How often do we go about our day subconsciously and without much thought, reason or planning. We go through patterns that don’t need much of our brain to execute. Think about it. Daily routine for many is the same day after day, week after week. The argument would be that it’s less of a routine and more of a necessity coming out of the need to earn a living. And of course, we need to do that. But I am talking about our free time. How often do we get out of our comfort zone when we are doing something for ourselves? How often do we question our usual routine?
Watching an animal imprisoned in a cage is revealing. It moves in clear patterns, back and forth, around and around in circles, expressionless. Without any choices as well as its freedom, the animal falls into a timeless routine. We have freedoms, we have choices and yet, we often fall into an endless rut, where the spice of life seems to be gone. And what do we do to awaken our life’s excitement? Where do we go for our fulfillment? What do we reach for to gratify our needs? It’s easy in our materialistic world overflowing with beautiful toys to just get stuff. And when we have some time for ourselves, we quickly fill it with music, movies, news, talk shows and food.
Food has become a cure for boredom: the time-filler when we can’t think of anything to do, or times when we are avoiding thinking about something we should.
Change Your Routine With Fasting
Fasting gets quickly into the core of it. It pierces into you deeply and surprisingly quickly and effectively. It reveals how we have become depended on our bodies’ pleasures. Fasting awakens your senses by challenging your instinct for survival, your self-preservation reflex. If you are like many of us, fortunate and lucky enough to be living in a country full of abundance, hunger hasn’t been a part of your life very often, if at all.
Fasting will help you clear your mind from all of the noise you have surrounded yourself with. You will be forced to come face to face with yourself. There may be an internal dialog going on with real questions asking for answers. And your subconscious mind will be part of this conversation.
We are so conditioned to consume, we don’t take time for ourselves. Fasting is cleansing. It works as much for your mind as it does for your body. New thinking patterns will emerge challenging your beliefs. Go hungry for just a few hours and you will be surprised how much it forces you to think. Fast for 24 hours and give your body rest from digestion. It will thank you. Don’t eat for 36-40 hours, and your body will go into a self-healing mode by utilizing energy which is normally consumed in the digestion process.
And while your body is repairing itself, your mind is free to do the same. Give it time to escape from the daily overload of stuff. Give yourself the time to be alone with yourself and grow spiritually.
Great article Andre! This resonated with me because I find myself often getting bored with the monotony of the day to day and find that the fasts help stir some creativity in my mind. Not having mindless eating to fill the gaps between boredom and activity allows me to really focus on that creative mind inside! It’s such a great benefit from such a short fast that I truly value
Hey Caitlin, thanks for sharing! We have been doing our Monday fasts since the first week of January; so one would think I am well trained by now… well, not so quick. Even after all this time, I find myself on an autopilot from time to time, reaching for almonds. They are in a small bowl on the counter in the kitchen; and normally I would have a few each day as a snack. So here I am, knowing that I am fasting, walking past the counter to get a glass of water, and my hand still wants to reach for an almond or two. We are so conditioned to eat! So creating new patterns in our brain is important. These in turn create new pathways. The more we are living in the moment, and less on an autopilot, the better. Thanks for your comment!