International Meditation Society

Sivananda Ashram, Victoria, BC

INTENSIVE FASTING OVER LONG PERIODS.

(Part One) by Swami NadaBramananda

This article is protected by copyright. (C) September 1998.

Fasting: For what reason?

Fasting means different things to different people. Some might say they are fasting on bread and water, others that they are fasting on various fruit juices. So the word has become ill defined by modern usage, as have so many important words like spirit and love, for example. Muslims will say they fast from dawn to dusk throughout the month of Ramadan and some Catholics may choose to say they still fast on Fridays, by not eating meat, taking fish only and so on.

Here at the International Meditation Society we take the meaning commonly used in Yoga teachings. That is, by "fasting" we mean the so called 'water fast', eating nothing and drinking only water, 24 hours per day, until the fast is terminated or broken.

Just a little background data:

1) During a fast, the body chemistry changes. Think of things being in 'reverse gear'.

2) A real fast begins on the morning of the THIRD DAY! During the first two days, one is still dealing with the contents of the last meal: That is the case for strict vegetarians. For non-vegetarians, the period can be as long as 5 days.

3) Fasting is NOT a good way to lose weight. If the latter is your interest, better to eat less and exercise more! To lose weight, try boosting your protein by eating lots of TOFU and raw vegetable salads and fruit salads. Avoid all carbohydrates and lipids (oil & fats) for the duration of your diet and use the big muscles in the legs for exercise like fast walking.

4) Fasting over long periods, more than 2 weeks, allows the body to do a kind of 'Spring Cleaning' and stored toxins are removed from the body.

5) Once the digestive system is shut down, meditation is much easier and the spiritual vibrations are easily modified to permit unusual activities, such as 'Soul Rescue'.

6) Regular short fasts are beneficial to everyone, regardless of circumstances.

7) Don't make your first fast (or second one!) very long! Regardless of one's enthusiasm, if you are new to fasting, it is much better to do a series of short fasts, slowly extending them in length as your body gets used to the process. Then, you will get an education about the battle between the resistance from the (ego) mind and your will power! (Or lack of it!). So start with a few days, say 3 , 4 or 5 and work up.

8) It is said that danger to the body occurs if one hasn't eaten for 60 days or more, because the body begins to break down vital organs for energy. This is obviously an approximate figure, since individual body weight, metabolism rate and other factors come into play. So it is a good idea to limit fasts to about 50 days maximum.
This writer has to date only done fasts of up to 46 days, with no problems. On the contrary, much increase in general health was gained.
[At the time of writing (Sept '98), I am half way thru a fast intended to last approximately 52 days].

9) Fasts beyond a duration of 2 weeks cannot be undertaken casually. One must be well informed and take a scientific attitude towards fasting and all will be well. Up to 2 weeks can be undertaken fairly casually.

General approach and practice:

You will need to buy a douching kit from the local pharmacy before beginning. They cost about $15.00 and come with a water bottle which can be hung up, a length of flexible tubing, a clip to control the water flow and two nozzles. One is intended for douching the vagina and the other for by-passing the anal sphincter into the rectum. The latter, smaller nozzle, is of interest here, and is used to clean the colon. Expect the first two days to be the most difficult, even for experts. The body of an established vegetarian is still dealing with the last meal eaten, for up to 48 hours! For a non-vegetarian, it can be a lot longer, up to even 5 days! The stomach is a muscle and makes a churning motion when it is empty. It is this which gives the impression of being hungry. However, don't expect to feel real pangs of hunger until about 7 days after you begin your fast.

The morning of the third day is somewhat easier, since the body is settling down to its new lack of eating. However, do expect one slight personal complication: Sometime during the day for several hours you can expect to give people around you the impression that you have 'Halitosis' and a problem with your teeth. However, the real cause of the 'bad breath' is coming from the stomach. The condition is temporary and is known as KEYTOSIS. Certain fluids called keytones are produced by the body and reside in the stomach, giving off the odours noticed as bad breath by others. Do not worry, the problem goes away on its own! In the meantime, keeping the stomach full of water masks the problem, so others don't notice.

From the fourth day onwards, the you should find everything much easier and also have a general feeling of well being.

There is one very important point to mention here:

NB: When the digestion system is quiet, the body is still producing material to eliminate. It is also withdrawing stored toxins from the muscles and joints, which may have been stored there for years! The blood stream is used as a kind of sewer to flush this stuff out. So drink a lot! I recommend filtered water with a touch of lemon juice. That way the water tastes more interesting and lemon juice is believed to assist in the cleansing process. [Quantity = about 2 to 3 teaspoons of juice in 2 litres of water]

Another similar problem occurs because solids are also produced by the body, even though you are not eating. However, this waste now moves very slowly in the larger intestine or colon, since you are not eating and the whole digestive system is shut down. Things move, but very slowly. The job of the colon is to remove water from the material coming down from the intestines. One can expect things to be liquidish in the ascending colon and solid by the time they reach the descending colon. Water and any other soluble material is drawn through the intestinal wall back into the body, since the lining of the intestine is porous.

Herein lies a problem!

Since things are moving slowly, some of the toxins can be re-absorbed back into the blood stream!
In other words one gives oneself blood poisoning! Luckily the solution is easy and simple. Wash out the offending material using the douching bag described above by using luke warm tap water made slightly saline with a little salt. Put yourself on all fours next to the toilet and insert the nozzle in the anus and open the clip. You will feel the water flowing into the descending colon. The first time will usually block fairly quickly, showing the presence of material to excrete. So do so, but slowly so you don't get any cramps! Then douche again and again, until you feel the whole colon filled up with water. This means that you should be able to take the whole bottle of water inside you in one go! Hold the water in as long as you can and then release everything into the toilet in short spurts to avoid any cramping pains.

That's it!

You will probably find that from time to time you will want to terminate your fast because of a general feeling of tiredness and lack of energy. Don't! You have blood poisoning! Clean the colon and you can expect to be feeling fine, even great, within about 5 minutes! Aren't kidneys wonderful!
After the first 2 weeks (for experienced fasters only!), the body slowly removes cholesterol deposits from the arteries (no more 'Heart Disease'!) and also removes the Uric acid crystals from the joints, which are thecause of arthritis (excluding osteo-arthritis) and from the tissues, which is often called rheumatism.Please note that to really do a thorough job, your fast should be more than 5 weeks long.

Some medical researchers are now beginning to discover these facts by putting patients on special, almost starvation diets. The benefits just take longer. Break your fast with something cleansing such as citrus fruit. Expect your first meal to run through you and out the other end within 30 minutes. It seems to me that that first meal turns the system back on again. The next meal stays in and is digested normally.

Don't be surprised if you don't want to break your fast, since you will probably feel really good, light and peaceful inside! (It's not just endorphins!) One remembers how heavy it feels to have food inside one.

However, please remember your vital organs and do not go much beyond 50 days in any circumstances.

That's it! Have fun! Remember, one of the major benefits (apart from learning about your own body) is the education you will get watching the long lists of excuses and reasons to quit that will arise in your mind!

One final hint:

Denying oneself directly often fails, but offering a delay often works! So, don't quit your fast in the evening or afternoon. Tell yourself 'Tomorrow' and if necessary, break your fast in the morning, as the word implies!

Good luck and do it gradually, extending the durations!

Part 2 NEXT: Feel free to ask Questions!

Swami NadaBrahmananda, Sivananda Ashram, International Meditation Society,

Victoria, BC

[This article is part of a book in preparation and is protected by copyright].

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