Fasting for Health and Spiritual Development
Swami Satyananda Saraswati
Chamarande (France), September 3, 1980
Everyone agrees that food is necessary for the physical body. However,
it is not sufficient to merely ensure that food is nutritious. Even the
most nutritious foods-become detrimental to the health if the body cannot
assimilate them. Just because you are able to eat food does not mean you
can digest it. The digestive process is very complex. Food has to be split
up into so many components before it can be absorbed into the body.
To digest the food you eat, you need five digestive secretions in proper
balance, as well as a specific group of enzymes, Besides this you need
the correct inner body temperature, which varies in different areas of
the body. From the mouth to the rectum there are different zones: In the
small intestines one needs a constant temperature for a long period of
time. In the stomach you need a higher temperature for a maximum of three
hours. If there is a higher temperature for longer than three to four
hours you will have hyperacidity and stomach ulcers. If you have a reduced
temperature in the stomach and small intestines, then you will have indigestion,
and if you have a higher temperature in the large intestines, you will
have diarrhoea, dysentery and colitis.
Whenever there is indigestion or some other digestive disturbance, the
inner temperature becomes very erratic and all the other systems of the
body are disrupted sooner or later. Many degenerative processes and diseases
develop in this way. This is why proper maintenance of the digestive process
is necessary to preserve our physical health. This is achieved "in
two ways: firstly by adopting proper dietary habits, and secondly by undertaking
fasts from time to time.
It is a fact that most of our diseases, whether they are physical or
mental, are caused by overeating. Nobody dies on account of fasting, but
many people die on account of overeating. Fasting and feasting are two
different things. By overeating you disturb your digestive system, invite
diseases, and create imbalance in the body. By fasting, you can create
a balance in your digestive system and also in your nervous, circulatory
and coronary systems. We have to understand what is fasting in relation
to our physical and mental health, and also for better spiritual experiences.
Somo-psychic or psychosomatic
Fasting is usually done to purify the physical body, but if the mind
is very turbulent then you can also resort to fasting. When food is in
the body, it affects the mind, and when the body is not pure, the tranquility
is disturbed. This is because in human existence body and mind are not
separate; they interact upon each other.
A body full of rubbish transfers the foul smell to the mind; a mind with
evil thoughts transfers the evil influences into the body. You can never
escape from this law; what affects the body, affects the mind and vice
versa. Because the gross body is fed by food, the best way to purify it
is by the system of fasting. It is a way of rousing ourselves from sleep
to gain a higher level of health and to catch a glimpse of the higher
possibilities of life.
When Mahatma Gandhi was experimenting on the three principles of satya
(truth), ahimsa (non-violence), and brahmacharya (celibacy), one of the
things he practised was fasting. Once he fasted for a period of forty
days. When he was asked why he exposed his body to such a rigor at his
advanced age, he replied, 'For self-purification. When the Self is purified,
light shines. Then you begin to see things more clearly. Just as you clean
your bowels with laxatives, the Self also has to be purified. But how
to purify the Self? Gandhi found that along with other practices, fasting
was most powerful.
Fasting and meditation
Fasting is a yogic practice because it reduces the tamasic element in
the body. Tamas is the greatest obstacle to meditation. While fasting,
we shed extra weight from the body and gain strength and clarity of mind.
This is important. We cannot progress in meditation with a fat body and
a weak mind. Therefore, fasting should be regarded by all aspirants as
an independent yoga.
Unless you practise fasting, it will not be possible to sit for long
hours of meditation without incurring problems. During meditation many
of the physical processes are minimized. For instance, the inner body
temperature falls below normal, the blood pressure and the respiratory
rate are decreased, and the secretion and circulation of many of the hormones
approach the baseline level.
If your stomach is loaded at this time, the result is disastrous. Disturbed
peristaltic waves and chaotic secretion patterns disrupt the whole digestive
process. Due to the decreased temperature, partially digested food sits
in the small intestines and ferments, causing bad winds to be passed.
Toxins are formed which the body cannot eliminate. So, if you want to
practise long hours of meditation, such as japa, remember that the stomach
has to be empty. Fasting and long hours of meditation are two practices
which always go together.
Balancing the hormones
Management of our passions is another important aspect of life which
can be attained through regulated periods of fasting. Of course, passion
is not bad, but we have to set some limits, otherwise there will be no
end to it. We can never satisfy our passions. It is like pouring a tin
of ghee on the flames in order to extinguish them. They will only roar
up more furiously. On the other hand, if we suppress them, later on they
will give us a kick. How to solve this dilemma? The best thing is to try
fasting- then the monster sleeps.
There comes a stage in life when the passions must be transcended. Imagine
a candle is burning in the centre of a room, but all the windows are wide
open and the wind is very turbulent. So the candle is constantly being
blown out. This continues all night until finally a wise man enters the
room and suggests that you close the windows. What a brilliant idea! Now
the candle can burn steadfastly without being extinguished.
Similarly, as long as the turbulence of passion is blowing through the
mind, how can the consciousness become stable? The light of consciousness
is lit all the time, the spirit is illumined by nature. You are not the
dark night; you are the effulgent candle, which the tempest of passion
keeps blowing out. Just as the windows must eventually be closed, so the
passions will have to be contained at some point in life. They do not
have to be killed or suppressed, but they will have to be given what we
call a free exodus.
Fasting, I have found, contains the passions. How does it do so? By balancing
all of the hormones that are secreted in the body. The various hormones
circulating in the bloodstream produce different emotional reactions.
For example, the thyroid secretions have their own influence on behaviour,
while adrenalin has another. Similarly, there are certain basic hormones
that are secreted by the posterior lobe of the pituitary gland, which
are responsible for different types of passion like violence, ambition,
anger and cruelty. Even the ordinary behaviour in sexual life is a reaction
of these same hormones.
These hormones keep flowing in the bloodstream because that is the law
of nature, and in order to grow in body and mind, they must flow. But
sometimes these hormones are in excess or there is an imbalance between
them. When the hormone secretions flow into the body in excess, they create
hysteria, epileptic fits, sudden violence and suicide. These matters will
eventually be tackled scientifically, but at present science does not
have much idea about them. They have definitions and explanations, but
they do not have any practical system which shows how to remedy the situation.
What happens when we undertake fasting? During the period of fasting,
a major process of harmonization between the different endocrine glands
and their hormones occurs. The extraction and metabolism of the hormones
from the bloodstream is accelerated. As a result, you will find your passions
becoming more civilized and contained.
Important fasting days
Fasting is a discipline which has been enjoined by the various religious
traditions since time immemorial. In Hinduism, however, this science has
developed to a very high degree, and it is still very much alive today.
Everyone in India knows about the special days of fasting, not only the
saints and swamis, but even the old people and the little children.
According to the Hindu calendar, every month is divided into two lunar
cycles - the bright fortnight and the dark fortnight. Both of these fortnights
have a powerful influence over the biological functions of the human body.
Every day is not the same within these cycles. On certain days, for example,
the digestive system is very active, and on others it is not. The 11th,
13th and 15th days of the dark and bright fortnights are said to have
disturbing effects on the body, mind and emotions. Therefore, fasting
is traditionally undertaken on these days in order to maintain balance
within the whole system.
On the 11th day, fasting is especially important for ladies, because
it has a stabilizing effect on the menstrual cycle which generally occurs
around this time. This cycle is a very important indication of health
in the female body. It has often been observed that the menstrual cycle
is either preceded or followed by a period of intense emotional turbulence.
Therefore, fasting on these two days helps the woman to balance her hormonal
system as well as her emotions.
Fasting on the dark and full moon days is considered to be very important,
especially for unmarried boys and girls. It has been noticed that in most
mental cases disturbances become particularly acute around the dark or
full moon periods. Thus, if a child exhibits peculiar behaviour, he is
asked to fast on both these days.
There is another important series of fasting days which is observed during
the rainy season, in the months of August and September. Wherever the
rainy season occurs, whether in Europe, India or Africa, it always disrupts
the cycles and systems of the body. Therefore, in India, special days
of fasting have been set aside during this period in order to stabilize
the body processes, particularly the digestive system.
How to fast
Fasting days are necessary throughout the year in order to maintain a
balance in the entire mental and emotional structure. Therefore, every
family should fix a regular day for fasting. On this day, do not take
breakfast, lunch or any snacks. Just have a light, warm meal in the evening.
This is the simplest and most effective way to fast. If you follow this
course of fasting for a year or two, your health will improve and you
will gradually prepare yourself for longer fasting.
For quick progress in spiritual life, you should fast once a week or
a few times in a month. If this is not possible, you can practise fasting
for nine or ten days at a time, every year, taking only the minimum requirement
of milk or fruit and practising your mantra, prayers, or kriya yoga for
at least six or seven hours a day consecutively. During this nine day
period of fasting, you will find the brain becomes very clear, concentration
keen, and problems of the body are eliminated. Then you can easily sit
in one asana for several hours at a stretch.
For those who have emotional, nervous and sexual problems, there is no
better way than fasting. The mind will at once become quiet. Fasting,
whether for physical well-being, or a spiritual purpose, is a very scientific
system, in yoga as well as in religion. Everybody should learn the system
of fasting. It should be a must to fast one day a week. By fasting, you
are not going to lose anything, you are only going to gain. As I told
you, nobody dies from fasting, but people do die on account of overeating.
A little prasad
During the time I was living with my guru in Rishikesh, I used to read
the accounts of different saints, many of whom had practised long periods
of fasting in order to purify the body, mind and soul. When I read about
Gandhi's experiments with fasting, I was so inspired that I decided to
try it myself.
I did not have much experience with the science of fasting so I started
off gradually with a three day fast, which was rather unpleasant due to
intermittent hunger. But after I broke the fast I realized that these
three days without food had been the most peaceful days of my life. During
this period, whatever I undertook was successful and my decisions were
always correct. So I decided to try a longer fast of forty days.
I began the fast with all sincerity. For the first few days I took only
light fruits and some vegetable soup, then lemon water. After fifteen
days I took only water, and finally nothing at all. In the beginning I
was very hungry, but after a few days the hunger subsided, and I experienced
deep peace within myself. My body became very light and the weakness passed
off, so that I was able to participate in the ashram work. During those
days, I had no difficulties. Everything was spontaneous. I was able to
practise my sadhana without any efforts.
The fast was going very smoothly right up to the twenty eighth day, when
there was a great celebration in the ashram to commemorate the sixtieth
birthday of my guru. At that time, an enormous amount of sweets was prepared,
enough to distribute to ten thousand people. As fate would have it, my
guru, thinking me to be the most abstemious and well controlled disciple,
decided to put me in charge of the entire store. Whenever the inmates
came for sweets, I supplied whatever amount they asked for- one kilo,
five kilos, ten kilos. My mind was made up not to eat any myself, but
then I thought, 'After all, it is a very sacred day. What is the harm
of taking a little prasad?' That was the mischief of my mind. At first,
I took only one piece and it was extremely tasty. Then I took another,
and you cannot imagine how much I finally took. So I broke my fast before
completing forty days. But I had no regrets, it still helped me in every
respect and brought me nearer to my aim in life.
The second time I fasted was for 120 days in Monghyr. During this period
I observed complete silence and closed my door from inside. Occasionally
a boy used to bring some fruits for me. During those four months I practised
many things and my spiritual experiences were another matter.
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