Fasting - A Vital Feast

Benjamin Franklin quoted that “the best of all medicines is resting and fasting”.

Recently, we celebrated “Navratri”. It is a festival that celebrates the victory of good over evil while worshiping goddess Durga. It is also the longest dance festival in the world. Some devotees dedicate these nine days to worshiping Goddess Shakti with fasting as an integral part of this auspicious occasion. Though most people fast for religious reasons, naturopathy uses fasting as the first-line management in treating diseases. It is a very innocent way to control different diseases, remove toxins, and repair damaged cells of the body. Our bodies have their own healing system that seems to get onto work when we fast. It is practiced to enable nature to perform its cleansing process in the body without any additional load to digest food. According to Ayurveda, fasting rekindles the digestive fire. Also, evidence states that musically supervised fasting for seven to twenty-one days is efficacious in the treatments of many diseases. One should practice fasting at least once a week to give a rest to digestive organs and enable them to regain their health and work efficiently. Fasting is not only just a physical discipline, it can be a spiritual feast. It is a cleansing agent for the body and soul. It is the best remedy to stay fit in the longer run.