Pre-Digestion Era
When a baby is in the womb, its digestive system is not fully utilized. Breathing and feeding are done through the umbilical cord which is connected to the mother’s body. At this time, before birth, the energy flows differently through the baby’s body; it is merged with the mother’s energy.
When we eat less, for example spending a day with no food intake, we become babies again, giving our body the chance to rest. In this state, the blood is getting cleansed. Circulating the blood without it being filled with nutrients is a natural detoxifying process. Therefore, eating less is one of the best alternatives for accelerating self-healing.
Digestion
Digestion is the highest energy consumer in the human body. When we eat without interruption, we continue to direct our energy towards digestion. Many people find fasting an impossible task to even think about. Skipping one meal tends to be against cultural and family habits. In many cultures, food is a ‘big thing’. Eating has become more of a lifestyle than a physical need. Habits of over-nourishment have become a part of many individuals’ lives.
We extract different types of energy from various sources including food, air, sunlight and the surrounding environment, transforming it into life energy, Ki. When we eat more than we need to, instead of transforming the food into life energy, we use up our existing energy to digest the excess of food. This defeats the purpose of eating in the first place, as it causes an imbalance in our Ki systems.
Balancing digestion means understanding how much and what type of food is really needed to create the energy needed for our day-to-day life, without turning the digestion into an energetic burden.
Never Feel Thirsty!
Being thirsty means the brain has acknowledged a signal that the body has already reached a state of dehydration. To be dehydrated frequently becomes a risk for getting sick. When we understand that being thirsty means we are already dehydrated, it becomes clear that we should form a habit of drinking water-based liquids as a habit, before feeling thirsty.
I made a promise to myself to always avoid feeling thirsty. Body dryness, especially in the brain, means depriving your being from the water element, which further unbalances the entire body system. The water element is crucial in ensuring proper energy flow.
Distilled water is the purest water you can have
There are many types of water available in the supermarket. Whatever mineral and chemical elements were present in the water, when it first reaches the liver, are segregated by the anatomizing processes in the liver and either passed into the blood stream or stored away as reserve material. Natural water that comes from springs, rivers, wells, lakes and from the faucet, is replete with mineral elements which it has collected from being in contact with the earth, soil and rocks.
All the unnecessary minerals eventually end up in the kidneys and other filtration organs (liver, gallbladder). When we are drinking distilled water for a period of time (from 1 week to 3 months) we are cleaning the body organs that have accumulated unused minerals. As a matter of fact, try drinking nothing but distilled water for 3 weeks. Have a urine analysis before you start and see if you will not be astonished at the mineral sediments in the urine after a mere three weeks!!! There is no substitute for the experience.
The accumulation of minerals in the body, from drinking natural waters, and the elimination of rejected minerals as a result of drinking distilled water is conclusive evidence to the use and value of distilled water for drinking and for food preparation.
There is neither water or any other liquid which can “leach” minerals out of the cells and tissues of the body, once such minerals, as organic elements, have become an integral part of the body. It is only inorganic minerals rejected by the cells and tissues of the body which, if not evacuated, can cause arterial obstructions and even more serious damage. These are the minerals which must be removed and which distilled water is able to collect. I recommend investing in a water distiller. While there are a few options online, this is a device which can be used for many years. Order it and start living a healthy life!
The 70% Rule Applied to Food
The 70% law of moderation has its roots in the practice of internal martial arts, predominantly within the art of Tai Chi. It is believed that exercising certain forms of physical routines, whilst following the rule of moderation, inspires the body to be relaxed and balanced at all times. The progress is registered within a different range of measurement. Applying the same technique to eating habits ensures that the energy created by the food consumed is abundant and reused in other body processes. Eating at 120% capacity, like many do, will consume more Ki for additional digestive needs.
For example, if you have ordered a pizza that contains eight slices, eat only six slices and wait for a little while, after which you will feel that you are not hungry anymore. This method becomes easier to do when a slower pace of eating is applied (the same concept as used in Tai Chi). Eating faster equals eating more. Not allowing enough time for digestion to occur will maintain the illusion of remaining to be hungry, and therefore create the misplaced desire of wanting to consume more food. By eating slowly, eating less becomes possible. By eating less, being more energetic becomes a reality. By being more energetic, more health abundance will be created.
Fasting without Dehydration
Being hungry is ok. Being thirsty is a signal of being already dehydrated. This can be detrimental to your body which is up to 80% made of water. More and more people are practicing intermittent fasting which has gained popularity through video blogs of regular people like you and me who have tried out and experienced the benefits of water fasting.
I have been practicing water fasting for over 13 years now and I can say from personal experience that it is the best method for enhancing self-healing capabilities. It is predominantly a mental training of willpower but the benefits are huge when it comes to mastering energy efficiency.
Start easy! Reduce the amount of food you usually eat and skip as many meals as possible. Notice your body’s response to this and your subsequent energy levels.
The Pro’s of Fasting
Observe the behavior of cats and dogs. As soon as they realize they are ill, they know that they need to enhance their self-healing capabilities. As a consequence, they immediately stop eating or drinking water. They shut off their digestion system. They listen to their body intuition. Moreover, cats and dogs will eat grass when they have issues with their stomach because they know it is the right medicine for them.
When I was a child, I was given all sorts of advice by the adults in the family. One example I remember was this classic phrase (which I am sure many of you have heard at least once): “if you want to have more energy you must eat more!”.
I was always skeptical on this matter, and when I started practicing fasting, I realized this common belief was completely wrong. If you want to have more energy, you have to eat less and eat the right food for your body.
Another example is seen with predators. Snakes, for example, will swallow their prey and then either sleep or not move for days until the food has been digested. Tigers and lions do the same. After a big meal they have to rest for a few days to digest the food.
How are we different from animals? There is no difference at all. After we eat a super big meal, we need rest to digest properly.
How a Daoist Master is Fasting
Grand Master Huang Xin is not only an amazing martial artist (a Chen Tai Chi master) but also a practicing Daoist and one of the humblest human beings I’ve met in my life. I am proud to be part of his family as an official disciple. When I first met him, I was not new to fasting, but I was also not fasting daily. After seeing his high levels of energy throughout the day, his stamina and the fact that he only needs four hours of sleep per night to rejuvenate, I decided to also follow the Daoist way of fasting.
For ten years, between 2010 and 2020, he was only eating once a day, in the evening. During the day, he would only drink tea and water.
At the end of 2020, he decided to increase the duration of the fast to two days. He now eats one meal every second day, in the evening. Now in his sixties, the master is extremely strong and healthy, an inspiration for me and all people who know him well. When I asked him if he lost any weight, he told me he only lost 2 or 3 kilos and then he stabilized his overall weight to the same as before.
Intermittent vs Long-Term Fasting
Intermittent fasting will maintain high vital energy levels throughout the day. It is a way of life which keeps us healthy every day, with a strong immune system.
Long-term fasting (from 3 up to 7 days) is a practice incorporated in the Ki Train cultivation exercises as an extraordinary self-healing method. When we stop eating for several days (without ever getting dehydrated), we give our physical body the chance to regenerate within its deepest levels.
Our physical body is usually bombarded with nutrients, not knowing what to do with them (most of the time). Even though I am sure very few people would agree with me, I must say that, in general, human beings today suffer from over-nutrition.
Fating for several days not only enables a full body detox, but is also a powerful mental detox. If one has the willpower to live without food for 3 to 7 days, the self-healing effect becomes a visible miracle.