Yogasans are the foremost amongst exercises for your muscles and joints and for massaging your other body organs. Yogasanas are for keeping the body healthy and mind peaceful. These asanas were developed thousands of man. Asanas provide exercise to the glands, muscles, ligaments and nerves, and help them to keep in good health. The objective of the Yogasanas is to make this physical body an appropriate temple for the abode of the soul.

Asanas may be practised in the mornings or evenings on an empty stomach or after a drink of water, tea etc. Asanas should be practised only after one hour of a refreshment or after three hours of a major meal. A diabetic should eat something immediately after asanas. Asanas should be done in a clean airy place where there are no insects and no noise either. spread a folded blanket on a level ground and practise on it. Facing east or north you benefit more from the electromagnetic system of the earth. During asanas always breathe through the nose. Never stop breathing. Always breathe normally unless otherwise directed. During asanas there should be no tension on your face or in other limbs. Breathing should be laboured. It would be better if you do jalneti before starting asanas. Dress should be light, loose and airy.

Yogasanas do not cure diabetes as such. But some of the poses activate thyroid gland, some, by flexing the spine, stimulate nerve impulses to pancreas, some massage the pancreas and other affect the whole metabolism in such a way that they see the healing energies of fresh circulation going to the pancreas. The following asanas help:

Paschimottanasana (Back of the body pose) :
Sit with legs stretched in front. Extend the arms and catch both the big toes between the thumb and the first two fingers of the two hands. Pull the neck backward. Bend the elbows, bring the trunk forward and touch the knees with your forehead. Stretch the neck and the trunk so that you touch the knees with your nose and then with your mouth. After sometime, try to hold the sole of your feet with your hands and bring your chin to touch the knees. In the initial stage you could even rest the elbows on the floor while holding the big toes. While taking every new step, first exhale.

Sarvangasana (whole body pose):
Lie on the back hands by the side of the legs. Tighten the knees, palms facing downwards. Bend the knees and move the legs towards the stomach. Exhale slowly and raise the hips being supported by the hands, with the arms bent at the elbows. Trunk should be perpendicular to the ground and chin should be touching the chest. Hands should support the middle of the spine and the legs should be streched straight with toes pointing upwards. Hold for four to five minutes. Gradually increase this time to ten minutes. Breathe normally. Gradually slide down while exhaling.

Halasana (Plough pose):
Practise sarvangasana. Move the legs over the head and rest the toes on the floor. Keep the legs straight. Remain in this pose for two to three minutes, breathing normally. In this pose, you could lower the arms and stretch them in the direction opposite to that of the legs. Besides the benefits of the Sarvangasana, the abdominal organs are rejuvenated and the back receives extra supply of blood.

Bhujangasana (serpent pose):
Lie with the face downwards. Keeping the feet together, extend the legs. Knees should be tight and the toes pointed. Keep the palms on the ground near the pelvic region. After inhaling, press the palms and pull the trunk upwards. Keep the body lifted with the pubis in touch with the floor. The entire weight should be on the legs and palms. Contract the anus and buttocks and tighten the thighs. Breathe normally. Revert after thirty seconds while exhaling.

Dhanurasana (Bow pose):
Lie with the face downwards. Bend the knees upwards. Take the arms back and hold the left leg at the ankle with the left hand and the right leg with the right hand. Exhale completely, raise the knees above the floor, pull the legs and lift the chest off the floor. Do not join the legs at the knees. The body takes the shape of a bent bow, the arms and hands acting like a bow string. Lift up the head. Pull it as far back as possible. The abdomen should bear the entire weight of the body on the floor.

Ardh Matsyendrasana (half spine twist pose) :
Sit with the legs stretched straight in front. Bend the right knee so that the calf is touching the thigh. Raise yourself and put the right foot under the buttocks, keeping the foot horizontally on the floor. Then lift the left leg,bending the knee and place it on the floor by the outerside of the right thigh. The trunk of the body may be turned to the left as much as possible. The right armpit would come over the left knee. Twist the right arm around the left knee and move the right wrist to the back of the waist. Bend the left elbow backwards behind the waist and try to clasp the right hand. Turn the neck to the left and look over the left shoulder. Due to the spinal twist there will be some difference in the breathing style. It will become normal after some practice.

Hold on for about 30 seconds. Then release the hands, lift the left foot from the floor. straighten the left leg and then the right leg. Repeat with other leg bending first as in photo.

Savasana (Corpse pose):
This pose appears to be very easy but in reality it is difficult to practise correctly. Lie on your back like a corpse, with your hands a little away from the body, with palms facing upwards. Keep the heels together with toes apart. Close the eyes. Start deep breathing but it should be fine and slow. During exhalations, there should be no feeling of warmth of the breath at the nostrils. Relax completely. The jaw should be loose. There should be no movement of the pupils of the eyes. Pacify the mind. Give auto-suggestions for inducing perfect relaxation. Stay in this pose for about 5 to 10 minutes.

Following pranayans are good for diabetics:

Nadi Shodhak Pranayam :
For this pranayam you could sit in any yogasan or even sit on a chair. Keep your spinal chord straight right from the base of the spine upto the neck. Lower your chin so much so that it may almost be touching your collar bone, keep the left hand in Gyan mudra on the left knee. Turn the right arm from the elbow onwards. Then turn the first finger and the middle finger of the right hand inwards towards the palm. then bring the small finger and the next to it together towards the thumb. Keep the right thumb on the right side of the nose and keep the small finger and the one next to it, on the left side of the nose. Close the left nostril with both those fingers and exhale fully through the right nostril. Now starts the first round of this pranayam. Keeping the left nostril closed, inhale. After inhaling deeply close the right nostril with the thumb and open the left nostril and then exhale slowly through the left nostril till the lungs are absolutely empty. Now without a pause, from that very left nostril inhale deeply and slowly. Thereafter without a pause, close the left nostril with the small and next finger and open the right nostril and exhale slowly and steadily through the right nostril. This completes one cycle. For the second cycle, inhale through that very right nostril. You can complete eight or ten cycles in this way. No sound should develop while practising this pranayam. It should be noiseless. Time taken in inhaling should be the same as taken for exhaling.

With this pranayam there is cleansing of the nadis (internal tubular ducts) from within. No obstacles remain in those ducts. Even the smallest obstacle could be a hindrance in the way of proper breathing. By this pranayam not only are the nadis cleaned but simultaneously blood starts getting more oxygen and you feel refeshed. The mind is at peace with itself and becomes clear. This pranayam can be practised at any time of the day. Perhaps you may like to do ten cycles each in the morning and at bed time and do five cycles once more during the day. Swami Vivekanand quoting Shankaracharya’s commentary on Shvetashvatara Upanishad, lays great emphasis on this pranayam saying "First the nerves are to be thus purified. In 15 days or a month purity of the nerves is attained."

If you practise jalneti every day and do the Nadi Shodhak pranayam also every day as suggested above, then not only will the cleanising through elimination be great but you will never catch cold or allergy. This will help you in treating all diseases connected with the nose and the brain.

Ujjayi Pranayam:
Besides the pranayam mentioned above, Ujjayi pranayam is the only other pranayam for the learning of which you do not need direct supervision of any guru. This can be practised at all times of the day while sitting, standing, walking or lying.

For this pranayam also keep the back straight and upright. If possible, close your eyes and draw the senses in. Then exhale completely and inhale deeply, steadily and slowly through both the nostrils and feel the incoming air against your palate and listen to the ‘Sa’ like sound that air makes. fill your lungs completely. The abdomen will definitely go up but do not bloat it too much. the abdomen under control. Again feel that the outgoing air is touching the palate. It will make a "ha" like sound. Listen to that. This completes one cycle. Practise this pranayam for about 5 to 10 minutes. In this practice so much of oxygen will go in and so much carbon will come out that the whole body will feel invigorated especially the thyroid glands. This pranayam can be done with Jallandhar bandh and also by holding in or out for a couple of seconds with greater advantage but this practice of holding the breath in or out should be learnt under the guidance of an expert.

Bhastrika Pranayam :
The bellows used in a furnace is known as bhastrika. In this pranayam air is forcefully drawn in and sent out as by the bellows. Stand erect. For this pranayam bend forward. Bring the body from the waist upwards so as to make a 90o angle with the legs. Then take a fast and vigorous breath and then send it out quick and forcefully. In doing so you will create a sound similar to that of the working of the bellows. Repeat 10 or 12 times. Then slightly raise the body from the waist upwards and repeat the same cycle. In this way the water retained in the nooks and corners will come out. After this, practise Savasana for some time.

Kapal Bhati Kriya :
This is done almost like Bhastrika pranayam, difference being that in this action the emphasis is only on exhaling forcefully and vigorously. Exhale forcefully and throw the breath out. Do not make a conscious effort toinhale. Inhaling will take place automatically. Please watch out that the shoulders do not move in this. Repeat this action in four postures ie. by keeping the neck turned upwards, downwards, leftwards and rightwards. This action improves the memory. It gives relief in asthma also.