Day 22 - Food Fasting

Today's Tarka Practice

Today I want to talk about food fasting as a way to help you learn to have more control over your mind and your body.

 

Disclaimer – before beginning any type of fast, please check with your doctor first and be aware of any types of medical conditions that may not allow you to do a traditional (water only) fast.

 

There are many ways to fast. You do not have to give up all food for the whole day or for several days. You can begin to have more control over your mind and body simply by eating less. In fact, this is the method suggested for those who have specific types of medical problems and are unable to do a traditional fast. Again, please check with your doctor first.

 

If your doctor allows it, you can then progress on to removing only one meal or one snack during your day. As you practice food fasting more and more, you can eliminate more meals slowly until you are eventually drinking only water for one day. If you can never eliminate all food for one day, this is fine. You will still learn the same spiritual lessons.

 

The spiritual benefits of food fasting are to gain more control over the body and mind and to connect more deeply with your spirit. This happens because while you are fasting the body becomes irritable and you begin to become consumed by thoughts of eating. When you start fasting, you will notice that all you can think about is food. Trying to stop these thoughts helps you gain control over your mind and body. We realize that we are not the body. The body really doesn’t need this food. We are disciplining ourselves. We are trying to break free of our bodies. We are trying to master our bodies. We become more aware of our spirit.

 

If your doctor allows it, pick one day this week and begin your fast by just eating less during the day. In your journal, record what happened during your fast. Was it easy or difficult? What came into your mind? What type of relationship do you have with food? Observe all irritations you experienced and record them in your journal.

 

When you are ready to progress, do the fast again and eliminate one snack, and then one meal and so on. Each time you fast, write about your experiences and see what you learn about yourself and your relationship to food. It might surprise you.

Day 23 - Taking Care of Yourself

Today's Tarka Practice

We often don’t take good care of ourselves. We tend to work long, hard hours, put others before ourselves, sleep less than 8 hours a night to catch up on our to-do lists, and as a result, we are exhausted and irritable. The problem is this – by exhausting ourselves in this way, we can’t be fully present for others. If we are tired and irritated, we are more likely to yell at others, act out of frustration, be quick to anger and it is very difficult to listen to what someone is saying to us. Concentration and focus are difficult when we are so busy that we don’t have time to take care of ourselves.

 

For this week’s journal entry, I want you to reflect on how well you think you take care of yourself. How much time do you dedicate to your own personal needs and interests? How much sleep are you getting? Do you have enough relaxation time set aside in your day?

 

After answering these questions, I want you to give yourself permission to take better care of yourself this week. Just for one week, see what you can do to make time in your schedule for you. If you have a hard time finding time in your life right now, just set aside 15 minutes to begin. If you can set aside an hour for yourself, that is even better. An hour a day would be superb. After taking care of you first for a week, write down what you experienced in your journal. Did you find you were less irritable? Was it easier to reach out towards others in understanding? Easier to listen and help others? These are the benefits of this practice.