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Benefits of
commonly known Hindu ritual of fasting,
including its spiritual implications and
benefits on physical and mental health.
Fasting
INTRODUCTION
Humans are considered to be unique and above all other members of the Creativity Tip
animal kingdom. So what exactly is it that makes human beings so Ask the sanchalika to email the
special? manan point to kishoris on the day of
the next ekadashi. In this way the
Some would argue that its our ability to adapt to environments and kishoris can actively introspect on the
situations, but there are plenty of other animals who are able to adapt benefits of taking on a fast.
well to their surroundings. Perhaps we can pin-point our uniqueness to
the simple fact that we have opposable thumbs. However, this cant be
the source of our exceptionality since the gaint panda species have N athis way
bone in their hand that functions like an opposable thumb.
The answer to the question is quite obvious when you think about it.
The source of our uniqueness and individuality is the place where our
uniqueness and individuality stems from, our brains. The human brain is
unlike that of any other animal. It is because of our unique brain that we
are able to do things like think about the meaning of life, play sports,
paint, write novels or even play Angry Birds on our smart phones.
While other animals might have larger brains, their brains are not built
for doing things beyond the basic necessities.
So now that weve established that our brain is what allows us to do the
things we love and its what allows us to be humans. We need to figure
out a way to keep our brain healthy and protect it. The next question
that needs to be asked then is how exactly do you increase the health of
your brain? The not so obvious answer to this is by fasting!
FASTING
Creativity Tip
Starving vs. Fasting: Is there a difference?
Show parts of the Gerson Miracle
Did you know that the Alaskan Fur Seal bull goes without food and
video
water for three months during the breeding season of each year?
Fasting is known to be natures best solution for dealing with certain 22:30- 25:30
physiological and biological problems. Man is no exception to this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v
natural healing method.
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Why is it that when an animal is severely wounded, it will refuse toNeat
this w
and yet its wounds heal? This is because the food reserves, which are
stored as complex chemical substances, are first autolysed (broken
down) at the site of storage. This then mixes with the blood, which
represents food and are sent to the site of the wound to repair the
damaged tissues. Throughout fasting and starvation autolysis is rigidly
controlled by the body. Thus, digestive functions are temporarily
suspended and that conserved energy is directed to places that may need
it more. This allows the various areas of the body to gain complete rest,
thus enabling bodily damages to be healed. Fasting is thus, a controlled
way of healing illnesses.
THE BENEFITS
Physically
A fast gives rest to various processes in ones body. These things include
digestion, blood circulation, and, metabolism. During this rest period
these systems also revitalize so they can more efficiently take on tasks
daily.
The liver is activated: The liver is the cleansing system of the body.
Once food is taken into the body it goes to the digestive system, where
several enzymes work to extract important vitamins the body finds
useful. Thereafter, the left over mass ends its journey at the liver. The
liver works to eliminate poisonous elements present in the body. Liver
cells, known as parencynemal cells, clean toxins in the entire body. As
no food goes into the body during a fasting period, new toxic elements
are not produced. The liver takes advantage of this situation and uses its
complete strength to eliminating the old toxins.
Benefits of fasting:
1) Provides the vital organs with rest
2) Stops the absorption of foods that decay in the gut
3) Empties the digestive tract and facilitates elimination of wastes
4) Promotes the breakdown ad absorption of diseased tissues,
deposits, and other abnormal growths
Mentally
Increase in self-confidence: It has been observed that most of the
persons observing a fast, experience a firmness of mind and self-
confidence during the fasting period. The development of mental power
has favorable influences on the body and thus, relief for various diseases
becomes attainable.
Even the shastras agknowledge, that a true fast is only considered for
any benefit when the endevors of lust, anger, and greed for wealth are
sacrificed.
CONCLUSION
To wrap things up, this pretention summarized the key reason why we
as Hindus perform fasts. Remember to think about this the next time a
fast comes by.
Physically the main organs of the body are given rest
Mentally, the qualities of self-confidence and firmness of the
mind are achieved
Spiritually, one is deprived from food, music, movies etc to
strengthen their focus on god