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roboto212
USA
56 Posts |
 Posted - Feb 21 2014 : 9:56:31 PM
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| What exactly does fasting do for the nervous system, in yogic terms. I understand what it does on the physical side of things, but on the energetic level what it happening? |
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tamasaburo
USA
136 Posts |
Posted - Feb 22 2014 : 09:22:49 AM
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I recently saw a video interviewing some scientists saying that their research shows that neurons are particularly sluggish when it comes to autophagy ("self-eating"--that is, having the body break down and remove waste products, damaged cells, etc.), and that over time, this can lead to alzheimers and other such problems.
Fasting, of course, promotes autophagy like nothing else, because when the body is out of food, it scours around looking for damaged, useless materials to "eat" (and thank goodness it prioritizes them or your body might just eat up a useful organ when you start to fast). This might have something to do with the "purifying" effects of fasting on the nervous system.
There are even stories of people healing cancer with long fasts, presumably because the body "eats" the useless tumor in preference to healthy tissue (though obviously fasting should not be a substitute for a doctor's advice in such serious cases).
Personally, though I'm not super-experienced with longer fasts, I also find that it subjectively increases ecstatic conductivity, especially in the gut nerves. Like I find it very pleasurable to do nauli lately, and I'm on the fourth day of a water-only fast right now. |
Edited by - tamasaburo on Feb 22 2014 09:58:01 AM |
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cleveryoga
India
3 Posts |
Posted - Apr 30 2014 : 08:14:58 AM
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Hi,
The above comment is really helpful. |
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BlueRaincoat
United Kingdom
1730 Posts |
Posted - Jul 04 2014 : 08:34:44 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by roboto212
on the energetic level what it happening?
I can answer based on my own experience. I probably use fasting more than the average AYP-er. I experimented with a few types of fast in my previous yoga practice. When I started AYP I sort of forgot about it because Yogani does not emphasise it. Then I found I really needed it to get through some energy blocks. I do brown rice fast from anywhere between one and seven days.
So here is what I feel happens - fist I get a mood lift (I feel lighter, less energy spent on digesting and processing my food). Then, when the fast starts to 'bite' - day 2 or 3, the energy gets lower and I start to feel where the problems are in the system. It's like the fast brings whatever problems there are to the surface. Also it appears the system does more to fix them when exposed in this way. I have also noticed the fast gets rid of unnecessary tensions and habits that waste energy e.g. I used to have a habit of tensing my back muscles when sitting down (stress). Well, when there is less energy to go round, the subconscious switches off these wasteful habits.
If I prolong the fasting beyond 7-8 days I start to feel really tired/very low energy. Everything becomes difficult. That's why I never do it for longer than a week. (I did, in my twenties, do 10 days of fast, as some traditions prescribe). Meditation is an exception - it keeps being very deep and quiet during the fast.
After coming out of the fast, I start to feel its benefits i.e. I feel more energetic and health niggles that prompted me to fast in the first place are either gone or diminished.
The rice fast has been really useful for me with regards to some “sensitivity to practice" issues. I was stuck at 5 minutes pranayama + 15 minutes meditation for many months. Increasing the sitting practice time by 5 minutes used to lead to overload staright away. In fact I am wondering how many of the AYp-ers who are over-sensitive to practice might be eating too much or inadequate food.
In any case, I'd advise anyone looking into fasting to take an experimental approach to it. Do it by small increment - start with just one meal of brown rice - or whatever you want to fast with - and see how you feel after it. After you experiment for a while, you will know instinctively when and how long you need to fast. Also you will findout what kind of fast suits you. There are traditions that promote fasting with fruit juices (I’ve heard of oranges). That has never suited me. I find it very draining energy-wise. Probably because the glycemic index is going up and down steeply during this fast. Also I find orange juice too acidic to be drinking it for days on end. A combination of fruit and vegetable juices might work better if less sweet and with a more balanced pH.
I am impressed by tamasaburo's fasting
quote:
Originally posted by tamasaburo
I'm on the fourth day of a water-only fast right now.
You must have built great stamina to be able to do this. I've never tried more than one day of water-only. Can you still function - go to work etc after 2-3 days of water-only? |
Edited by - BlueRaincoat on Jul 04 2014 4:19:24 PM |
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Dogboy
USA
2201 Posts |
Posted - Jul 04 2014 : 10:01:01 AM
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| Again, Blueraincoat, welcome to the forum! Your posts thus far have been informative and display incredible Bhakti! |
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BlueRaincoat
United Kingdom
1730 Posts |
Posted - Jul 04 2014 : 11:03:36 AM
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Thank you Dogboy! You are very kind.
And I am gobsmaked by your remark about Bhakti.  Are you psychic?  I can't think what in my posts made you see it, but it is true I have to carefully self-pace on it. I have sort of gone past the 'Bhakti and karma yoga' forum and decided I won't go there least I should go up in smoke. The fact is it took me a long time to discover Yogani's lessons and when I started them I realised my Bhakti had gone though the roof during those frustrating years when I couldn't find a satisfactory teacher/method. Well, full marks for spotting it. I did not intend to let it show  |
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Dogboy
USA
2201 Posts |
Posted - Jul 04 2014 : 1:39:34 PM
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You wear it like a blue raincoat! What's the story with the name?
It's good to honor your Bhakti limits, so carry on! |
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BlueRaincoat
United Kingdom
1730 Posts |
Posted - Jul 04 2014 : 4:18:48 PM
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Right, I'm gonna go and read all my previous posts. I had no idea I was such an open book  
The name is inspired by Leonard Cohen's poem - do you know the "Famous Blue Raincoat"?
"I hear that you're building your little house
deep in the desert
You're living for nothing now
I hope you're keeping some kind of record"
Isn't he funny? as well as brilliant! |
Edited by - BlueRaincoat on Jul 04 2014 4:38:38 PM |
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Dogboy
USA
2201 Posts |
Posted - Jul 04 2014 : 6:37:17 PM
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| Clever! Apologies to roboto212 for diverting your thread. |
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FrankB
USA
2 Posts |
Posted - Sep 10 2014 : 7:19:59 PM
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| Folks, you should really study Ayurveda if your going to do fasting in conjunction with yogic techniques. You can completely trash your body and your nervous system without deeper knowledge of it. I know I did and even thought I was doing good to my body in the process,feeling euphoria, having deeper meditations, and everything I'm seeing across this board when I was really completely messing up my system. In short, there is no one thing fasting does for any system, it all depends on the individual for what kind of fast and how to do it, there are no cookie cutter solutions. In fact on the path I'm currently on,we can eat cheese, potatoes, dairy, and other items which are considered "Fasting foods" since the intensity of kundalini can completely burn you out. Please be careful people. |
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BlueRaincoat
United Kingdom
1730 Posts |
Posted - Sep 11 2014 : 11:18:47 AM
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You're right FrankB, as kudalini rises the body seems to need more food/richer food. In fact I noticed I need more cholesterol-rich foods (the ones your doctor would tell you to eat in moderation) - eggs, full fat diary (lots of cheese and whole milk!) I guess the production of some steroid hormones is up and that means increased requirements for dietary cholesterol. I've noticed the effect on my muscle mass - I'm beginning to look more toned without doing any extra exercise 
Our bodies will tell us what they need - pay attention to that and you can't go wrong. |
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Fasting Effect on Nervous SYStem
