autophagy and fasting

A spirituality based article, from the desk of Mr Kamlesh D Patel, Master, Heartfulness Meditation on Autophagy and Fasting

1. Autophagy
&
Fasting

2. Variousritualsandcustomshavebeen
observed insocietiessincetime
immemorial.Manyoftheseritualsare
followedwithrigoranddiscipline,whichis
agoodthing,butwhatmakesthemmore
joyfulandimpactfulisknowingthetrue
significanceofthescientificprinciples
behindthem.
Examplesincludeadorningthered
pigment,sindoor,ontheforeheadof
marriedwomeninIndia,prayingbefore
eating,andfastingonspecialoccasions.
The Significance
of Rituals

3. Ritualsaregraduallydisappearingfrom
modernurbancivilization,butfortunately
theyarestillpreservedamongtheinnocent
peopleinvillages.Among so-called
educatedpeople,wehaveissueswhen
someoneasksuswhywearedoingwhatwe
aredoing.Whenwehavenojustifiable
explanation,weavoidobservingritualsfor
fearofbeinglookeduponasold-fashioned
orwithoutrealunderstanding.Weneedto
studyandfindtherealsignificancebehind
theserituals.
Following
Rituals

4. Let’sstartwiththesignificanceofEkadashi
inIndianculture.Manypeoplefaston
Ekadashidays.Itisawidelyprevalent
ritual,butitisnotwellunderstood.
EkadashiistheSanskritwordforthe
number11.Itstandsforthe11
th
dayof
eachhalfofthemonthinthelunar
calendar.SotherearetwoEkadashidays
ineachmonth:oneisinthefirsthalfofthe
monthwhenthemooniswaxing,andthe
secondiswhenthemooniswaning.
Thesedayshaveaveryspecial
significanceforhealth.Hadtheynotbeen
associatedwithreligion,commonpeople
wouldnothavefollowedsuchdictums.
Ekadashi

5. Itisgoodtomoderatetheintakeof
foodonEkadashidayssoastocounter
theimpactofthemoon’spullonthe
humanbody,asourbodyis60-70%
water.
Youcanseetheimpactofthemoonon
thewaterintheoceans.Itissignificant.
Onfullmoonnightstherecanbetides
risingupto20oreven30feet.Similarly,
thishasanimpactonthehumansystem
also.
Fasting On
Ekadashi Days

6. Especiallyduringthefullmoon,records
showcriminalactivityisgreaterthanusual.
Theterm‘lunatic’actuallycomesfromthe
lunareffectonthehumannervoussystem.
OurEldersmusthaveobservedthis.
Fromthe8
th
dayofthelunarcycle,the
effectstartsrisingandreachesitspeakon
the15
th
day.Midwaybetweenthesetwois
the11
th
day,Ekadashi.Ifwemoderateour
intakeonthatday,wecanneutralizethe
lunarimpactonoursystem.
The Lunar Effect

7. Closer to home,the great Mastersof Sahaj
Marg have suggested fasting on certain
special occasions. One such occasion is
the day when a trainer is given permission
to start imparting training to others.
You may ask why trainers are asked to fast
on the day they are given permission to
work? In Sahaj Marg, the special
preparation for training a candidate goes
on for days, perhaps even years, before the
work is complete.
Preparation Of
Trainer

8. Onthedaywhenpermissionisgranted,
qualitativelythetrainerbecomes a
spiritualconduit ofthedivine
Transmission,and,onthisday,mostof
theyogicchakrasofsuchapersonare
purifiedandbroughttosomesortof
openingorblooming.Thesechakrasare
alsodivinelycharged,enablingthe
trainertobecomeaconduitforthe
spiritualwork.Whenthishappens,the
divinechargeremainsveryactiveforthe
nextfewdays.
The Trainer as a
Spiritual Conduit

9. This divine charge is so subtle compared to
the energy that we derive from solid food
that, if we were to eat, the grosser energy
from the food would naturally displace the
subtle divine charge.
On this day, the idea is to tune in, receive
and allow the charge to be completely
absorbed. Hence it is recommended to
fast on this day. I hope you can
appreciate the importance of moderation
in food on such an important day.
Divine Charge
and Fasting

10. Earlierthisweek,Iwasreadingabout
thefascinatingworkdonebyDr
YoshinoriOhsumionautophagy,for
whichhewasawardedtheNobelPrize
formedicinethisyear.ThankstoDr
Ohsumiandothersfollowinginhis
footsteps,we now know that
autophagy controls important
physiologicalfunctionswherecellular
componentsneedtobedegraded
andrecycled.
Autophagy

11. Autophagymeansto‘selfeat’,andis
theprocessbywhichthebodyeatsits
owndamaged cellsandunused
proteins.Afteraninfection,autophagy
caneliminatethosecellsinfectedby
invadingintracellularbacteriaand
viruses.(Readmore)
Now,interestingly,inAyurvedathereisa
saying,“Starveacold.”Ibelievethe
ancientsobservedthesecorrelations
acrossaphysical,emotionalandmental
spectrum.
Autophagy &
Well-being

12. Theaboveexamples,aboutEkadashi
andthepreparatoryworkofatrainerin
SahajMarg,illustratethatautophagy
mayhavearoletoplayalsoinour
emotionalandmentalwell-being,
beyondjustthephysicalbody.
Ilookforwardtofurtherpioneeringwork
byscientiststovalidatethenewfrontiers
inthisfieldofresearch.
Sendmeyourthoughtsonthistopicat
[email protected]
engageinadialoguetogodeeperinto
thesubject.
Welcoming
Dialogue