Methods of Fasting & Their Significance

Fasting is mentioned in all religious, medical, and yogic scriptures as a powerful healing tool for the body and mind. In a world where overconsumption has become the leading cause of most diseases, it is more essential than ever to consider incorporating some fasting on a daily basis to allow the body to repair, recover and rebalance itself through the process of cellular rejuvenation that occurs in the absence of food.

There are many ways to do a fast, and some methods are more demanding than others, but certain levels of healing can be experienced at any degree of intensity. There have been scientific studies conducted on the benefits of short-term and long-term fasting, and they all show incredible results in curing and reversing many health conditions. These religious or nonreligion-related fasting methods include:

– Ramadan | the holy month during which Muslims practice dry fasting (no drinking or eating) from sunrise until sunset for an entire month. Ramadan is also a time for deepening one’s spirituality and redirecting the attention inwards.

– Lent | the forty days of fasting and abstinence Christians commit to every Spring before Easter. This is the time to give up certain luxuries and indulgences, including rich foods such as animal products, certain habits or behaviors, or something you’re attached to.

– Chandrayana Vrat | in the Hindu religion, fasting practices are based on the cycle of the moon. Ekadashi is the eleventh day of the two lunar cycles of the month, and it symbolizes control over the 11 senses, the 5 sense organs, 5 action organs, and 1 mind. Refraining from certain foods twice a month on Ekadasi is considered prosperous.

– Water Fasting | this method of fasting is often practiced for at least 24 hours, and it involves avoiding all foods and drinks except for water. This type of fast can be gradually prolonged to 3-10 days.

– Intermittent Fasting | this popular method cycles between feeding and restricting, following a regular schedule of eating within 8 hours, and fasting for 16 hours. The ancient Ayurvedic scripts spoke highly of fasting intermittently but without the rigidity of the modern interpretation. It suggested fasting completely between meals, not snacking, having an early supper instead of a late dinner, or skipping it entirely. The following day you may break your fast whenever hunger arises according to your body’s cues.

– Mono Dieting | eating one type of food for an extended period, similar to the Kitchari Cleanse, is also considered a way of fasting.

– Juice Fasting | this method suggests consuming nothing but juices for a few days. Despite being very trendy in the west, Ayurveda doesn’t recommend such a fast because of the cooling and weakening effect of raw fruit and vegetable juices on Agni (the digestive fire).