The further we dig back in history, the more it seems that fasting has always been an important part of many cultures throughout the world. Fasting has been known for its spiritual value for ages, whether it was used as part of a purely spiritual path or as a religious ritual. There’s always been some mystical quality to fasting, something outside of our traditional range of awareness. Today, I’d like to dive into fasting and really explore its effects on the mind and body – and why its proven itself to be the most effective method of healing through the ages.

The most profound benefits of fasting come no doubt through the channel of the mind. While bodily benefits and physical healings can be astounding, the mental clarity and enhanced awareness brought on by fasting are the most valuable assets, in my personal opinion. Just imagine yourself waking up in the morning and downing that tall glass of water. You feel great, hydrated and clear-minded, right? Now if you go ahead and eat a breakfast loaded with sugar, you’ll start to feel the buzz of a sugar high, coupled with a loss of focus and concentration – a foggy mind. If you combine all sorts of foods together that don’t mix well, you’ll have chaos in your stomach and your mind! So what you eat does dramatically affect your mental faculties.

So what happens when you actually decide to simply take a break from food? You get extreme mental clarity- the kind most people have never experienced. You finally see things clearly from a state of peak mental performance, and you may even arrive at some startling conclusions about the nature of life. This is why the practice of fasting has been paired so strongly with spiritual paths! If you want to fully experience truth at the level of the mind, you need to let go of the obstacles that may be holding back that perception. What obstacles?

This is where the physical part comes in: everything circulating throughout your body! When you fast, your body goes to work further digesting and assimilating nutrients that may not have had a chance to be fully digested yet. In addition, your blood is cleansed – which may have all sorts of odds and ends accumulated without your knowing it! This is why those fasting under medical supervision show all of their blood markers normalizing in a wildly short period of time. Blood pressure, cholesterol, tryglyceride levels, and even blood sugar/glucose levels all commonly normalize under a moderate water fast. So the bits and pieces of undigested food are digested (or stored if not possible), your blood is cleansed, and your organs get a rest! It can really be compared heavily to the effects of sleep and rest on our physiology. It recharges us, revitalizes us, charges the battery! Giving your organs a rest through fasting does the same thing.

After basic maintenance and repair work has been completed by the body, it’s then able to shift its energy toward physical healing. I always find it amazing reading stories of people who found the strength to endure the longer water fasts, the 2, 3, or 4-week long cycles. These are the ones who receive that astounding physical healing, whether it’s better eyesight from cataracts completely disappearing, eliminating tremors from Parkinson’s disease, or even the wild case of one man who regained hearing in a deaf ear he hadn’t heard from in 6 years! Still, it’s not all about the physical. The mental clarity we touched on in the beginning is so important, and many have found that through fasting they’ve eliminated all sorts of addictions from their lives. Many have also overcome more severe mental problems, those who would have been considered “troubled” or even “insane” have found clarity and complete reversal of these conditions.

It just goes to show that thorough healing and rejuvenation are always possible, and there’s usually something profound hiding in these ancient rituals handed down through the ages. While I can’t offer medical advice, I’d certainly be glad to write another post with more specifics on common fasting practices for physical, mental and spiritual health, covering topics like how long to fast for benefits, what you can expect from a 24-36 hour water fast, and water fasting vs. juice fasting. If this is something you’d like to read more about, tell me below and I’ll follow up!

Unleash Your Vitality,

John Brackett