Sunday Talks
I want to talk about fasting this week. I won’t be getting into the religious aspect of it but more about how it positively affects our inner discipline. *
As you may already realize; I love food! I love anything related to food; eating, making, talking, reading, learning, researching and this list can go on when it comes to food. But I am also more cautious than the majority of people about what I eat, and what I put in my body. Besides, I have a health coach in my house. 😊 So, health and food relationships are always hot topics in our house.
I think it was in the last few years, I get to experience the power of fasting in terms of resetting my body and strengthening my willpower. And specifically, last year was the year I truly got to see the power of fasting. Before then, at least once a year I would do a day or two days of water fasting and it would be a SUPER challenging experience but I would always feel great after it. And a detox program would follow this fasting to kinda reset my body.
Last year, I finally tried intermittent fasting, but also I ate according to the sun. What this means is that I did not eat after 1 pm till the next morning. Usually, I started eating either around 7 or 9 am the next morning. I did this fasting for one circle of the moon. I mean the power of this experience, I can not tell you with words almost you have to experience it yourself. Because I got to see how much energy my body stores and how efficiently I use my body and mind at that time. Of course, it didn’t start easy, in fact, it was very hard in the beginning. I questioned myself constantly; I felt like I am torturing myself and this was self-violence and the thought list goes on. However, almost at the end of the first week, something shifted. My mind became clear, my body became more vivid, my actions became more solid and I definitely became more powerful. I was amazed by how much I could do in one day and also being able to do that without eating all the time! My mind definitely slowed down but I was thinking more clearly. Almost, my brain was using all the juice in it more efficiently so there was no time for mind games.
Since this experience, intermitted fasting became part of my life, because I lived the experience, I became the experience. Now my body knows this experience and how good it was to me. Because of that, I no longer force myself to fast anymore, almost my existence craves that experience when it is time and pushes me to that route again and again by putting the thought of fasting in my mind and also in my life. This year I repeated this fasting cycle two times and now I am in the third cycle. I almost use every opportunity for fasting.
The reason I wrote all this is that I wanted to share my observations on the fasting experiences I have had. I can tell you one thing; my relationship with food completely changed. I always know I have strong willpower somewhere deep down in me, but these fasting experiences almost crystallized this feeling. Until this time, I always thought I have no control over my eating or my diet, although I have a “more limited” diet in my life than the majority of people, also I quit smoking and alcohol and over a year I quit drinking coffee and eating white sugar in my life before. My mind still would trick me with ways and would tell me all these practices were coincidental in my life or I still have a lot of fears related to them. But once I start practicing fasting regularly, it helped me to remind myself and the power of renunciation in my life. It helped me to trust my body and how it would find its way once it learns what is good for it.
Now, I know, I have that willpower in me that if something is no longer serving me I can let that go and live without it.
And now, I know, if a food or a drink does not help me or shows me an addiction pattern, I pause to drink/ eat it, give myself a break, and give myself a space to rethink my relationship.
While there is a big part of the world is fasting now because of Ramadan, I would love you to think outside of the box and regardless of your beliefs and religion, think of the power of fasting and how it would serve you.
Do your homework, and start slowly if you have never done it. Know your body and know the elegant balance between the ache and pain of pushing the limits of your existence.
Lastly, now if you haven’t read, read my last post, knowing what you read here.
Have a beautiful Sunday..
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