What is Fasting?

Yoga and fasting go very much arm-in-arm.



Fasting is a very important facet of Yoga for the growth of the spiritual aspirant, since Yoga is very beneficial to all seeking purification. One without the other will leave a void; this will only cause an imbalance on one level or the other.

Hence, in Yoga, fasting is one of the very important tools for health and disease cure.



A lot of people are learning the trick of healing their colds, headaches, nervous spells and other acute troubles just by skipping a few meals or going on a short fast. It is the easiest and the most effective way of relieving the overloaded and "toxic" system. You may be surprised to know how little food you actually require to keep yourself hale and hearty.

One of the commonest complaints when sick is that people "lose their appetite".



In fact, it would be the greatest blessing to them to lose it long enough to be able to rediscover the pangs of hunger. Loss of appetite is a sign that the system is overcharged with poisons; it is nature’s way of trying to set things right by giving the waste accumulation a chance to escape from the system.

Fasting as a remedy is completely harmonious with the philosophy of "nature-cure". If the complaint is caused by an abnormal accumulation of toxins in the body, then fasting will help in their elimination. The linings of the stomach and intestine that act as a "sponge" to absorb food materials now get sufficiently squeezed to dispose of the waste matter from the body.

During a prolonged fast, people feel they should take complete rest. This however, is a complete fallacy. There is no reason why you should not do the same amount of work to finish your daily tasks, so long as they don’t strain your body and mind to the point of exhaustion.

In fact, fasting and Yoga complement each other perfectly. The combination of gentle moving, stretching and twisting along with deep breathing exercises, speeds up the detox process. The more you detox, the clearer you make the energy channels and the greater the effects of the Yoga practice on your system. This is highly beneficial both in the short term and long term. Besides it also makes the detox process easier and much more fun.

For one thing it makes you feel psychologically uplifted. Your mind gets strengthened to carry on and you get a clear indication of the energetic effects of Yoga. During the fasting program you are also encouraged to take certain herbs, powders and pills that facilitate elimination of toxins from the system.

When your get rid of these old toxins from your body, you will also be releasing negative emotions. Hatha Yoga, Pranayama, Kriyas and Meditation further abet this process. They are powerful tools that help bring the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual bodies into a harmonious balance on all levels.