Fasting for cleansing and opening

[balaganist]

I have started fasting today. Prob just 24 hours as I have a lunch invite tomorrow!

So far - feeling much lighter, more sensitive, more aware... I will go again in the coming days, try and do a longer fast, 10 days or so.

Anyone got experience with fasting here?

 

[universecannon]

i've personally never tried it, but a close friend did it for ten days before. they said it was incredible and felt as though it really cleaned out their digestive system, and mind as well in some ways. another friend has done it a few times a year, but only for a day or two at a time. they seem to enjoy it. they said they did a totally water/food fast for 3 days once and had a very spiritual experience. i don't think i could ever really do it without liquids like that

I've just juice feasted (just veggie/fruits that i put through the juicer, and teas, harmalas every night, etc) for a little over a week before, which was just amazing. i wish i could do it every few months but its a lot of money to live off big amounts of those kinds of foods where i live, sadly

 

[a1pha]

Yes, it help me tremendously. Almost as much as flushing.

 

[Guyomech]

For a couple years I was taking heroic doses of shrooms or acid (5-7g shrooms, 800-1200ug acid) every six weeks or so. And I was almost religious about fasting 24 hours prior to each trip. I definitely self a sense of clarity each time and seldom had wooziness or other distracting body sensations during the experience.

 

[Jin]

i have only fasted a few times in my life ,

maximum 24 hours , let me tell you its an ordeal

once i tried fasting without even water and after 12 hours i was done , then i continued rest of 12 hours with only water , i could'nt go above 24 hours

generally i fast 24 hours and few times of the year , its really energy draining , at the end of 24 hours i can seriouly tell you my feet start burning , ( this burning is an inner sensation ) and feels awful

be careful with fasting everyone , its very powerful and if overdone without proper nutrition can kill you , yes some people might have the capacity to fast for weeks without any detrimental effect yet other can die within a few days , know your body and mind and push your limits carefully in this direction

a good idea is to push your limits gradually

 

[christian]

I've looked into fasting, but i don't think it's a good idea if you have a busy life. For this reason i think it's far better to eat a simple clean diet instead.

In fact one of the main reasons for fasting is to make yourself spiritually fitter for activities like meditation and other spiritual work where food can become a distraction or even 'blockage'.This IMO is the only reason anyone should consider fasting.

Some say the body doesn't need a fast to detox, and that in the long run Fasting may be of little help compared to just living a healthy life.

It's certainly worth trying if you can 'make space' for it as a spiritual quest type activity i suppose? Although i doubt it would be wise if you live a busy lifestyle.

 

[balaganist]

Well I did a 24 hr fast yesterday. It was interesting, felt good to do. I found it was easier to go into my meditation. I felt mentally clear. I felt a lot lighter, more sensitive.

I only ate today as we were invited to a friends for lunch...!

I plan to start again tomorrow, and see if I can make 10 days. I have been told after around 3 days your digestion system shuts down and hunger goes, and that that is when the detoxification process starts.

I will report back about how its going. Many people seem to think its dangerous.. but others who have tried it, especially when combined with spiritual practice, say its a very worthwhile exercise in self-mastery.

 

[Al Dimentiz]

"The ideal technique for successful fasting is the use of fresh, raw fruit and vegetable juices. On such a diet, the full spectrum of nutrients is supplied in an easily assimilated form, so the digestive tract is able to remain essentially at rest. It is only through the combined use of both cleansing processes, and a very good diet, that one will be able to reach her or his maximal level of physical health and an unclouded consciousness."--Rudolph Ballentine, M.D. ("Diet & Nutrition"; established holistic medical clinics in Chicago, New York, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis and Honesdale, PA.

That been said, my wife and I did the Juice fasting for 10 days with great results. After only three days I was feeling great; with more energy, clear minded, my dreams were more vivid, and I could meditate a lot easier. But I have to mention that juicing with Organic fruits and vegetables like we did can get very expensive very quick. But it's worth every penny.

I've done the water fasting a few times for one day at the time usually before and Aya experience or 5 gr of mushrooms, and I like it; The purge in the case of Aya was "nicer" for lack of other words, and the whole experience was more profound. But honestly is not something I would do for longer than a day. I just don't think is healthy.

I think DMT, Ayahuasca, or Mushrooms will help you more spiritually and are a lot safer than just drinking water and depriving your body from the most basic nutrients. But each one of us is free to follow the path we choose.


The following is a passage from the Siddhartha Gautama, Buddha Biography that taught me not to go to the extremes but to stay in the middle. I hope you like it.

"When Siddhartha saw four sights: a sick man, a poor man, a beggar, and a corpse, he was filled with infinite sorrow for the suffering that humanity has to undergo.

After seeing these four things, Siddhartha then dedicated himself to finding a way to end human suffering. He abandoned his former way of life, including his wife and family, and dedicated himself to a life of extreme asceticism. So harsh was this way of life that he grew thin enough that he could feel his hands if he placed one on the small of his back and the other on his stomach. In this state of wretched concentration, in heroic but futile self-denial, he overheard a teacher speaking of music. If the strings on the instrument are set too tight, then the instrument will not play harmoniously. If the strings are set too loose, the instrument will not produce music. Only the middle way, not too tight and not too loose, will produce harmonious music. This chance conversation changed his life overnight. The goal was not to live a completely worldly life, nor was it to live a life in complete denial of the physical body, but to live in a Middle Way. The way out of suffering was through concentration, and since the mind was connected to the body, denying the body would hamper concentration, just as overindulgence would distract one from concentration."

Thank you

Peace & Love.

 

[balaganist]

Today is day 6 of my fast. I have been drinking lemon juice and maple syrup, (or honey if not available). The first three days I also had some vegetable juice, and clear vegetable broth - I was craving salt!
Also drinking herbal teas - especially Roibosh.

Its an interesting process. Especially the mental clarity. Feel emotionally balanced, and much calmer than usual. Able to rest and relax more easily - I am usually wanting to do stuff all the time.

Occasional food cravings. Living with my girlfriend who is cooking is not helping .. but she is very supportive.

Any hard exercise makes tired quickly. Standing up too fast I get dizzy sometimes.

I feel like I have more time than usual...

Aiming for 10 days.. see how it goes.

 

[Shamasi Wiz]

It sounds like it's going well so far. Good luck moving forward.

I personally love fasting. I try to fast at least one day every couple of weeks or so, as it feels healthy and cleansing. The longest I've gone is nine days, which was actually easier than I would have thought. The hunger mostly goes away after the second or third day. I think fasting is a good way to learn about other sources of energy, like emotional and mental fueling. This makes practices akin to meditation pretty key, because otherwise you can just exhaust yourself really quickly and possibly do some damage, so fasting isn't for everybody.

The most interesting fast I've done was a sort of initiation process that a friend and I came up with, that according to her was based on some Native American practices. We did allow ourselves water, but we didn't eat or sleep for 72 hours, then we gobbled some mushrooms and went on about a 4 mile hike/vision quest into the mountains. By the end, I felt stronger than almost any other time in my life. I was running and dancing down the mountain, quasi-communicating with birds, and just so mentally clear and physically stress-free. I also witnessed/caused a magical transformation in a rock, which my friend also witnessed and was freaked out by. She was convinced I was some sort of wizard, and asked me a few days later how I did it. So yeah, it was crazy, but definitely worth going through.

 

[jamie]

ive done a number of juice fasts..once for 10 days and a couple other times for 3-4 days and many 1-2 day juice fasts.

I cant handle water fasts though..I need the fresh juices in me or it just feels really wrong for my body. Whenever I tried to fast without fresh juices it did not feel like anything cleansing or spiritual the way juice fasting did. Juice fasting was actaully very spiritual at times for me with experiences boarderlining on psychic powers and stuff..especially like 5 days in.

 

[christian]

Whenever I tried to fast without fresh juices it did not feel like anything cleansing or spiritual the way juice fasting did.

In a way, a juice fast is a sort of 'dieta'. Not only that but the vitamin C does have detox assisting use. The juice would have enough energy to assist the bodys workings without adding to any toxicities?

Perhaps a better, and more intelligent detox would incorporate herbs such as Boldo, etc that have liver cleansing abilities. Una de Gato is a good one to use as well. I think this would make a bigger difference. I know i felt great after drinking Una de gato.

Probably the most important thing is to afterwards return to an altogether healthier lifestyle of a balanced natural diet.

 

[balaganist]

Update - day 7. Last two mornings I have woken up feeling like the toxins are releasing quite hard - feeling a little dizzy and nauseus, similar to the feeling when you get mild food poisoning. This has worn off as I get into the day.

Its very cold here now, and my body was craving sustenance so I am back on vegetable juice and broth.
Also I have a driving lesson tomorrow and my driving test on friday so need to make sure I am strong and alert for that!

Plan to continue till weds...

 

[universecannon]

Nice work, good luck man

Have you lost much weight so far? Always wanted to try myself but I'm already pretty skinny

 

[Global]

Nice work, good luck man

Have you lost much weight so far? Always wanted to try myself but I'm already pretty skinny

I'd also like to try out this particular route of exploration, but I am far too skinny. Purging on ayahuasca probably hasn't helped :surprised

 

[cosmic butterfly]

ive fasted many times and almost always couple weeks before and after ayahuasca, with aya its more a dieta than a fast, meaning lotsss of restrictions. The shaman perspective to this and ive found it true through experience is it sensitizes you for greater potential for healing and communication with plants and spirits. The fasting or dieta is a form of purification. Through abstaining from certain foods, drinks, and sex, the spirit is able to roam free because it sort of loosens the ties between the spiritual and physical bodies.

 

[balaganist]

Nice work, good luck man

Have you lost much weight so far? Always wanted to try myself but I'm already pretty skinny

I'd also like to try out this particular route of exploration, but I am far too skinny. Purging on ayahuasca probably hasn't helped :surprised

Not really noticed much weight loss... and I am pretty slim.

Don't think it should be a big concern... your body has surprising amounts of energy reserves before it starts using up fat reserves.

 

[balaganist]

ive fasted many times and almost always couple weeks before and after ayahuasca, with aya its more a dieta than a fast, meaning lotsss of restrictions. The shaman perspective to this and ive found it true through experience is it sensitizes you for greater potential for healing and communication with plants and spirits. The fasting or dieta is a form of purification. Through abstaining from certain foods, drinks, and sex, the spirit is able to roam free because it sort of loosens the ties between the spiritual and physical bodies.

yes... definitely.

I usually do a diet before aya... next time I will try fasting.

 

[jamie]

Whenever I tried to fast without fresh juices it did not feel like anything cleansing or spiritual the way juice fasting did.

In a way, a juice fast is a sort of 'dieta'. Not only that but the vitamin C does have detox assisting use. The juice would have enough energy to assist the bodys workings without adding to any toxicities?

Perhaps a better, and more intelligent detox would incorporate herbs such as Boldo, etc that have liver cleansing abilities. Una de Gato is a good one to use as well. I think this would make a bigger difference. I know i felt great after drinking Una de gato.

Probably the most important thing is to afterwards return to an altogether healthier lifestyle of a balanced natural diet.

When juice fasting the digestive tract does not really need to do anything..all the green and fruit juices will just absorb readily..the digerstive tract still goes into complete detox as it does not expend any energy on digestion. The only different is the brain still gets the calories it needs and all the complex chemistry going on in all those plants is really good for the nervous sytems.

I drank cats claw the whole time. I drink cats claw daily for about 2 weeks on and then a week or so off all the time anyway.

 

[Chan]

Bumping this highly interesting thread, as it was the closest I could find to my current question which is:

For focused work, could I fast instead of diet?

I ask, because I think I find it easier to eliminate stuff completely rather than live on 'meagre rations'...

In our house, I'm the cook, and I make good food (so I'm told) so I find the idea of "creating bland food" really hard. But having tried a 3-day fast (water and herbal tea), I found that surprisingly easy. A chain was broken: I didn't smoke herbs, which didn't stimulate my appetite, which didn't provoke thirst, and I slept fine and found the proverbial energy, while in a great mood the whole time. I really doubt that would be possible mixing something and nothing, so to speak.

Clearly, some food is necessary for long spells, but I now reckon I could try a 7-day fast while working with just salvia, for example...?

Any reasons why not?