Today is Vaikunda Ekadesi. This is day in the Tamil lunar calendar why we are supposed to fast. Vedic scripture states that the planets are aligned in a way where you are closest to Lord Vishnu. And so we fast in order to be closer to him. My explanation is horrible. But that's what we do. I did not fast last year and I can't remember why but I received enough reminders this year that I would have felt left out if I didn't.
Infact, I did forget and woke up this morning starving ready to eat a huge breakfast (I am a huge breakfast eater). And so instead I did some yoga and I meditated for a whole 10 minutes! Whoohoo... That's a rareity for me. I usually make it 5 minutes before I start fidgeting. Anyways, it was amazingly easy to meditate once I had the whole day for me to focus on. Sometimes having a holy day centers us at the very least and brings us back to what we should aspire to be everyday but we just get lost in the traffic of life.
My fast was relatively easy and I reminded myself to conserve energy while in the classroom. I allowed myself one tangerine as it is allowable to eat fruit and milk in Indian custom during a fast if need be. And I drank 3 honey and lemon waters as is the custom with a more western approach to fasting as it flushes out the digestive system.
What I noticed the most was the mental clarity I had most of the day. I am not sure if it was my record in meditating earlier in the morning or just that there was no food, processed sugars, preservatives, additives in my system to clog up my mind. If it was the latter, I think I have to further experiment with my diet to see what makes my mind sluggish. Mostly I feel that sugars play a big role and I am eager to see what will happen and if it can happen at all if I cut out processed sugars in my diet. Other than that, this is a big argument for a more raw, vegan, or macrobiotic diet. I think I do my best to buy natural and organic foods, but still so many of them are processed before they hit the shelves.
So I enjoyed my day of mental clarity. I was so calm, moved slowly, didn't get stressed out and I am surprised that I wasn't edgy and didn't get the shakes (as I do normally) from the hunger. I keep getting hunger pangs every now and again as they are reminders that my physical body is loud and wants attention. But my mind is clear and that's what I am enjoying the most on this day.
2 comments:
I'm glad your holy day was so meaningful for you, on many counts. I too am clearheaded when fasting-- physiologically, I think it's because digestion literally uses 1/2 your blood flow, which means you had twice the mental energy during your fast. (at least until your body runs out of stored glycogen... then comes the shakes and tiredness!) BTW, I like how you worded "traffic of life". Very poetic.
Funny you say that. Around that same time, I got food poisoning that culminated with 3 days of diarrhea. However, after all that, I actually felt mentally clear as well. Unwanted fast, but useful nonetheless.
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