Tag: Yoga for Diabetes

Home on the range

I was diagnosed three days before I had to leave for India to teach a yoga teacher training. My endo told me to get a glucometer and test my levels and to try and keep them around 4 mmol.  I remember testing and seeing a 4.6 and thinking I was too high.  I was diagnosed before CGM technology became readily available and when many … Read More Home on the range

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Zooming in and Zooming out

The last few months have been trying. Lots of juggling, no new experiments, just keeping my head above water. That’s because I have a life and it takes priority. That doesn’t mean I ignore diabetes, far from it. It means I work extra hard to keep an even keel. I double down and get laser focused. This means sticking to routines, keeping up with … Read More Zooming in and Zooming out

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180 Decisions a day

It was in a coffee shop after consuming a giant banana muffin that I made the first big decision of my adult life. Picking up the coin operated payphone wasn’t easy, but I had to do it. It was time to call it quits on college. “Are you sure?” My father asked. I had no doubt; it felt good to be an adult and … Read More 180 Decisions a day

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Indoctrination

I want to take a minute to talk about indoctrination. Specifically, indoctrination in the diabetes world. When I was first diagnosed and for the first 6 years I didn’t really understand what it meant to have diabetes. I was told by my HCP to change my diet, to exercise and that eventually I might need medication. Being involved in yoga and healthy living since … Read More Indoctrination

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Doing it ‘scared’

Today marks another World Diabetes Day. A day to share that people living with any kind of diabetes can do whatever they set their minds to. We are not defined by our condition. Spreading awareness of all the facets of living with diabetes, including access to medication, daily management and mental health help people not living with this condition understand more of what we … Read More Doing it ‘scared’

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Thinking outside the box

My yoga teacher used to say “the mind is a box”, a self-perpetuating entity that endlessly recycles itself loop upon loop. In yoga these loops are called vasanas. Habits etched so deeply in that we don’t even know they are there. Think a habitual response to a stressful event. That’s a vasana I have definitely developed some indelible grooves after having weathered diabetes the … Read More Thinking outside the box

Beam me up Scotty

Something not many people know about me is that I am obsessed with sci-fi and dystopian stories. I was never a big Lord of the Rings fan, instead stick me in front of Star Trek and I’m as happy as a pig in mud. I am not quite sure why I’m so obsessed, but I think it has something to do with wanting to … Read More Beam me up Scotty

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Diabetes as a transformational experience

I’ve just completed a course on Mental Health Aware Yoga. I took the course because I wanted to learn more about how to meet the needs of students dealing with mental health challenges. As I progressed through the course it became apparent that everyone at some point or other has dealt with some sort of mental health issue. In fact, nearly half the population … Read More Diabetes as a transformational experience

The Inner Smile

Happy Solstice! Today we woke up in the dark and marvelled at Venus, Jupiter, Mars and Saturn all lined up in an ark across the dawn sky. We watched the sun rise as she blanketed the earth with her golden hues. I built an altar to the hindu goddess Lakshmi who for me represents abundance in health. I invoked her for nourishment and as … Read More The Inner Smile

Matters of the Heart: a yoga sequence

Like everyone else I am grappling with the new normal. Never ending self-quarantine, Covid19, watching the US meltdown and most recently with the incredible frustration and fury of police brutality and the murder of George Floyd. “I can’t breathe!!!” Yes, I am white and yes, I am speaking from a place of privilege and yes, I could have done more and educated myself more. … Read More Matters of the Heart: a yoga sequence

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15 minutes I can do

I’ve been setting the timer on my phone to 15 minutes a lot lately. 15 minutes to pre-bolus, 15 minutes to wait out a hypo, 15 minutes of yoga and meditation practices no matter what. Before I was diagnosed I absolutely hated time. I never wore a watch or even looked at my phone. Even as a kid I never wanted to learn to … Read More 15 minutes I can do

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A Soul Crushing Low

It wasn’t 1.8 or 2.5. In fact, maybe in regard to numbers it wasn’t even that bad. But for me  3.3 was absolutely soul crushing. I’ve had Diabetes for 12 years. In that time, I’ve had lows that freaked me out, inspired determination or forced me to face habits that weren’t serving me. This low, however, was different. I felt numb, not just numb … Read More A Soul Crushing Low