Muslims learn yoga, receive tips for fasting during Ramzan

Nagpur: Making an effort to extend the benefits of yoga to the Muslim community who begin their month-long fast from May 15, Chitnavis Centre organized the second edition of its two-day ‘effective yogic tips for fasting during Ramzan’. The session, being conducted by Yogaacharya Kedar Joshi, began on Saturday at 6am at the Mimosa hall.
Explaining how human body works when a person is fasting, the yoga teacher said, “During the summer season, vaat or wind dominates the body and when a person is fasting it tends to get accumulated in the region extending from heart to toes.”

During fasting, though a person is not eating the biological clock keeps ticking. It then becomes essential that the large intestines should remain clean, he said. “Many may suffer with constipation due to fasting and exercising becomes essential to throw out waste from the body,” he explained.

Having two glasses of warm water before doing exercises like tadasan, performed by walking on toes, can help, said Joshi.

Demonstrating different yogic postures like triyak tadasan, kati chakrasan, kagasan, udarakarshanasan, triyak bhujangasan, Joshi said, “Kagasan in which one has to walk on knees and ankles like a crow can be very helpful for those who find it difficult to sit for long during prayers.”

Besides the postures, some useful tips to control acidity and improve digestion were also given. “Chewing flax seeds mixed with honey helps in reducing bile and lying down for three minutes and then turning on to left side and lying for another three minutes accelerates the digestive process as this activates the right nostril which generates heat,” Joshi explained.

The yoga teacher also advised those present to avoid drinking cold water and to have warm water one hour after iftaar. “I felt relaxed after doing these postures and I am sure they will be very helpful if practised during Ramzan. The tips given about how to consume food will help in reducing toxins,” said Alphiya Hussain, a lab assistant in a city college.

And though it would not be easy to remember the postures or practice them during the hectic period of Ramzan, Samiha Khan, assistant professor in a college, said, “But attending these sessions will definitely help us as the tips about how to eat were very useful.”

“Many Muslims learn yoga from me and have told that it helps them to understand the scientific basis of Islam. Ramzan involves taming of the body and mind and yoga helps do this in a big way,” Joshi told TOI.

The exercise session was followed by naad dhayan aided by a flute recital given by Pt Arun Upadhye who presented raag Lalit. The session will also be held on Sunday and will have Sufi songs sung by Joshi and Dheeraj Pande.