If you’ve ever considered fasting, then let me share with you the experience I had with my water and green tea fast.
Fasting is something I’ve wanted to do for over 10 years, but never had the courage to do, until this year. It’s one of those thoughts that kept getting louder and louder as there was a need in me to reset my body but I also felt I would get more out of it on another level.
I remember over 10 years ago considering a fast and started out with just soup for a day. My body went into shock and I ended up with a migraine. I’m pretty sure it was my mind that was mostly telling me I couldn’t do it but a toxic release may have also played a part in it at the time. It put me off the idea for a long time, but I certainly felt stronger in my mind and body to achieve the fast this time around.
Day 1
When I decided to do this fast, I was going through a very emotional time with family issues. Actually I was so upset, that I missed breakfast and lunch before I decided the fast was probably something I could achieve. After all, I’d already fasted for about 20 hours by this time and was doing okay. Given what I was going through, I knew it had to be more than a food fast to reset my body; I had to reset my mind and my emotions as well, plus I had a desire to experience a stronger and deeper connection with Spirit. Stress, worry and anxiety only pushes that away as our soul takes a step back. We need to be fully in our body to truly connect.
This experience was going to allow me to slow down, learn to relax, especially my overactive mind. So I also took it upon myself to do a fast from my phone. Well, more to the point, the negativity of social media. I also kept my laptop and TV turned off and ceased conversation, well mostly (there were some written notes flying between me and a friend of mine who was staying with me at the time). He was on board with it and actually enjoyed me not talking during the process… go figure!
I decided on a water fast and also added green tea for health benefits, and what I felt would assist in purification, plus it is said to aid in weight loss. Even though weight loss wasn’t the goal, I certainly would have been happy to lose some. Once I decided to continue with the fasting I’d already done for the 20 hours, my consciousness went to my hungry stomach. So I looked for gentle activities I could do to keep my mind distracted and at the same time give me focus. They included reading, writing about this experience, gentle floor exercises, meditation, and putting together a jigsaw puzzle.
A day or two before beginning the fast, my friend recommended I read the first chapter of a book he was reading. It’s called The Path of Meditation (A Step by Step Guide to Meditation) by Osho. I really enjoyed the first chapter, getting a lot out of it and felt it would be a worthwhile book to read during this process. Even though I’d often shared some of his quotes, I’d never actually read any of his books. I picked this book up again, and it was a game changer for me. Even though he offered tips on meditation, this book was more about mastering and purifying the physical body, the mind and releasing emotions such as anger. It made me realise things I’d known for a long time but had stopped practicing; letting life get in the way, yet he put a different and new spin on things, which I found refreshing. This was the perfect timing for this book while I set out on this journey.
The first night, I pulled out a jigsaw puzzle and proceeded to find the edge pieces and begin the process of putting the outer framework together. You could say it was like a metaphor for the journey I was embarking on – setting my foundations again and building a framework of what I wanted my life to be. I started to become the witness to my consciousness. I noticed that when I was looking for pieces, my hunger was at the forefront of my mind, and when trying to put the pieces together, I was too focussed on that activity to even notice my hunger. It was an interesting observation of my mind and the feelings in my body.
After feeling a little chilled now and then, I got to bed around 11pm that first night and had trouble sleeping. Not surprising, considering I was hungry. I also noticed a bit of aching in other areas of my body which I couldn’t explain, such as my left shoulder which was fine beforehand. This made me feel a little agitated but eventually the pain subsided and I went to sleep.
Day 2
The hunger pangs were still there that morning but I was doing okay. I prayed that the fast would be done with grace and ease and no other symptoms would be experienced.
I came to realise how much time and energy is centred round preparing and eating meals. Not eating certainly leaves you a lot more time to do other things, not to mention it’s cheaper to live. One of the reasons I decided to not have the TV on, besides the silence, and getting away from the negativity of news and brainwashing propaganda, is because snacking at night in front of the TV could be a habit for me. It’s like going to the movies and that need arises to nibble on chips, lollies or an ice-cream. It’s a habit, no more, to keep yourself occupied, when really you’re supposed to be relaxing in front of a movie. Usually my snacks are relatively healthy, but it’s still unnecessary eating most of the time.
I noticed around 10am my blood sugar dropping. It surprised me it took so long. When I was younger and my diet wasn’t as clean as it is now, I’d suffer from Hypoglycemia. I hoped that this would pass and figured, worst case scenario, I would have a drink of juice, but I found it eventually passed and wasn’t necessary.
I decided to choose a card for the day from the Work Your Light oracle cards. The card was “Protection – Call Back Your Power. Cut the Cords. Soul Retrieval.” I took this as a sign to cut my cords and retrieve any soul fragments from other people. I hadn’t done this process for a long time and there were many cords. Some of the soul fragments that returned felt like they were from past lives.
It was a fairly sunny day with a few clouds dancing around, so I asked my friend if he minded taking me to the beach. With my lowered blood sugar, I didn’t want to risk driving. We sat on the beach, with me willing the clouds to move away from the sun so its glorious rays would warm my body. They eventually moved on and I sunned my face. I closed my eyes and picked up some of the sand in my hand and gently felt the graininess of it fall through my fingertips. I was totally present in that moment as I observed how the sand felt between my fingertips. Eventually I lied down directly on the sand to fully earth myself.
When we returned, I watched as my friend made himself lunch. The smell of the cut tomato was like heaven. It’s as if my sense of smell had increased in intensity. But I was happy and determined to do my 3 day fast. I even sat down and watched my friend eat. Even without conversation, I discovered there is a need in us to be social around the dinner table. I’m sure there were a few notes passing between us at that time. It was the only conversation during the 3 days… yes I cheated in some way with the conversation as a few notes passed between us. And when I look back at my little post-it notes, I see I kept my sense of humour throughout this whole process.
By mid-afternoon I was feeling somewhat tired, I guess from lack of food and not the best night’s sleep, so I decided to have a nap. Besides, it’s a good way to let the time fly by, so you’re not thinking about hunger. On awakening and moving around I started to feel a little weak from lack of food. By this time I’m looking forward to eating again.
There were a couple of times where I had a teary moment that day. There was a realisation that I was stronger than I thought, for being able to make it two days without food thus far. This filled me with joy and pride. I knew that even if I didn’t make it a third day, I had already achieved more than I ever thought I could.
Day 3
I’m up earlier than usual after a not so great sleep, but that’s not unusual for me anyway. Last night and this morning I noticed slight nausea when sleeping on my left hand side. The cure for this… stop sleeping on my left hand side.
I started my day with some gentle floor exercises. I felt a little confusion set in this morning, as to when I actually started this fast. I’ll put that down to the brain not getting any glucose to fire off the neurotransmitters. Does that sound right or am I making this shit up? Hell, it sounds good, doesn’t it?
Today I experience a lot of hungry, stomach rumbling sounds. I’m surprised I didn’t have more of this the first two days, but I believe it’s because my stomach was anticipating food coming that night or if I could hold out, tomorrow, making it around an 84 hour fast. My stomach didn’t seem to believe me that I could hold out till the morning. Perhaps this would have been different if I’d intended on fasting for longer at the start. A seven day fast sounds good!
I’ve also experienced a little burning sensation in my stomach today. It’s like the hydrochloric acid was looking for food to burn but with no food to break down, perhaps it was starting to irritate my stomach lining, or perhaps instead it was just a burning desire for food.
They say the first and second days of a fast are usually the most difficult. They lied! This third day was by far the most difficult day for me with constant stomach rumblings in anticipation of food, but still no major symptoms so I was happy with that.
Although I got up early, I seemed to have more energy without the need for a sleep to allow the time to fly by. So I was hanging out for night time where I could make a decision to either just have a bone broth and wait for solids tomorrow morning, or have a small meal tonight at the 72 hour mark. Half way through the day, I sensed this day was going to be drawn out like a party-goer having to do an 8 hour work shift with a hangover. I’m looking for ways to fill my day so my consciousness is not on my stomach pleading noisily for food.
I felt the need for some energy healing today. So I asked my friend if he minded. I sensed it would be beneficial on this last day of fasting, besides, it killed an hour of time.
The last 10 hours I was counting down the hours. There’s only so much meditating, reading, and jigsaw puzzle putting together you can do, especially when you’re not talking. But I admit I broke the silence a few times today. I was truly willing the day would speed up.
I finally finished the fast at 8.30pm with a cup of bone broth. After about an hour, I was hanging out for real food, so I decided I wasn’t going to wait until the next morning for solids like I’d hoped. But that was okay, I’d achieved something I never thought I’d have the physical or mental strength to do – a 72 hour fast. So I decided to have an air fried piece of pumpkin and a couple of spears of asparagus. Even though it wasn’t the best pumpkin of all time, I devoured that pumpkin with the same eagerness as a toddler eating an Easter Egg for the first time.
The day after, I ate small meals starting with my usual fruit/protein smoothie. My stomach seemed to struggle more with introducing foods back in this first day, with a feeling of uneasiness a few times throughout the day as I ate. It was as if the stomach had become lazy from not having to work and now was being forced to start breaking down foods again.
As far as weight loss goes, I started to lose weight in the last 12 hours or so and that continued on into the next morning after I had that very small portion of food the previous night, when it ended. I believe I lost 1.3 kg based on a guesstimate of what my weight was beforehand. A few days later and I’m very aware of what foods upset my stomach.
My Feelings and Thoughts About Fasting
I recalled when I was at school too many moons ago, that some kids would participate in the World Vision 40 Hour Famine to raise money for starving children. As a teenager who always wanted to help others, and participated in collecting money for charities on a few occasions, it used to tug at me that I never felt the courage to take on such a task as to go without food for 40 hours. There were kids starving in this world, and I couldn’t starve myself for 40 hours to help them. I used to wonder how those kids could do it. As much as I wanted to participate, I felt it beyond me to go so long without food. Many years on, and I proved I could do it and longer, which has filled me with pride at this accomplishment.
I learned so much from this fasting experience which includes, we really don’t need much food for our bodies to function properly. As I discovered on the third day, I seemed to have more energy from not eating the previous 2 days, despite not getting a great amount of sleep. Osho even says that eating too much causes lethargy. This is something I’ve struggled with for a long time. I’m very aware of how food affects me, and what foods affect me the most. Perhaps as we become more evolved, more conscious, of a higher vibration, we need less food and of course foods that are of a higher vibration such as greens, other vegetables and fruit. Foods with more life force.
What surprised me was I really didn’t experience any major detox symptoms, which I’m grateful for. To me that was a miracle! I removed all supplements while on the fast, mostly because they really need to be taken with food. Like I said at the beginning, this fast had been something I’d wanted to do for well over 10 years, so I guess you could say it had been that long in the planning. It’s definitely not something to take lightly. I’d recommend starting out with a good healthy eating plan first if you’re not already on one, to prevent a major detox when fasting. Less grains, dairy, preservatives, deli meats, sugar; and more vegetables, fruit and lean meats. But most of all be aware of your body and how it reacts to certain foods – tiredness, lethargy, diarrhea, constipation, indigestion, brain fog, stomach cramps etc. The body knows and will tell you if you listen.
This had definitely been one of the most enlightening and life-changing experiences of my life. I thoroughly enjoyed giving myself 3 days of stress-free living. No phone, no laptop, no TV, no speaking and giving my digestive system a break from food. Totally switching myself off from the every-day and incorporating spiritual practices and soul inspiring reading content was definitely worthwhile. I could feel myself becoming more loving, joy-filled, with more light entering my being. I could even feel myself starting to glow. The anger and despair I’d been feeling with the world and personal problems dissipated.
It’s a stretch to think I could become enlightened from a 3 day fast, but I did hope my meditation practice would improve over the 3 days. However I can see 3 days wasn’t enough and with my consciousness continually moving to my hungry stomach, it was easier to read or focus on things like my jigsaw puzzle. In so saying that, fasting is so much more than a physical practice, it’s a spiritual one and more so. I’ve definitely felt different since – a spiritual/mind/emotional reset perhaps more than a body reset.
Would I do a 3 day fast again? Perhaps. I feel a seven day fast would be absolutely magical. I certainly want to incorporate a 24 hour food fast once a month into my routine and now I’m doing my best to not allow myself to become a slave to my phone. Actually, the first time I got back into catching up on Facebook, I had a sinking feeling in my gut. I’m much happier when I’m not absorbing all the negativity that’s going on in the world and being constantly bombarded with posts on it. I guess you could say, fasting from electronics was of more benefit to me than the food fast at this point, however I do have so much more gratitude for the abundance of food we have in this country. I’m not sure I received the body reset I desired yet, but I feel that will follow as I continue to practice and master the mind, my emotions, and discover other ways to purify and exercise my body.
A week on from my fast and I was eating less, especially lunch which I didn’t seem to need much of any more… just a small salad. It’s almost like my stomach was saying, “What are you doing trying to force-feed me?”
If you’ve got any health issues, I recommend you seek medical advice before embarking on this journey. You will know if this is something you’re being guided to do as the voices from your higher self will become louder and louder. But I do suggest taking time off work to do this.
Food and electronics fasting… 5 Stars – Highly recommended!
