The philosophy of fasting [a mindfulness post]

Fasting - it has been around for centuries, you've maybe heard of it for a number of cool reasons and these may include Ramadhan, intermittent fasting, the 16/8 method, alternate day method or the 5:2 method - maybe it was something else but I truly believe that fasting is a fascinating and incredible and that's why today's post is about the philosophy behind fasting and why it can do anyone a world of good.

It's currently Ramadhan and I am fasting while I write this post and I feel absolutely awesome. There are so many reasons that I could discuss that make fasting super cool but the primary thing I want to highlight today is how it's an incredibly mindful practice. The initial feelings of hunger, thirst or fatigue soon give away to PURE clarity, ridiculously organic energy and a wonderful sense of strength. When I first started feeling the amazingly positive impacts of fasting upon myself physically and spiritually, I started looking at other fasting practices and was pleasantly surprised to see that there are a wide-range of methods that people are adopting to improve their health and lifestyles.
Just to give you a quick breakdown, the following cool things have been found to be scientifically-proven benefits of fasting:

• Improves the levels of sugar in our bloodstreams through insulin resistance 
• Decreases the amount of inflammation in our bodies - the kinda inflammation that could lead to more serious illnesses 
• Overall allows heart health to flourish by improving blood pressure and cholesterol levels in our bodies
• (This is one of my favourites) the positive impact fasting has on our brains - our brains have been created with the primary purpose of enabling us to survive, with that in mind, when our brain is put outside its comfort zone and we are not eating or drinking in our regular patterns, the survival mode kicks in and it starts to bring its best game - the clarity and the focus that sharpens our brains after fasting is unreal and (if you haven't already experienced this awesome kick), I would recommend checking fasting out even if its just for the super sweet mental re-set
• If done safely and correctly, fasting can aid in weight loss and also boost metabolism - our bodies are so fricking smart when given the chance to show what they can do
• In the long-term, fasting has been indicated as a practice that can assist in preventing serious illnesses such as Alzheimer's and cancer 

I've just listed a few physical benefits up there ^ but more than that, I hope you realise that the beauty of fasting is as spiritual as it is physical. When the act of eating/drinking/preparing food is removed from human beings (a species that heavily relies on nutrient consumption), we are forced to address our lives with a new perspective, we learn to tackle our challenges head-on because we can no longer hide behind our daily activities and we are left in organic form to improve ourselves and our lives and that's when the magic happens. Fasting removes a part of our lives that is so integral and we quickly find ourselves in a situation that is different mentally, physically and spiritually - of course this has its impact in relation to food and drink but beyond that it allows new ideas to flourish, new approaches to form and it enables our minds to operate on wavelengths that provide new solutions to problems previously left unresolved and the most authentic form of self-reflection is able to take place very fluidly.

I mean all of this, truly and to cut a long story short, I do yoga while fasting and its like a whole new level of meditative state - the combination of fasting and yoga is super cool and probably deserves a post of its own so watch this space (!)

If you give fasting a go (man, I hope you do!), ease into it and I hope it does wonders for your mind + soul.

Ux