The art of fasting

Fasting is a very common thing among living beings mostly animals. Lots of animals undergo a period of hibernation, when they undergo metamorphosis, lot other animals fast during unfavorable seasons and when there is a food scarcity. We humans generally don't fast naturally, but some of us do so for religious reasons. Religion certainly imposes fast to lure people into prospects such as rewards in terms of wealth, happiness so on and so forth. But actually fasting does wonders to our bodies apart from saving food. Mostly we over indulge in food and consume much more than required by our body and most of them are built into fat and other reserves while our digestive system has to work non-stop to clear these unwanted things from our digestive tract and the large intestine works to expel it out. Fasting once in a while can do lot of good things such as:

1. rest the digestive system
2. allow for cleansing and detoxification of the body
3. create a break in eating patterns, while shining a spotlight on them
4. promote greater mental clarity
5. cleanse and heal "stuck" emotional patterns
6. lead to a feeling of physical lightness, increasing energy level
7. promote an inner stillness, enhancing spiritual connection

Now, how to fast? Is there a easy way to stop cravings. It may sound difficult in the first instance, but it can be easy if you practice. Initially you may feel hungry, but if you don't supply any food to your system, it will slowly retract and you will not feel hunger anymore. What you may need to do is hydrate yourself adequately.

Today we are observing fast in order to express our solidarity to Anna Hazare's fight against corruption. We hope that the food grains we save today will be put to better use...