If you talk to anyone who is into yoga and has gone through a fast they will tell you that yoga and fasting go hand in hand. Yoga is good for the body and mind and fasting has the ability to detoxify the body and renew it in ways that you cannot achieve in any other manner. Most yogis have a specific way of eating, but there is also a specific way of not eating. The idea is to give the digestive system a rest, recovering from the day to day work that we put it through. Fasting is also a way to purify the system of all of the unhealthy foods that we may have eaten, stress of eating at the wrong times, and even eating too much.

The Yoga Way to Fast

Yoga fasting is not something that is done without thought or without care. Instead, yoga fasting is careful and deliberate, and always done with the most careful approach. In yoga, the process of fasting is considered abstaining from food. To start, you should always try it for one day. This will give you an idea of how fasting feels and will also prove to you that you can do it and you could even go further with it. If you are a big eater you may find that you need to ease into the fast, eating one full meal mid day and then drinking water or juice at your regular meal times.

The important thing to remember about the yoga fast is that there are many different types to choose from. Many people choose water fasts, fruit juice fasts, or even vegetable juice fast. The important thing is to decide what sort of fast you are going to do, and then stick to it. The water and juice fasts will require that you drink about seven eight out glasses of either water or juice each day. It’s important to drink slowly so that your body will absorb Prana from the juice and also to avoid feeling ill.

It’s good to start with the one day fast and then build up from there. Many people find that fasting for two or three days is extremely difficult while others find that they are slowly able to fast for three days, eat soups and light foods for one day, and then fast for three days again. If you continue to build up you’ll be able to fast for five days, and for some, you may be able to go even longer. You should be prepared that fasting is difficult, especially the second and third day as you may experience nausea, vomiting, headaches, bad breath, and irritability.

When fasting you should not partake in your usual yoga based activities. You need to take a walk every day, but you shouldn’t do anything strenuous. It’s after three days you will find that you have enhanced mental energy, enhanced concentration, and even heightened senses. The longer you fast the more acute these things will become, which is why longer fasts are required for the exhilarating experience that is associated with the process.