In My Mind’s Zen Garden

The best of all medicines is resting and fasting. —Benjamin Franklin

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, a day observed by Western Christians as the beginning of Lent.

Lent, in most Christian denominations, is the forty-day liturgical season of fasting and prayer before Easter. The forty days represent the time Jesus spent in the desert, where, according to the Bible, he endured temptation by Satan.

So, my goal for the next forty days leading up to Easter is to focus on fasting and prayer. And hopefully I will have a good regimen of fasting, prayer, meditation and yoga practice.

And I will focus on eating a 100% raw vegan diet to ensure that I have a very clean diet in-between days of fasting. I won’t fast during the entire 40 days. But then again, I could go on a juice fast that would cover many of these 40 days. We’ll see how I feel.

Why do people fast?

1. Spiritual Rejuvenation

Fasting is practiced by many religious faiths and is a great way to connect to your spiritual side. It is a practice of humility and sacrifice, as opposed to greediness and desire. Fasting is a way to focus the mind, body and soul toward a more spiritual awareness.

2. Body Rejuvenation

Fasting is a good way to give the body a much needed rest from the constant bombardment of food. When one fasts, most of the body’s energy is diverted from digestive processes to rejuvenating and cleansing of the body. This process is something that the body does naturally when one fasts.

3. Mind Rejuvenation

When one fasts, the mind becomes more alert and clear. The senses become more acute. This allows for better focus on prayer and meditation, and even other tasks that may require concentration.

What I Do When I Fast

I don’t do water fasts any more, but I have done a water fast for two weeks back when I was in college. Nowadays I’ll go on a juice fast for about 3 days minimum. Going on anything longer, like 2 weeks or more is something that definitely needs approval by your doctor or physician, especially if you have health issues that might pose a problem if you were to go on an extended fast.

But from my experience, fasting is safe and has a lot of benefits. One will lose weight, but the more important benefits have to do with the mind and spirit.

Last year just before Thanksgiving, I went on the Master Cleanse fast for 10 days. I’m pretty certain that I will do another Master Cleanse during the Lent season. And I’ll try to go for more than 10 days. Maybe 20. We’ll see how I feel.