updated from my article published and written in 2013

As part of my Christmas preparation 2013 I decided to fast and like to share my experiences with you:

How did my fast look like?

Preparation:

1. day: only light food: „muesli“ (= oats with apple)

2. day: only apples (good to clean up the digestive system)

Real fasting:

3.- 7. day (=5 days): fasting on water, for best purification of the body

Reintroducing foods:

Best is a slow transition to normal food to avoid problems with digestion:

8. day: only apples

9. day: light meals (still avoiding all heavy foods)

What else did I do during the fast?

As I wanted to get the best possible purification of the physical and metaphysical body I combined fasting with:

1. extended kriya yoga meditation

2. daily walk in nature in the fresh winter air

3. some Hatha Yoga practise

How did I feel during and after the fasting?

Already after the first day, I felt refreshed. Then during the fasting, especially in the morning I often woke up feeling relieved, more energy flowing through my body, lighter and happier.

Of course during the first days of water fasting, there were periods when I had less energy, because of low blood pressure or low blood sugar level, which is normal when the body is switching from eating food to fasting. This was most of the time in the morning and got better when I went out for the walk in nature and I always felt at my best in the evenings.

But the longer I fasted the more energy I had, so I was at my best at the 5^th. day of water fasting and in the morning before eating my first apple again.

Now after the fasting I feel excellent, refreshed, have more energy and I often just feel happiness, joy and love in my heart without obvious reason. After having any uplifting food I directly feel the flow of increased energy and if something is down pulling I instantly realize it and then this kind of food doesn’t appetize me as much as usual.

What other benefits did the fasting have?

In addition, to feel much better generally, this fasting period with increased meditation practise helped me as well to progress spiritually:

First of all it seemed to loosen some inner attachments and blockages. As I realized this I focused on surrendering all physical attachments to God (all persons, activities, wishes and my own body) and moreover I concentrated on forgiving all people and I felt a lot of relief.

Now after the fasting, all spiritual progress seems much easier (connecting to God; feeling in love and harmony with all; easier energy flow, joy and happiness often just appears during the day „without reason“). I have not felt so good for a long time. Sometimes this spontaneous joy and happiness is reminding me on the best days of my teenage years (now I am 32). If I add the bliss from God and that I often feel in love with all creation, then, of course, in reality, I feel much better than in my teenage years :).

Was this my first time of water fasting?

Of course, this was not the first time. I fasted already several times for a few days and often practised to skip one meal of the day (most of the time this was breakfast or dinner). This is a good way to adapt the body slowly for fasting. When I tried the first time to fast for a few days I felt often very weak, especially in the morning and I had a really hard time. This time the fasting was very comfortable and I felt good with the exception of some hours per day when I needed to start physical activity slowly.

Are there precautions for fasting?

If you want to fast yourself I recommend you to be very careful in case you are not already experienced with fasting. Best is to start slowly, skipping one meal once in a while or to make a fruit day. If you consider any prolonged fasting, I recommend you to first read books about how the body reacts during a fasting period and how to do it properly.

What could go wrong with fasting?

If done wrongly it can be highly dangerous, as for example if the blood sugar level may go down too deep and you could fall into a coma. This could happen if you do too heavy work or if you have special illnesses like diabetes. Especially for all people with severe illnesses, it is recommended to fast only under the supervision of a knowledgable practitioner.

What is my conclusion?

It is really worth to invest all necessary efforts to do proper fasting because it is obviously highly rewarding and beneficial for physical and spiritual health. I feel already the benefit if I skip only one meal and drink instead of the food intake much more water for an increased purification of the body.

A detailed guide for spiritual fasting you can find in the spiritual treasures.

12 Days Water Fasting

3 years later I went on a 12-day water fast.

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