Ekadashi is considered to be an auspicious day in Hindu and Jain culture. It takes place on the eleventh day of the two lunar cycles of the month, Krishna & Shukla Paksha. Spiritually, Ekadashi symbolises eleven senses constituting five sense organs, five action organs and one mind.
Every 40 to 48 days, or 6-7 weeks, you may notice there are three days where the body doesn’t ask for food. It is conducive to fast on these days to allow the digestive system to rest, and for cleansing and purification to happen throughout the body. For those who aren’t yet able to identify these days, Ekadashi is fixed 11 days after the new moon or the full moon as these are ideal for fasting.
Ekadashi is a wonderful opportunity to turn inwards and make your engagement with food, and everything else, into a conscious process.
Finish your dinner on the 31st and don’t eat until dinner the next day (1st Nov). If fasting is not possible – perhaps because of the volume of activity needed or if it is very difficult – it is ideal to eat light foods such as fruits, to minimize the burden on the digestive system and allow the body to rejuvenate.
Ekadashi is a wonderful opportunity to turn inwards and make your engagement with food, and everything else, into a conscious process. So, see if your body can handle fasting with some ease – forcefully denying it food can be damaging, but consciously giving the body rest can lead to a tremendous possibility.
Break the fast with light, simple foods that are easily digestible and enjoy an enduring sense of vibrancy and ease.
