individuals with type 2 diabetes may experience limited joint mobility. (Aoki, et al., 1993)
Moving joints helps with mobility.
Asana (yoga poses) that stimulate the area around the adrenal glands and pancreas can be useful. Also beneficial are movements that stimulate the peripheral tissues, “activating the nourishing and cleansing function of circulation in order to facilitate the utilization of glucose.”
(Kraftsow, pg. 259)
Loving kindness meditation This type of meditation “strengthens neural pathways that promote positive mental states”
(Sullivan, pg. 207)
Aoki, Y., Yazaki, K., Shirotori, K., Yanagisawa, Y., Oguchi, H., Kiyosawa, K., & Furuta, S. (1993). Stiffening of connective tissue in elderly diabetic patients: relevance to diabetic nephropathy and oxidative stress. Diabetologia, 36(1), 79-83.
Kraftsow, G. (1999) Yoga for Wellness: Healing with the Timeless Teachings of Viniyoga (p.259). Penguin Compass, New York, NY.
Sullivan, M. (2019) Understanding Yoga Therapy: Applied philosophy and science for health and well-being.
