How to Get Started with Yoga
by Robert Watson
You can get audio or video tapes that give breathing instruction
and teach relaxation techniques at health food stores,
bookstores, and by mail order. It's probably fine to learn
breath and relaxation from a tape or booklet, but don't try the
yoga exercises without a skilled teacher. He or she can make
corrections, caution you when necessary, and help you to adapt
poses, if you need to.
It will be worth it to you to spend a little time finding an
instructor who is right for you. Your diabetes nurse educator or
other health care professional may be able to recommend a yoga
instructor. Get referrals for a yoga instructor as you would for
any professional you might wish to consult.
Yoga instructors aren't required to be certified, but many are,
through many different programs. Ask prospective teachers if
they are certified. A certified teacher isn't necessarily better
than someone who isn't certified, but it's something to consider.
Yoga is fun, healthy, and calming. It's a wise way handed down
over several thousands of years. There is little danger in yoga,
and even a little progress brings with it freedom and peace of
mind.
Although most people with diabetes can exercise safely, exercise
involves some risks. To shift the benefit-to-risk ratio in your
favor, take these precautions:
Have a medical exam before you begin your exercise program,
including an exercise test with EKG monitoring, especially if
you have cardiovascular disease, you are over 35, you have high
blood pressure or elevated cholesterol levels, you smoke, or you
have a family history of heart disease.
Discuss with your doctor any unusual symptoms that you
experience during or after exercise such as discomfort in your
chest, neck, jaw, or arms; nausea, dizziness, fainting, or
excessive shortness of breath; or short-term changes in vision.
If you have diabetes-related complications, check with your
healthcare team about special precautions. Consider exercising
in a medically supervised program, at least initially, if you
have peripheral vascular disease, retinopathy, autonomic
neuropathy, or kidney problems.
Learn how to prevent and treat low blood glucose levels
(hypoglycemia). If you take oral agents or insulin, monitor your
blood glucose levels before, during, and after exercise.
If you have type I, and your blood glucose is above 250
milligrams per deciliter, check your urine for ketones. Don't
exercise if ketones are present, because exercise will increase
your risk of ketoacidosis and coma.
Always warm up and cool down.
Don't exercise outdoors when the weather is too hot and humid,
or too cold.
About the author:
Robert Watson, noted hypnotist and owner of <a
href="http://www.yogainstructiontherapy.com">Yoga Instruction
Therapy</a>, a website dedicated to providing the best <a
href="http://www.yogainstructiontherapy.com">Yoga Articles</a>
on the internet.