I met my first yoga teacher in a Pilates
studio, long before my diabetes diagnosis.
After class, she asked if anyone would like
to come upstairs and try yoga. My chiro-
practor had mentioned that it would help
me strengthen my back and reduce stress,
so I thought, “Why not?” In that first class,
I was her only student. I felt so awkward—
not only was it challenging to follow her
alignment cues, but also her sole attention
was focused on me! In spite of those feel-
ings, there was something intriguing about
the way I felt after class. Light and open
with a quiet mind.
The benefits of yoga weren’t apparent
to me at first. But because my friends
were going and I enjoyed the discipline of
moving my body in new and challenging
ways, I kept at it, practicing three times
a week. I gradually noticed a change in
my demeanor. I was less reactive, more
productive, and generally at ease with life.
And I became more in-tune with my body
and how I was feeling. This eventually
translated into better sleep, healthier eating
habits, and improved self-esteem.
Fast-forward 20 years. I started to
notice a sweet taste in my mouth and Istruggled with low blood sugar episodes.
I knew something wasn’t right. One day,
I collapsed and couldn’t get out of bed.
Two days later, I was told I had diabetes. I
was 42.
It took six years—and a correct diagno-
sis of latent autoimmune diabetes in adults
(LADA)—to come to terms with my
diagnosis, but continuing to practice yoga
through all of the ups and downs helped.
Whenever I felt worried, exhausted, or
overwhelmed, I’d roll out my mat, move
into a slow sequence, and take a moment
to be grateful. Grateful for modern medi-
cine and for life itself.
No matter what I feel, or how tough
life gets with diabetes, yoga keeps me
grounded and reminds me that I am
better than this disease.RACHEL ZINMAN has been practic-
ing yoga since 1983 and teaching since- She is the author of Yoga for
Diabetes and How to Manage your
Health with Yoga and Ayurveda. She
also blogs at RachelZinmanYoga.com
and YogaForDiabetesBlog.com.
COMING TO TERMS
BY RACHEL ZINMAN
Balance: FITNESS