“CAN BE VERY HELPFUL DURING FAST, because when you don’t have food, all the energy and oxygen are used for rejuvenation, and the body is repairing and eliminating all the toxins, so Yoga makes this process work faster.”
GENTLE HATHA YOGA
During night we don’t have any other activities, so the body is resting and rejuvenating, just like during the fasting period. The body is not taking any food so normally a lot of energy and oxygen is going for digestion. All the blood circulation is focusing in the stomach. Yoga and breathing will increase the oxygen in the body, which will facilitate the repairing process, through distributing your cells across the body much faster. By eliminating all the toxins, your body will feel fresher. I don’t recommend dynamic Yoga during Ramadan, simpler and gentle yoga is much better, it really helps, otherwise you will feel exhausted. Gentle Hatha Yoga should be practiced during fast, involving slow moves and poses complimenting the restoration process of the body. Practiced as therapy with mental and physical improvement, headache, migraine and low energy. When we are in low energy we can’t perform in our optimal level; whatever affects the body, it affects the mind too, and vice versa. After the fast you will feel like a new person.
THE RIGHT BREATHING
The breathing technic will also help you to stay calmer during the first days of the fast, which can be challenging because of the exhauster and the lack of food. The cravings coming up during this initial stage of fast can easily lead to irritation, short temper and anxiety; these different emotions you can overcome with the right breathing as part of Yoga. Normally people don’t consume enough oxygen for digestion and while eating, the least oxygen is consumed by the body for digestion. We use only 20% of our lungs’ capacity, we do only chest and shoulder breathing, where Yoga uses abdominal breathing with 100% of lungs’ capacity. When you see a baby, the stomach goes up and down because they breathe through the stomach using their lungs’ full capacity, when we grow up, we breathe from chest and shoulders only. We do the abnormal breathing when in a deep sleep. Yoga is simply bringing you back to your childhood state utilizing all the flexibility and breathing benefits.
The way how you have sense of mind, observance and care-free mind-set when you are child. We are all born with this but it’s lost in our fast-paced lifestyle. Flexibility is not a super-natural power; it’s just bringing you back to your roots. Look at the tree if something is blocking it on the side, it bends and keeps on growing, all live organisms are flexible. This practice of your physical flexibility can also change your mind-set about life in situations. There is a resistance but you are patient, working towards one aim, training your flexibility.
BEST TIME TO PRACTICE
Best time to practice gentle Yoga is before breaking the fast, an hour before will give enough time to your body to cool down. So practice Yoga, take a break and break your fast for sophisticated results. Optionally you can practice early morning after digesting the last meal taken. Avoid during the day, it is difficult to perform any physical exercises while not consuming water or food. Your body might get dehydrated. Water during a detox Yoga is avoided anyhow. Students should be allowed only to take few sips; otherwise the purpose of detox would be killed. After class water or green juice is a must.
REMEMBER
If a person practices 3 days a week, the result comes in 2 to 3 months. But it is very individual; people are different with mindset, body flexibility, health conditions, and frequency of practice. I try to remember everyone’s personal story and their background and customize my approach accordingly to achieve results. I try to adjust to the maximus as I need to provide solution to every person.
