Hi all,

Welcome to the show.  It’s was my pleasure to talk with Emma O’Toole for this episode.

Emma runs her own successful Yoga studio/business in Dublin, cunningly titled Yoga with Emma (www.yogawithemma.ie), and I was introduced to her through Samantha Kelly, who I interviewed near the end of Season 1. During my conversation with Samantha, the subject of Type 1 Diabetes came up as Samantha’s daughter has the condition. As I also am a Type1 Diabetic, I was interested to focus more on it in a future episode. Thanks to Samantha, Emma and I were able to make it happen.

Why did I want to share this story?

Since my own diagnosis, I have been learning so much about it over the last 5 years. In general, I feel it’s not a well understood condition and also can be a stigma attached to it. Education around it and the signs that it might be developing can help with an early diagnosis. Also, making others aware that someone has the condition is key too.

I would guess that someone you know has type 1 Diabetes. And more are getting diagnosed with it now than ever. I was 35 before the condition kicked in. It was an adjustment for sure. It might be something you’re aware of but don’t know a lot about. So, I was keen to talk with someone that has been not only living with it but thriving. Emma fits that description. She has been successfully managing Type 1 for over 28 years.

During the conversation, we cover a lot of topics that provide a great insight into management of the Type1 Diabetes condition and how wellness, fitness and yoga can help. Of course, Yoga is not just a treatment to help with Diabetes but with every aspect of your life – mind & body!

It’s definitely worth having a listen to Emma’s story and our exchanges on how we manage it, identify triggers, always have jellies or sweets nearby and all other aspects of living a life with Diabetes.

Some of the topics covered:

The weeks leading up to her diagnosis in 1990
Getting wrongly diagnosed initially
Failing into a Diabetic Coma for 3 days due to record high blood sugar levels
Being very lucky that there was no organ damage after coming out of the coma
How her whole life changed once she was diagnosed as a Type1
Going into denial in the weeks and months after the diagnosis
Learning how to deal with the condition as a teenager
How far technology has come in the management of diabetes in the last 28 years
Developing systems for managing diabetes over the years
Never trying to hide the fact she was a diabetic and incorporate it into her lifestyle
Being discrete with administering insulin in public
The stigma around injections in her early years with the condition
Always calling Diabetes a Condition not a Disease!
The Mindset that Emma has – She controls it, not the other way around
How Diabetes has lead Emma towards a career in fitness and diet
She found Yoga as an outlet for her to really get a full workout.
Yoga made Emma very aware of her skeleton, muscles and organs and how she needed to manage every part of her body!
Finding out the cause and effect and how the mind can affect the body and, in her case, the diabetes control
Starting to teach Yoga and then, in 2012, setting up her own Business
Discussion on different types of Yoga and the benefits including:
Bikram Yoga
Yin Yoga
Hot Yoga
Asthanga Yoga
The battle of the Ego during Yoga practices
Meditation and Yoga
Sleep and Hypos and how the body and mind can wake you up!
The difference between Hypoglycaemic aware and unaware
The use of two types of insulin – short acting and long acting
Never be complacent with the condition – always be on the watch!
It’s not about winning against it, it’s about controlling it.
1% Better tips around managing Diabetes & Yoga practice:

Using meditation triggers like the red/stop light in traffic to bring you to the now!
Meditation as a tool to help with anxiety
Using Apps like ‘calm’ to help with meditation
Moving Meditation as the best form that work with Emma
Yoga postures that are good for back pain issues and disc challenges
Recommended frequency for Yoga sessions for runners
Yoga poses that can help runners stride and pace
Connect with Emma on the following:

Emma teaches Yoga to a broad spectrum and it’s clear she’s very passionate about it
For Emma, it’s about making it fun and enjoyable
Her approach is about finding out what her clients want to work on – being flexible to including these moves into the practices
Connect with Emma via:
Website: YogawithEmma.ie
Twitter: @Yoga_with_Emma
Instagram: Yogawithemma
Facebook: Yogawithemma
LinkedIn: Emma O'Toole
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