Fasting is a practice that has existed since time immemorial in almost all cultures, at first it was mainly for sacred reasons, it fasted collectively, at certain times of the year, to pay tribute to God so that a certain grace could be granted. In fact, today, this spirit is still present in practices such as Catholic Lent or Muslim Ramadan.
The truth is that over time it has been discovered that fasting can have great benefits for the body and soul. From different medical angles, the practice is addressed as an exercise that detoxifies the body and contributes to the cure of different diseases. Fasting benefits both mind and spirit, requiring a mixture of willpower and renunciation.
- Fasting is an act of voluntary austerity.
- Therefore.
- It strengthens the mind and helps to increase the capacity to concentrate; in some ways.
- It frees the mind so that it can focus on self-knowledge and knowledge; it is a test of will that.
- In any case.
- Should not be brought to the point of violating the body or mind.
Although our society focuses on developing all of our potentials to have it, the truth is that it may be necessary to have more skills to give up. Some philosophies insist that the more people they have, the less free they are. Their minds and hearts are concerned about these material and spiritual possessions, and instead of putting them at their service, they end up irretrievably sticking to them.
They say “rich is not what has the most, but what needs the least. “This is true, because necessity imposes a perspective of need, vulnerability. And it is clear that much of what we need is more to tax the market and society than to a real need. However, we often forget or ignore it, which is why many of us have become “chronic buyers. “
Fasting reminds us that we have the power to give up, even something as fundamental as food, to voluntarily deprive ourselves of food allows us to enter into a new perspective, it is a practice that forces us to turn our gaze to ourselves, to perceive more clearly the signals sent by our body and to identify the emotions that accompany us. People who practice this practice say that perception and sensitivity increase significantly during withdrawal periods.
The result of this type of practice, when done correctly, is very beneficial to the emotional world, you experience greater power over yourself and this increases confidence and self-esteem, produces a sense of well-being with success and develops tolerance to frustration. Fasters tend to be calmer, more balanced and more sensitive to themselves.
One of the scientists who has studied in depth the benefits of fasting is Mark Mattson, director of the UK Neuroscience Laboratory, whose studies have concluded that fasting is a healthy practice, which promotes brain care in a notorious way.
For Mattson, regular fasting prolongs life expectancy and reduces the degenerative rate of neurons in diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease; In addition, it reduces oxidative processes in all organs of the body and delays the onset of chronic diseases related to aging.
But that’s not all. Fasting also increases cognitive abilities and promotes the ability of neurons to establish and maintain connections between them, resulting in increased learning capacity and memory growth. Mattson says fasting offers similar benefits to physical and mental exercise and that it is recommended to practice it once or twice a week.
Still, researchers at the Heart Institute at Intermountain Medical Center in Utah, USA, have reported that fasting reduces the risk of heart disease and generates positive changes in cholesterol levels. In this way, we can see that fasting benefits us both physically and emotionally. However, it should not be forgotten that this type of practice should be practiced under medical supervision, especially if you have any illnesses.