Fasting

Day 1

In many ways I have been preparing for this my whole life. I have had a fascination with the extents I can go with my body, from sports, to breathwork, to fad diets, and fasts. Fasting has been one of the most powerful tools in my journey. There is a clarity to the world around you when you stop trying to get something from it.

A powerful fast removes completely the desire to desire. As your systems start focusing on conserving energy they begin to redirect excess or wasted thoughts and actions into singular focus. The body feels as if it will die, but in truth, it is in my longer fasts that I feel most alive.

It is a natural purgative. The stomach’s digestive acid doesn’t stop producing. It does lessen, but the stomach truly know one thing, breaking things down into energy. As the energy is not coming in through the regular channels of food, the body begins to digest itself. This is a clearing like no other I have experienced. You can feel the body going through waves of acidity, as the body seeks to eat. As it comes across potential food, it begins to eat it.

This process starts first with the things that body does not see as self. Any part that is viewed as other is the first to go. Parasites, cancers, blockages, old waste, etc. All of it is now viewed as food. This is a big part of why water is essential for a long fast. The water aids in moving the any extra debris out of the system. After a few days, the body stops voiding through the bowels, and the only way to remove waste is through the urinary system.

After the first three days the body is completely in ketosis and begins to burn through energy stores in the forms of fats and proteins. Light exercise like yoga or a short walk reminds the body of the need for muscle and encourages it to burn fat instead. Muscle is useful. How else does the body get the next meal without help from the muscles to move?

Beyond the purging of the physical materials like cancers, parasites and excess waste. The mind goes through a clarity that is like no other. In the times I have fasted for more than three days, the world becomes brighter and the paths become clearer. There is no more energy for empowering bullshit. All of the chatter and little mind games that used to plague me go away. There is a singular focus and purpose to every moment. Pick up the book, put it down. Stand Up, Sit down. Make Eye contact, look away. The rhythm of life becomes so apparent that even the voice that narrates finds no need to chime in.

I will leave it here for today. There are many more days to speak on this and many other topics. I am excited to share the ride.

All the Love,

Ryan Orion