Chances are you or someone you know have type 2 diabetes. That’s because more than 38 million Americans have diabetes (about 1 in 10), and about 90% to 95% of them have type 2 diabetes. There is no cure, but maintaining an active lifestyle and healthy eating are key to managing this condition. And in the past two decades, many studies have shown that a regular yoga practice can be extremely beneficial in the management of type 2 diabetes.

Living With Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is a condition where the body has trouble using sugar, also called blood glucose, as fuel. This means there is too much sugar in the blood. Over time, high blood sugar can cause problems with your heart, nerves, and immune system. There’s no cure for type 2 diabetes, but you can manage it by losing weight, eating healthy, and exercising. Sometimes, you might need medicine or insulin therapy to help control your blood sugar.

There are two main issues in type 2 diabetes:

1. The pancreas doesn’t make enough insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps sugar get into cells.
2. The cells don’t respond well to insulin, so they take in less sugar.

People with type 2 diabetes often have other health issues like high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Keeping track of blood sugar, cholesterol, and BMI is important for managing diabetes. Taking care of your body with good habits can help manage type 2 diabetes and keep you feeling your best.

research shows benefits of yoga in managing diabetes

At Yoga Activist, you can find multiple summaries of studies and meta-analyses that have been done as recently as 2022 and as far back as 2007 that demonstrate the benefits of yoga in managing type 2 diabetes. Findings include:

• Yoga interventions significantly reduce fasting blood glucose levels in individuals with type 2 diabetes compared to control groups.
• Regular yoga practice is associated with improvements in lipid profiles, including reductions in total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL cholesterol levels.
• The beneficial effects of yoga on blood glucose and lipid profiles appear to be more pronounced in individuals who practice yoga for longer durations or at higher frequencies.
• Yoga interventions may offer additional benefits beyond glycemic control and lipid improvement, such as reduced stress levels and improved quality of life.
• The findings suggest that integrating yoga into the management of type 2 diabetes can be a valuable adjunctive therapy.