If you ask any person to work 365 days per year without any rest, they will undoubtedly complain and say they must have some kind of rest or else they will break down. However, we have never bothered to ask or to think about our digestive organs which we compel to work day after day without rest. They cannot protest the same way a person would to his/her boss, but they do give us signals that they cannot work non-stop. When we ignore those signals and still compel them to work, these organs begin to break down.
For this reason, it is good to refrain from eating for an entire day on a periodic basis. This gives rest to the digestive organs and also helps in the elimination of wastes from the body. Regular fasting also encourages more intellectual and spiritual pursuits while the body recuperates.
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW FOR A DESCRIPTION OF THE FASTING PROCEDURE
Watch this video on the 1-day fasting procedure. We recommend fasting on Ekadashi (the 11th day after either the full moon or new moon), which happens twice a month. Click here for our Fasting Chart to see when Ekadashi is. Remember that you should only practice fasting under the guidance of a qualified person.