15 Days Of Fasting (I think :D)

05.09.2021: Day One

I am starting what I intend to be a 15 days fast, it might shorter (as suggested in the title of this entry). We'll see. I want to keep going with the long fasts, but I also have to respect my body and spirit. The 12 days of fasting were a really great experience, so I want to keep practising long fasts regularly. Since the one in June, I have kept my one day a week of fasting and changed the three-day fast from every three months to once a month so that I could do the long fasts with the changes of seasons instead (every three months). So, here I am, three months later, embarking on another long fast.

I'm keeping a similar format to the last one, only extended: three days of juicing, three days of infusions, three days of dry fast, three days of clay fast and three days to ease back to eating (probably broken down into one day of drinking water, then one day infusions and last day juice and yogurt). At least I have a plan :).

06.09.2021: Day Two

Ok, I made it past the first day. It was pretty smooth, no hunger pains. I drank ginger and lemon water yesterday, and some grapefruit juice in the evening. I had taken a super hot and humid Bikram class (I must have left 5 litres of water in that room, no joke), and I felt super thirsty afterwards and craved some grapefruit juice - I didn't extract it, but I bought it 100% pressed.

Today I drank the ginger and lemon water again, I extracted some cucumber juice and I added it to the leftover grapefruit juice and drank that as well. I feel good, energised and clear-headed.

07.09.2021: Day Three

Last day of juice fast, I bought a beautiful celery and made myself a 750ml bottle of celery juice. I zipped on that throughout the day. I don't feel very thirsty, but I know I have to keep myself hydrated. I had a beautiful day, I spent some of it in the park by my new house (I moved on Sunday, the fast and the move are not related, they just coincided), laying in the grass and enjoying the last of summer time.

08.09.2021: Day Four

I didn't sleep much last night, it sometimes happens when I fast. One would think I would sleep more, I must look it up actually. I may not be the only one to experience this, it feels like I don't need as much sleep.

Today I am on the infusions, well, just one to be honest: I drank an infusion of baobab root all day, along with water. I feel a little strange, physically. I'm not sure if I am coming down with something or if it is simply due to the lack of shut eye.

09.09.2021: Day Five

A third of the way in. I feel a little off still, I don't know what's going on. It's difficult to explain exactly, but I know it is not related to the fasting. I don't feel hungry, I haven't felt hungry since I started to be honest. Today I drank another baobab infusion, a green tea and meadowsweet infusion and a nettle infusion.

My body has started to ache a little, out of nowhere. I didn't sleep well last night again, so it could have something to do with that. I have to wait and see.

10.09.2021: Day Six

Ok, I'm not well. The body aches turned into next level joint pain by the time it got to nighttime. I've had the flu before, but this was something else. I had lower back pain – something I never have – and chills. In short, it's not looking good.

I think I will end this fast short, even though I think fasting is also very good when I am sick. However, I intended to do 3 days of dry fasting starting tomorrow, but I want to stay hydrated right now.

11.09.2021:

I ended my fast today, even though I feel somewhat better. I slept really good last night, I had 9 hours of sleep! (I clearly needed to rest). I don't have any physical pain, aside of a massive headache. I am going to get tested for Covid-19 this afternoon, we'll see.

I ate some delicious coconut yogurt to break my fast first, then I had some blackberries, grapes & figs – all of which I picked myself from the trees around the neighbourhood – mixed with almond milk, chia seeds, hemp seeds, maca powder & flaxseed.

I do have Covid-19, and I guess it is a good thing; my body can now build its natural immunity. I have to stay isolated until the 19th of September.

12.09.2021:

I felt very good today, I still have a remnant of yesterday's headache going on. I drank a thyme and nettle infusion today, because my head is like fog and thyme is really good for head colds. I am doing net potting every day, it helps tremendously with the headache. Aside all this, I am in good spirits. I don't feel overly tired, but I'm definitely not 100%. I did some yin yoga this morning, which was a welcome release for my muscles and joints. I spent the afternoon catching up with friends all over the world, it was super nice.

12.09.2021:

I can't seem to shake that headache, my head was pounding this morning when I woke up. I did a net pot, some breathing exercises and meditation, I felt a lot better afterwards. Nevertheless, it is really annoying. I never get headaches, and I'm very grateful for it because it is extremely unpleasant. I think that I am going to do a three day fast Thursday, Friday and Saturday to help me shake off the rest of this disease. For now, I am eating really yummy food and drinking loads of fluid.

13.09.2021:

My dear friend, headache, was still by my side this morning. I found some relief after neti pot and pranayama, but it lingered until lunchtime. I'll be happy when I am completely free from that, headaches are very draining. I practised a Rocket I sequence in the afternoon, my muscles were a little sore, but it did me a lot of good. I think the hardest part about this experience is the self-isolation. I would love to go for a walk and take some fresh air.

14.09.2021:

Today was the first day I felt my energy levels to be up since I got sick. I still had a headache when I woke up, but it quickly disappeared again, after neti pot, pranayama and meditation. I think it is probably quite obvious, but I will mention it anyhow: I have not taken any over the counter medication to get through this. I haven't taken those in donkey's years, because I believe in looking after myself daily, and using what nature graciously gives us to heal myself. It is working for me, very well. I truly believe that everything that I do on a daily basis (breathing, meditating, laughing, moving, spending lots of time in nature, eating nutritious dense food, listening and reading materials which nourish my spirit and so on) contribute to reducing my recovery time if and when I do get sick. More than anything, it is a mindset; I never feared getting this disease, which means there is no stress factor attached to it, and that makes it automatically much less harmful than what we are lead to believe.

Everybody is different, and I cannot pretend to know how every individual is going to react to it. What I do know, and what I can share, is my personal experience. I hope that it balances out all the fear that has been fed to us for the most part of two years, with very little mention of all the healthy steps which can be taken to strengthen our immune system and reduce our stress levels. I'm one story among many, maybe my story will inspire one person among many.

15.09.2021:

I finally woke up without a headache today, what a relief. It feels good to be rid of the last symptoms, and my energy levels have returned to what they usually are. I did some sun salutes today and an hour workout this afternoon. Even though I feel ok physically, I have been overwhelmed with sadness in the past few days. I am fed up with the situation in France, and in the world in general. I am fed up of being stuck in this country, I'm fed up of having to look after my mum. I generally feel very unmotivated to do anything, uninspired, and feeling hopeless. A part of me wants (and does) to believe that we can overcome and improve the current situation. Yet, every day I found myself reevaluating that belief, faced with a reality which points to the contrary. Sometimes I think that it would be easier if I ignored my intuition and personal convictions, and went along with the distractions of social medias and the superficial comforts which seemingly make this whole situation more bearable. I just can't ignore the discomfort I feel inside; and maybe it is a case of being stuck somewhere I really despise, in a situation which offers very limited opportunities to experience something different. I feel stagnant.

16.09.2021:

I woke up thirsty; I was going to do a three fast, but my body was craving fluids all day. I drank shit load and ate salads all day, it was so good. Lettuce with tomatoes, spring onions and avocados drenched in olive oil and apple cider vinegar is so damn delicious and refreshing.

17.09.2021:

I dry fasted today, Friday is my fast day. It's funny because I dry fasted and cried my eyes out the majority of they day. The crying had nothing with feeling sick, I am 100% recovered from covid. What I am having a hard time recovering from is the state of the world right now. What the fuck is going on? What are we doing to ourselves? What have we been doing?

Where I am (in France), I technically have a "pass" now because I got covid and recovered. I thought this would bring some lightness to a situation that is getting scarier by the second, it hasn't. I found zero joy in having this piece of paper, I don't even want to use it because I don't want want it, I don't believe in it. A false sense of security, a return to enjoying the things which should not come with arbitrary conditions and discrimination, feeling "happy" because I am finally "allowed" to go to a restaurant while the world still fucking falls apart. This is so fucking depressing.

18.09.2021:

I was supposed to share the Rocket with my friends Annemarie and Mic this morning, but I was a mess so I had to postpone the practice for next Saturday. They are in Melbourne, Australia, where the situation is just as bad, if not worse than here. Australia and France are following similar paths, implementing rules which just create divide among people and a very hostile environment to live in. I can't shake off the sadness and despair.

19.09.2021:

The social security sent me a text message to thank me for respecting the guidelines (self-isolating for 10 days) and keeping my fellow human beings safe... Well then, isn't that nice of them. I too appreciate this impersonal self-generated message from a company I could not care less about. How about you lose my fucking number.

This is what would have been the last day of my 15 days fast, it is not what I expected it to be, that's for sure. I'm going to give it another go now. Tuesday is the full moon and Wednesday is the Autumn solstice so I think I will start Tuesday again.

#fasting #disease #naturalremedies #dailyselfcare #improverecoverytime #boostimmunesystem #lowerstresslevels