One Day Fasting on Water
One Day fasting on water is a meditation practice more than anything else. It is an invitation to reduce the input from the outside world and redirect our attention from the outside world towards ourselves, to quiet our mind, to rein in and observe our impulses and habits we are sometimes not even aware of.
It is a journey of inner inquisitions. We get to see what we think we can't do without, what forms and influences our day. We get to see where the resistance is and we slowly work through it.
Why Monday?
Monday is the beginning of the work week, the start of our active showing up in the world. By setting up fasting on Monday we normalize the practice as the integral part of our every day. Is this practice special? Yes, it is, but it doesn't have to happen only when we have some extra special time, or on weekends. We can do it whenever we choose. And choosing is the active if not a magic ingredient of the fasting itself.
Monday is also ruled by the Moon, and it is how the day got its name in the first place. The energy of the Moon is one that organically invites us to the inside hidden nocturnal space, one that is more reflective.
The purpose of our Monday Fasting practice is to explore our meditative, quieter space in the framework of outward facing active Monday. And find the balance in our choices, restraint, inner equilibrium, and space we have created or ourselves.
What do we do and don’t do:
- We don't change anything about our day
- We do our work
- We exercise or we don’t exercise.
- We don't do anything different about our day, we are fully active. We just don't eat.
- We don't approach this day as restricting ourselves and not giving us what we want.
- This one day, we declare that actually there is nothing food related that we want.
- We take a sip of water every time you need replenishment or feel thirst.
- We take a long breath every time we feel tight and in need for expansion.
- We remind ourselves that we are where we want to be
Every time the notion of hunger or angst arises because this is something we have never done, we remind ourselves that we are where we want to be, that this is a space of exploration of the new conditions we are setting for ourselves in other to show up anew.
Anytime we feel tight or hungry, we take a slow breath in, we feel we expand and soothe ourselves with the breath available to us any time. And we take a sip of water. Water is our first ally here.
Our relationship with Water
With the water fast we also deepen our awareness of water herself, and our relationship with her. Water cleans us, connects us, replenishes us, makes us soft and malleable. Our body is almost 70% water and our blood is almost 90% water. Water fills up our cells to give them structure, it dissolves and transports the nutrients through our system. Water is there in our tears and our saliva, our blood providing the flow of our essence and our emotions.
Through recognizing the water within us we recognize the water outside of us: The Water as an Element and Energy and her presence in the rivers, lakes, seas and oceans, in the rain and in the clouds, and in snow covered mountain caps. We see her shape-shift and move through the energy space. Recognizing that all is dependent on water we get a sense of how interconnected we are with the Whole- and that we are just one Aspect of it that cannot be divided.
Practical benefit of fasting:
So many of the spiritual practices have a profound benefit on our day to day lives and bodies. They calm our being, focus our mind, benefit our short term memory, reduce stress…And fasting for sure is one of them doing all these things too. BUT! Fasting also has a very specific practical benefit!
By fully removing our engagement with food we actually save a Lot of time and a lot of Brain Power for some other meaningful decision making.
As you fast for one full day you don't have to think and plan anything about the food, you don't need to go out and get the food, you don't need to prepare the food, and you don't need to sit down and eat it.
How to Finish fasting
You can safely resume eating the following day when you wake up. You might experience that your choice of food might be a little bit more considered than rushed, and you might decide to drink a full glass of water first, before you do anything.
How and When
Join me every Monday for a full day of water fasting. I am committing to doing this practice with you!
If you have any questions or need support, please comment here or share in the Stories on Instagram. You can join every Monday knowing that I and other people will be doing it too. There is nothing to be done, other than start.
Community
One of the most beautiful things about answering this call and setting the intention for our own commitment is knowing that someone else will be there. We don't need to speak or see that person, but we can sense the invisible golden thread that ties us together. So, come Monday, you are invited to explore the notion of fasting on your own, knowing that there is a group of people committed to doing it as well.
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