A corporate executive in her early 50s, who had diabetes for ten years, came to meet me. Pressures of work with little time for self-care, she had settled down to living with diabetes and its disquieting effects on her vital organs, like the heart, kidney and eyes. It was a chance reference by a friend that brought her to yoga classes. She made it clear that she did not want to give up eating non-vegetarian food and was looking to control diabetes without too many diet restrictions. She, however, agreed to cut down on cakes and pastries. I have had experience of people’s diabetes coming down drastically with some specific asanas. Yoga, coupled with some diet restrictions and body cleansing, can bring down levels of medication and in some cases also cure diabetes. When she started yoga, her blood reports, dated September 2, 2015, showed 171 fasting and 279 post-fasting sugar levels. She did yoga regularly four times a week and her reports of April 6, 2016, had come down to 126 fasting and 176 post-fasting. She continues and today the doctor has discontinued her medicines. She joined the regular group practice and I only took care to see that besides everything else that the group was doing, like Suryanamaskar, she did a few extra twisting asanas which contribute in activating and regulating the pancreas. Below are some of the twisting asanas which help control diabetes. A yoga practitioner must include these along with other asanas which involve the four movements of the spine, that is forward, backward, sideways and twisting, most of which also address all other systems of the body like digestion, nervous system and the endocrine system. TWISTING ASANAS Triyak Bhujang asana: Most people are familiar with Bhujang asana or the cobra pose. Here we couple that asana with body twisting. Besides manipulating the spine, nervous system, this asana again twists the stomach area, thus working on the pancreas. Lie down on your stomach. Place your feet about two feet apart, resting on your toes. Place your palms flat a little away from the body along the shoulders with elbows close to the body. Take a deep breath and raise your body up to your navel, keeping your head straight and not thrown back. As you breathe out, twist your body to the right so that you can see your left leg heel over your shoulder. Inhale, come back to the centre and do the same, twisting the left side of the body, looking over your shoulder at the right heel. This administers a full body twist. This is one round. Do five rounds. 2. Meru Vakrasana asana: This is a spine twisting asana which, besides activating the pancreas, also regulates the entire digestive system and helps burn the excess fat around the belly. Sit on the floor with legs stretched out. Relax, keep the spine straight and breathe normally. Place the palms on the side of the buttocks, pointing outwards and slightly backwards. Bring the left hand to the right and place the left palm next to the right palm. Fold your right leg and place the right foot on the other side of the left knee. Inhale deep and as you exhale, place both palms just behind your left hip, thus twisting your spine and stomach area. Maintain this position in exhalation as long as you can. When you inhale, come back to the starting position. You may after some practice, in the final position, do rapid inhalation and exhalation. This gives a good massage to the stomach area. Repeat the same with the left leg folded and twisting to the right side of the body. Both sides make one round. Do five rounds. 3. Purna Matsyendra asana: This is the full spinal twist. Sit with legs stretched out. Cross the right leg over the left leg and place the right foot next to the left knee. Then fold your leg and place it under the left buttock. Take your left hand from behind your right knee and reach out to the right foot and if possible, hold your right foot, curling your finger under the foot. Circle your right hand around the waist and as you exhale, twist your whole body to the right side. With inhalation, come back to the starting position. Repeat the same with the left side. Both sides make one round. Do five rounds. 4. Shav Udarkarshasana: This is also known as the universal spinal twist. Lie on your back with your legs and feet together. Stretch out your arms to the sides, place palms on the ground. Bend the right knee and place the sole of the right foot next to the left knee cap. Grab your right knee with your left hand. Then slowly bring the right knee down towards the floor on the left side of your body. Turn your head to the right and look at your right hand, while not moving your shoulders from the mat. Then slowly come back to the starting position. The other asanas which are good for diabetes include the following: 1. Supta Vajrasana: Sit in Vajrasana with heels pointing outwards and your toes touching. With your body upright, rest your hands on the thighs. Breathing normally, place the hands on the floor beside the buttocks. Bend the elbows and slowly lean the body back until the elbows rest on the floor. Lower the head backward until the top of the head touches the floor. Bring palms together in front of the chest and hold the posture. With the help of the elbows, slowly return to the starting position. 2. Paschimottanasana: This is a back-stretching pose. Sit relaxed with your legs stretched out and hands by the side of the body. Inhale and stretch your arms up and as you exhale, bend your trunk forward with the head moving towards your knee. Once you reach the final position, relax, then inhale and get back to the starting position of arms raised over your head. Lower them down beside your body while exhaling. Do five rounds. 3. Shalabhasana: This is the locust pose. Lie on the stomach in a prone position, chin on mat, legs stretched full length. Rest the arms by the sides, palms down. Exhale, raise the right leg as high as possible without lifting the hips and ensuring the left leg is firmly on the ground. Maintain this pose for six seconds, suspending the breath. Then return to starting position. 4. Naukasana: This asana is done lying on your back as the name indicates. Get your body in a boat shape by exhaling and raising your legs, head and arms about 45 degrees up. This manipulates the leg and arm muscles but is most effective in building a strong core and reducing all excess fat in the belly. After this, do the Shavasana and do the Yoga nidra once a week. Your Pranayama routine should be Anulom Vilom, Ujjai and Brahmari. End with any chant as per your faith and leanings. (Kamini Bobde is a Kundalini practitioner who follows the Swami Satyananda Saraswati tradition of yoga. She is the author of Kundalini Yoga for All: Unlock the Power of Your Body and Brain. Published by Penguin)
