DURING Ramadan, I maintain my own practice and I still teach a few classes a day. The only difference is I lessen the chaturanggas and increase the long and deep stretches. I do feel thirsty because I tend to talk a lot in my classes but I take more naps and breaks in between. So far so good. So this week, I would like to share a video of a slow practice for us to start or end our day with.
I believe yoga helps with fasting. They are a good pair as yoga amplifies the goodness of Ramadan and both yoga and fasting come from a pure place. They should go hand in hand. Practising yoga disciplines and teaches you how to persevere and fasting does just that. Yoga will help you stay focused, energized and detoxified too and that is why I love practicing yoga while I fast. It keeps me humble.
Long deep stretching helps with detoxification and that helps with the normal fatigue and headaches during fasting. A lot of people ask me when is the best time to practice during Ramadan. For me personally, the best time would be just before breaking fast and three hours after iftar.
When I was in Thailand getting my teaching certification, we had eight hour breaks between meals and I could feel the difference in my form and alignment. I was fitter and I could do more poses then. The ideal break between one meal and the next is eight hours. I believe that when our stomach is empty, our excretory system works better.
It is very common for practitioners who understand this healing process to include fasting in their lives. It is anyway the oldest form of healing and detoxing can bring calmness to the body and mind. Fasting is actually a very common practice among yogis who understand that this is a healing technique for the mind.
It's not just for the mind as fasting can help the process of autolysis which is great for our body. From a physical point of view, fasting promotes the process of autolysis, which helps the body digest, churn and get rid of dead cells. Fasting gives the body a good rest, and let the body focus on other things instead. Because of this, while many people in the beginning will think of fasting and yoga as a drag and an ordeal, I am beginning to realise that I feel more active. Let's do this slow flow with me.
Happy Ramadan! - The Vibes. May 5, 2021
