5 Guided Meditations for Diabetes

“Meditation teaches the mind and body to relax”, says Rachel Zinman.

Divabetic partners with Yoga For Diabetes Director & Author Rachel Zinman to present five guided meditations to help you live your best diabetes life.

“Meditation just means concentration,” says Rachel Zinman. “After meditation, you’ve left feeling a sense of peace that can help relieve the stress you may experience from managing your diabetes.

She has been practicing yoga since she was 17. It’s been a natural part of her life ever since. Rachel feels the mind training in yoga has helped her cope with the stress, fears, and anxiety associated with managing diabetes.

Sit somewhere comfortable. You can sit in a chair, on the floor, or on your bed to participate in Rachel’s guided meditation.

Each guided meditation begins toward the end of each podcast episode.

Rachel Zinman leads us in a Hamsa guided mediation. The Sanskrit word Hamsa translates as a swan. In yoga, the word breath is also known as Hamsa. A swan symbolizes the ability to discriminate or recognize the difference between one thing and another.

“Judgement and discrimination are extremely useful when making decisions in our diabetes lives,” says Rachel.

Focusing on our breath can help us visualize something that’s real and tangible. One method of using the breath in meditation is to focus on the mantra hamsa. This meditation comes from the short Hamsa Upanishad, which explains the mystical nature of Hamsa, the inner swan located within all.

Rachel Zinman presents the five-element guided meditation that can be done anywhere. Every sense relates to an element. This meditation minimizes fatigue in the mind and body and can reconnect you to the universal flow of nature. As you read through the prompts, allow your mind to relax so you can experience what is suggested. It’s that simple.

Rachel Zinman helps you to work with your subconscious mind to set an intention for the New Year and visualize a luminous lotus.

 

Sankalpa mediation helps you set an intention. Sankalpa is the Sanskrit word for intention. San means “to become one with,” and Kalpa means “time” and “subconscious mind. You set the intention through sound, repetition, and breathing. Once you choose a word or phrase to move and support you into the New Year, repeat the word to create a mantra to calm your mind.

You can repeat your Sankalpa to yourself at any time to reconnect with your positive intention.

Feel free to listen to all of Rachel Zinman’s guided meditations anytime you feel stress or tension.

Anyone Who Had A Heart (Should Know Their Blood Pressure)

Maintaining a healthy blood pressure is one of the keys to optimum health. But how many of us really know what it is or what the numbers actually mean?

Let Luther Vandross’s beautiful rendition of Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s iconic song, “Anyone Who Had A Heart” with a little help from his friend Dionne Warwick inspire you to become more aware of your blood pressure.

https://youtu.be/AJwlCUTe9xg

What is Blood Pressure?

Blood pressure is the pressure of blood pushing against the walls of your arteries. Arteries carry blood from your heart to other parts of your bod

Blood pressure is determined both by the amount of blood your heart pumps and the amount of resistance to blood flow in your arteries. The more blood your heart pumps and the narrower your arteries, the higher your blood pressure.

A blood pressure reading is given in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). It has two numbers:

Top number (systolic pressure): The upper number measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats.

Bottom number (diastolic pressure):  The lower number measures the pressure in your arteries between beats.

You can have high blood pressure for years without any symptoms. Unmanaged high blood pressure increases your risk of serious health problems, including heart attack and stroke.

“Checking your blood pressure can help you and your doctor figure out if you need medications or that your medications are working.”  according to Joyce M. Oen-Hsiao, MD, director of the cardiac rehabilitation program and medical director of the cardiac telemetry unit at the Yale New Haven Hospital’s Heart and Vascular Center, in an article on Verywell Health. 

Did you know that you can monitor your blood pressure in the comfort of your home instead of waiting until your next doctor’s visit?

Verywell Health rated the Omron Platinum Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitor the Best Overall in its Blood Pressure Monitors annual review.

This easy-to-read and well-lit blood pressure monitor is validated by the American Heart Association for clinical accuracy and can accommodate multiple usersmeaning you and your significant other can both use it. Its also totally wireless and has Bluetooth capabilities.

Omron Platinum Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitorr lists for $78.97 on Amazon

https://youtu.be/36Y22FHde34

Fun Fact: Dionne Warwick’s original recording of “Anyone Who Had A Heart” hit the Top Ten in the United States, Canada, Spain, Netherlands, South Africa, Belgium and Australia in 1964. According to published reports, Dionne Warwick nailed the tune in only one take!

 

Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE shares her favorite blood pressure monitors for home use on this episode of Divabetic’s Diabetes Late Nite podcast.

Guests include Patricia Addie-Gentle RN, CDE, Janis Roszler, PhD, RD, LD/N, CDE, FAND, Mila Clarke Buckley aka The Hangry Woman, and Know Diabetes By Heart Ambassador Belle Kruegger. Throughout the podcast we will be featuring music from Celine Dion’s Falling Into You album courtesy of SONY Music.  We are proud to participate in Diabetes Podcast Week and support the Spare a Rose campaign to raise funds for Life For a Child.