A mind and body practice, yoga combines mindful stretching exercises and meditation, but also breathing techniques to help you relax, attaining a calmer state of mind and balance. This gentle form of exercise promises to increase flexibility as well as improve mental health. In fact, the purpose of practicing yoga allows you to become self-aware and develop a deeper connection with yourself, especially in these stressful pandemic times.

We caught up with Yogi Israa Shafi, who reveals that she’s been teaching yoga since 2017. Apart from having a Bachelors degree in Marketing, Israa traveled all the way to Nepal for her teacher training from Nepal Yoga Academy and has done 200 hours of Hatha Yoga training. She is currently doing 300 hours of teacher training and conducts outdoor yoga classes on her rooftop.

Israa Shafi shares some breathing exercises and morning and night rituals in order to get rid of a build-up of toxins and achieve a more restful state of mind.

Take out 10 minutes for yourself

The yoga expert believes that if your lifestyle is exceptionally full and busy, all you have to do is take out 10 minutes for yourself every day and focus on your breath. “You can either sit or lie down and feel your breath moving in through your nostrils filling up the stomach and chest. Make sure to keep your breath long and deep,” she shares.

“When you exhale feel the breath leaving the chest and then the stomach. As you inhale think of your breath as filling up a balloon and as you exhale think of it as a deflating balloon. This will help relax your nervous system and bring calmness and stability within you,” adds Israa.

The yogi further went on to say that you can perform yoga at any time of the day, but practicing at sunrise and sunset are the most beautiful and relaxing hours. “However, not being able to do yoga at that particular time shouldn’t be an excuse to not do yoga at all,” she stresses.

Purifying a build-up of toxins through breathing

Israa is of the view that paying attention to your breath can help greatly, mainly because the human respiratory system is responsible for the regulation of blood ph- which is the acidity or alkalinity of the blood.

“Every time you inhale, your lungs are filled with oxygen that is transported through your blood and other detoxing organs including lymphatic system, kidneys, colon, and even the uterus for women. Every time you exhale, you tend to eliminate part of the body’s waste in the form of carbon dioxide. By breathing deeply you are taking in more oxygen that cleanses the body, and by exhaling deeply you’re eliminating more waste. This means that both actions have an overall detox effect on the body.”

Moreover, Israa shares that acknowledging what we feel and why, can really help us understand ourselves. “Be honest to yourself. Don’t resist your thoughts. Always acknowledge your thoughts and allow them to pass instead of getting stuck in a loop. Breathing can help us go a lot deeper within ourselves. Simple joint rotations can help so much. Most importantly, don’t underestimate simple movements. They go a long way to de-stress and release stored fatigue. Movement and breath go hand in hand, so breathe as you move,” she asserts.

Yoga exercises for relieving stress

When it comes to mental peace and relieving stress, Israa says that diaphragmatic breathing helps manage anxiety, respiratory illnesses, the cardiovascular system and digestion problems. “You can practice diaphragm breathing either sitting down with your spine straight or lying down. Gently place one hand on your chest and the other hand on your belly.”

She furthers, “Begin to pay attention to your breathing pattern. Inhale through your nostrils for 7 seconds, first fill your abdomen slowly and then take your breath towards the chest (abdomen 3 seconds and chest 4 seconds). Then gently exhale through the nostrils for 8 seconds, first through the chest and then through the abdomen (4 seconds chest and
remaining 4 seconds abdomen).”

Another great exercise is to place your hands on your knees (palms facing up) and as you inhale, make a fist and lift the shoulders up to the ears, tensing the arms, shoulders and neck. As you exhale, release a “Haa” sound and let go of all the tension. Relax your body and then open your palms/fingers wide. Repeat five times daily and see the difference.

Piece of advice

On a parting note, Israa Shafi shares that we need to accept that life never remains the same. “You’ll also change as life happens because it’s only when we evolve, we really grow as a person. Our focus should be on becoming better humans. In the times that we are in, we need to tolerate difference of opinion and have civilized conversations to expand our understanding. Sit back and observe your words and actions because we’re humans and not machines,” she concludes.

Morning and evening rituals by Israa

The three morning rituals, according to the expert,
include:

Not looking at your phone first thing in the morning.

Taking out 10 to 15 minutes to do simple stretches, movement and deep breathing

Enjoying that first cup of tea/coffee/green tea and really immersing yourself into enjoying that first cup while avoiding the phone.

As for the three evening rituals, Israa suggests:

Taking out time for yourself to go for a walk. You can also spend some time on your terrace/rooftop. Outdoor space improves the mood - don’t forget to breathe!

Thinking of five or more blessings you are grateful for. Example: food on your table, shelter etc. You can make your own list.

Sharing kindness in any form can help us feel better and improve our mood.

– You can follow   Israa on Instagram @yogawithisraa