2020 Southern Utah Yoga Fest

According to the International Diabetes Federation, Diabetes Atlas, in 2017 there were 471 million people worldwide with Diabetes, 5 million of them died from Diabetes complications, and they estimate the actual figures are double these numbers.  By 2045, it is estimated that there will be 693 million people with Diabetes.  By comparison, as of July 2020, there were 20 million COVID-19 cases and 733,000 deaths.  Diabetes is officially a global pandemic and those who have diabetes have been designated by the CDC as being at high risk for serious COVID-19 illness.  Recent research published in the Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine (Meditation and Yoga Practices as Potential Adjunctive Treatment of SARS-CoV-2 Infection and COVID-19: A Brief Overview of Key Subjects, Vol. 26, No. 7, 2020 pp. 547-556) has stated, “there is evidence of stress and inflammation modulation, and also preliminary evidence for possible forms of immune system enhancement accompanying the practice of certain forms of meditation, yoga, pranayama, along with potential implications for counteracting some forms of infectious challenges.”  
Across much of the world, yoga has become a popular way to get and stay physically fit, but it has significantly more potential, in that it can enhance your endocrine and immune system.  The practice of yoga is a science of awareness that supports an integration of the mind-body-spirit/heart that makes available pathways that facilitate deep healing.  Being more specific to the focus of this class, the physiological and psychological effects of diabetes can be ameliorated by practicing certain yogic techniques, which harmonize the endocrine system by lowering the glycemic level and activating key glands (Pituitary, Pancreas, Thyroid, Liver, and Adrenals).
While western medicine provides diabetics with insulin, medicines, and tools for monitoring and managing blood sugar levels, yoga powerfully augments these by providing a comprehensive approach to health and healing which conventional medicine does not.  Yoga provides diabetics with tools to manage emotional and behavioral fluctuations, fatigue, discouragement from daily maintenance of a chronic condition, and fluctuating glycemic levels.
This class will help you explore the different layers of your being (five Koshas) to better understand how you can access information about where you have opportunities to heal.   My teachers Joseph and Lilian Le Page explain that, “The human being can be compared to a precious gem with many facets, and the Yoga process involves bringing awareness, purification and integration to the various facets, or levels of our being, on a journey of discovery from physical to subtle.”
Walk away with a toolbox of yogic techniques which will enhance your ability to manage your diabetes more effectively while simultaneously supporting your immune system, potentially reducing the risk of COVID-19.   Let’s explore together as we learn how yoga asana, somatic movement, breath practices, visualizations, and meditation stimulate and balance different glands in the endocrine system and free up your energy to flow for healing.
All levels welcome.  Please have the following available for the practice:  blanket, block, and strap (substitute towel or belt).