Leg raises help release fear and anxiety

ROSHAN ABRAHAMS, personal trainer, shares tips on how to release negative emotions through conscious exercise while saying positive affirmations.

These exercises can be done in Ramadaan as well as after. The Ramadaan focus is on holistically improving oneself mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally.

In the second week of Ramadaan, the body is adjusting as our daily habits have changed to a different routine. We wake up early to prepare a meal at 4.30am and it is important to keep moving by doing stretching and core exercises, which are manageable during the time of fasting.

Rhushana Kamaldien, emotional release coach, mindset coach, and wellness practitioner, shares her knowledge in the second part of this fitness series ("Restore emotional balance during Ramadaan", Southern Mail, March 5).

Q: What are the benefits of self-awareness and changing your mindset?

Self-awareness allows us to recognise our emotional patterns, giving us control over how we respond. Changing our mindset helps us move from a place of reaction to a place of empowerment. When we become aware of our stored emotions and take action to release them, we improve mental clarity and focus, reduce stress and physical tension, enhance emotional resilience and develop a sense of peace and inner balance.

What happens when we ignore an emotion?

This doesn’t make them go away, it just pushes them deeper into the body, where they can resurface later as stress, anxiety, chronic pain, or emotional outbursts. Over time, suppressed emotions weaken the immune system, contribute to burnout, and disconnect us from our true selves.

Rhushana says the body holds emotions in specific areas, each linked to different psychological and emotional states.

Last week we focused on releasing tension and stress stored in our hips through the glute bridge  that could be done in the morning and evening before bed. This week we focus on leg raisers and the affirmations that can be done with them.

Anxiety, fear, and unresolved worry are commonly stored in the gut. This can lead to digestive issues, bloating, and a general feeling of unease.

To release the bloating feeling we will perform leg raisers with affirmations.

Leg raises are an effective exercise for toning and strengthening your lower body muscles. When done without weights, they provide a great way to increase muscle endurance and improve flexibility. Leg raises work the glutes, hamstrings, quads, and hip flexors. It strengthens your core and helps burn belly fat.

How to do a leg lift:

• Lie flat on your back on the mat, couch or bed and do not arch your back.
• Pull your belly tight as if you are pressing your back against the surface.
• Hold your hands on the side with your palms facing the surface next to your body.
• Keep your legs together, squeeze your leg muscles and lift them up into a straight line until your body forms a letter L while taking a deep breath in.
• As you lower your legs slowly, breathe out and move your legs down until a few centimetres above the floor while holding for five seconds and saying “I release fear and anxiety".
• Repeat the movement 10 times with affirmations. Over time you can increase the reps as you gain strength.

Beginners can bend their legs instead of keeping them straight when moving upwards. When moving downwards tap your heels onto the floor.

If you continue these movements daily for 30 days you can then move on to advance leg raises into a plank position while lifting one leg at a time.

Next week we will focus on the neck and shoulders: This area carries the weight of responsibility and stress.

If you feel constantly burdened or overwhelmed, you may notice tightness or stiffness here.