Fasting is usually considered as a hard and intimidating practice, as denying the body its energy during long hours can be very hard if not done correctly. But based on scientific facts, when practiced properly, fasting is in fact very beneficial for both the body and the mind.
And if yoga and fasting go hand in hand, the advantages of them both together will feel right too and get amplified, physically and mentally.
These are some of the reasons why:
1. Yoga improves your perception of food
While fasting we tend to crave fatty foods after a long day of not eating. Yoga will help with realizing how much calories you are consuming. You will tend to observe your present diet even if you haven’t eaten all day. And instead of high fat foods you will consume more green leafy vegetables and drink much more water.
2. Both improve your immune system
Fasting is also known as a detox. It is a cleanse and removes toxins from your body just as much as practicing yoga. The excess sweat that we experience in Yoga, is all toxins being released and thus prevents us from getting ill.
3. Yoga will give you the energy
Food is considered energy for the body. Most people feel fatigue by the end of the day, thinking any physical activity should be avoided resulting in dehydration. On the contrary, yoga will help energize the body with deep stretches and slow movements.
4. Fasting helps you manage your weight
Weight loss could be a good extra motivation for fasting. With the practice of yoga, it will excessively help decrease your weight. And it will improve your metabolism for future too.
5. Fasting may have anti-ageing benefits as well as practicing Yoga
By improving your metabolism, you slow down the aging process of the body, and feel and look younger. Scientists have studied when blood sugar levels drop that results from fasting, which pushes our cells to work harder to utilize other forms of energy. One way that can damage our cells is by stress, but preventing cell damage is done with the practice of Yoga as well.
6. Both fasting and yoga go arm in arm spiritually
Yoga is all about seeking purification, and with the practice it will increase the growth of spirituality. Yoga is not a religion, it means to unite in different ways; physically, mentality and spiritually.
7. Reduces stress
Fasting is considered very hard: denying what the body needs, even if only during several hours, is uncomfortable and stressful. Starting your day with breathing techniques and meditation, will reduce the stress level throughout the day, and help you to manage your fasting better.
8. Yoga helps with digestion
While fasting all day, digestion slows down from the change of eating routine and not consuming enough water. Different types of yoga such as vinyasa, ashtanga and power yoga are proper workouts which will help with digestion.
Sara is a Power Yoga Teacher and owner of Yoga Shala – Yoga Studio based in Beirut, Lebanon. She discovered Yoga in 2009, and immeditately after coming back from her training in Miami, Florida, in 2011, opened the studio to share her knowledge in her home town. Know more about her practice here:
