Swami Baba Ramdev is an Indian Yoga teacher who claims that he was completely paralyzed until he took up the practice of yoga. Trained by the Swami Shankardevji Maharaj, Baba Ramdev has pioneered the development of yoga camps around the world and promotes the use of the Eastern meditative practices for healing.
Basics
Through the use of eight primary poses, Baba Ramdev Yoga is thought to contain healing powers for a number of chronic diseases. The Yoga teacher claims healing for conditions ranging from type 2 diabetes and arthritis to heart and thyroid disease, hypertension and cancer. The practices target digestive conditions and Baba Ramdev claims cures for many diseases without the use of medication.
Features
Baba Ramdev follows the Samkhya philosophy that includes the Yoga Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita, which focuses on meditation. The goal of the practice is to unite the mind, body and spirit into one healthy whole. His teachings aim to illustrate the divine perfection in human beings that is constant and disavow changes that result in disease and sickness. Mantras are spoken that are designed to manifest the ultimate good and complete health of the practitioner.
Function
Movement of any kind, including yoga poses, can help to manage type 2 diabetes. According to the American Diabetes Association, exercises such as yoga can improve flexibility and lower blood pressure. Exercise burns additional blood glucose and makes you more sensitive to the glucose naturally produced by your body, leaving you less reliant on medications. Physical activity also can help to maintain your ideal weight and prevent associated disorders such as high blood pressure, low bone density and heart disease.
Benefits
Lowering stress can be an effective means of managing type 2 diabetes. Practices such as those taught by Baba Ramdev provide an outlet for stress and teach relaxation techniques that help you deal with your disease and provide more restful sleep and additional energy when you need it. According to the American Diabetes Association, stress can elevate blood glucose levels in addition to making you less efficient at managing your symptoms.
Effects
The effects of Yoga are designed to coexist with a healthy lifestyle. Obesity is one the primary precursors to prediabetes and type 2 diabetes and is best prevented through diet and exercise. According to the Mayo Clinic, with prediabetes your blood sugar levels are abnormally high, but not yet high enough to be called type 2 diabetes. Conditions such as prediabetes may respond to lifestyle changes most effectively, preventing type 2 diabetes from developing at all.
Significance
Baba Ramdev Yoga trains practitioners to integrate healthy practices into every area of their lives, including diet. Self-acceptance and love for one's body that develop from regular Yoga practice help to motivate you to take better care of yourself and manage your disease and prevent a worsening of the symptoms. For those who are borderline diabetic or prediabetic, Yoga can lead to a reversal of the negative progression and prevent the disease from developing.
