During February I’ll be conducting an experiment. I am going to fast for the entire month. Not a juice fast or a 15-hour per day fast, but a water fast. Crazy you say? Read on.
Water Fasting
According to wikipedia:
Fasting is primarily the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food, drink, or both, for a period of time. A fast may be total or partial concerning that from which one fasts, and may be prolonged or intermittent as to the period of fasting.
In Takuin’s case, it is an abstention from any and all food. Apart from water and tea.
I will eat no solid food, nor any calorie containing beverages for 28 days.
WHY?
I have thought about doing this for some time, but never really made any preparations before now. I have performed intermittent fasting in the past, and have always been fascinated with the effects it has upon the mind. And that is the real reason: to follow the effects it may or may not have on the mind.
This is not for religious reasons, health, detox, or weight loss (although I am sure there will be a period of detox and weight loss). Honestly, I am just curious to find out what will happen. I want to sit alone, and find out what happens.
Writing the Experience
I will be posting here nearly every day as I go along, and I will be 100% honest about what is happening. Whatever may or may not arise, you’ll read about it.
I won’t say I’ll post every day, but if anything of significance – or apparent significance – arises, I’ll post it.
More or Less Clarity
I won’t say I am expecting an increased state of any kind. And if you have read my writings, you’ll know I am not trying to get a specific result. But I will sit for a few hours each day and write about whatever may happen to come.
If nothing is there, nothing is there. But I have to find out.
The Physical Results
Although I am not doing this for weight-loss or detoxification, I will be taking notes on any physical changes that may occur. (Some of these changes, I am sure, will be gross – or at least, unpleasant. But I’ll try not to gross anybody out!)
I am sure there will be a great change in the body, along with a “re-set” of how this organism craves food. Actually, I am very curious to see how many re-sets will occur.
Supplementation
I am aware of certain vitamin and mineral deficiencies that may occur during an extended water fast, so I will be supplementing a few times here and there. Japan has a wide selection of electrolyte supplements along with vitamins and minerals, so I feel no impending doom over this experiment.
I understand that some of you may feel any supplementation will “kill” the effectiveness of a fast, but I do not see it in the same way. I have been working on this for the last three weeks and feel that I have found a very small selection of supplements that are subtle and innocuous.
One is a very fine vitamin C powder, and the other is a mineral and electrolyte tablet about the size of a baby aspirin. I won’t be taking these very day, but most likely once or twice per week.
I am really not very concerned with becoming deficient in vitamins and minerals. Supplementing once or twice per week should take care of that.
Support
Having supportive friends and family is important for most of us, especially when going through an experiment of this kind. Interestingly, most of my friends and acquaintances are honestly curious to find out what is going to arise. So am I.
But Akiko has been the most helpful. During this fast she has decided to mostly eat foods that I absolutely HATE. She reasons it will keep me from being hungry. It may end up being incredibly helpful. 
Feedback from YOU
I am very interested in hearing of your own experiences with fasting, and what you may have taken from it. Please leave your comments below and let all of us know what sort of things you may have gone through. It will be greatly appreciated.
Also, I have been learning to use skype and may have a few conference type calls during the month of February (I assume one can conference call on skype…I am not quite sure as of this writing). If anyone is interested, leave a comment below or send me a message directly via the Contact Page. And these won’t be “I am a guru and you are not” type calls or any of that nonsense. It is just for Takuin and others in this community to get to know one another.
Apart from e-mail, I am a neanderthal when it comes to online communication. 
It All Begins Tomorrow
The fast begins February 1st. If you, or anyone you know, are interested in the results of water-fasting, stay tuned to the blog over the coming month.
I can’t wait to find out what is going to happen.
8 Comments
So, it begins.
I usually use a little lemon or lime juice in the water, adjusting if it seems too acidic. Some are very into using Alkaline water though. I tend to find a water fast of about 3 or 4 days is enough. For longer fasts, I have usually used fresh fruit or vegetable juices (love the Champion juicer) with a light meal in the evening. This is in line with my Ayervedic dosha or body type.
I look for ward to your shared journey…
I use Skype all the time. It only supports 9 connections in a conference.
On a PC, there is a “Create Conference” link under the tabs, or you can make a connection to one, and use the Add button to add more. You may find the second is better if your system is not zippy. Adding one connection at a time is less system intense than adding 7+ at once.
On a Mac, the interface is a different and usually expects you to add at least 2 to start.
To get more people on a call, you can daisy chain it with hubs. For example, 7 hubs connect to you and each of them connects 8 or 9 others. There’s a couple of issues with that though. The hubs have to have the Skype names to connect. Like Messengers, Skype uses the resources of the people connecting. If any one in the chain has system problems, they can crash the hub. If the hub crashes, those people drop off. Sometimes, it requires a system restart to fix.
Another issue is noise. All the background noise (dishwasher, dog barking,etc) and line noise is shared, so you have to teach people to people to mute when they’re not talking. Otherwise, it can be like a noisy restaurant.
You also don’t want to go more than a couple of layers or the call quality for end listeners sucks.
There’s a few tips that help make it smoother. Hardwired internet. close programs like Outlook that use a lot of resources. use hubs that are well maintained to avoid crashes. etc. Newer computers tend to have far fewer issues with this.
I was a hub in a conference call series for awhile, until someone donated a conference telephone exchange. I’d often be reconnecting dropped calls, etc. Fussy but it’s all free.
Recently, I’ve done several video conferences. Skype supports 2 way video calls but this is more system intensive and conferencing is not supported with video. Just 2 way.
Live from Japan… It’s Takuin! (applause)
Thanks Davidya.
I am sure I’ll throw in a bit of squeezed lemon in water from time to time…have to fend off the scurvy, you know.
Akiko and I use the MAGIC BULLET for a mixer, haha. I am not sure if it was very popular in your area.
I’ll take care to do whatever is right for this body. I am certainly not going to jump into a terrible situation, though. One needs a delicate mind in order to hear what the body says. One will hopefully be quiet enough to listen.
Davidya,
I copy and pasted your skype comment for later use. It may prove to be more helpful than their own user manual, haha. Thanks a lot.
I have done a few skype meetings, but have rarely used video. It does work on my system, however. I am very interested in hearing from more than one person during a call.
It is all very exciting to me.
Hi, This is siri here ,, i m on a water fast since 9 days.. but had to eat today as was forced by a friend in a party.. does that mean i have broken my fast,, i wanted to complete 28 days on water fast ,, since i have ate now does that mean i have to start all over again from day one
Siri,
Well, you have broken your fast, but it is certainly not a failure by any means.
Many people will say, if you break the fast as you have done, then the whole thing is destroyed or otherwise broken. But that is nonsense. This is time you will use to learn about Siri; about how you come against the physical world and in what way you might travel.
If you want to complete 28 days, then get right back into it and finish what remains. You do not have to start from the beginning. In fact, it is probably best if you do not go back to the beginning.
I am not sure why you want to fast, whether for health, religion, or whatever reasons. But regardless of your reason, you should probably spend this fasting time to investigate Siri deeply; to find out how Siri functions, to follow the movements of Siri’s mind. You can learn volumes on the movement of the self during any crisis, even if it is a ‘crisis’ you have undergone on purpose, such as a fast.
Please do not despair…you’re doing quite well to make 9 days so far. I am sure you’ll do fine with what remains.
Also, be sure to keep adequately hydrated during your fast. Even the slightest hint of dehydration can easily be misinterpreted as hunger, and that will just make things more difficult for you.
Above all else, listen to the body, and pay attention to its cues. If you honestly feel the need to end the fast early, by all means end the fast…
…you can always try again at another time.
Thats a great feedback to hear. Thanks a lot Takuin…. I feel I m out of the guilt of eating , I ate only one time N again i have resumed fast. Well about the reason, I started fasting after reading few articles about how fasting has a positive effect on mind.I wanted to increase my concentration & clarity of mind. Until now i am convinced with the results, I m completely focused while meditating & my mind has stopped drifting here & there. And ofcourse I m feeling light & vibrant.
But I couldnt get as what you meant by “you should probably spend this fasting time to investigate Siri deeply; to find out how Siri functions, to follow the movements of Siri’s mind’.
I suppose you were talking about the spiritual or self helpful effects the fasting can have on mind. In that case I would love to hear more about it.
Thank you
Siri,
Yes, that is it. We have all heard of the beneficial effects of fasting. But what others tell us about fasting is not as important as our moment by moment exploration during the fast.
Don’t get me wrong, though. What everyone says about fasting may be quite true. But I think you will learn more from this experience if you can discard what you’ve been told, at least long enough to explore on your own.
For example, let’s say someone tells you, “On Day X, you will be irritable and tired.” This may turn out to be true; on that day, you might be irritable and tired. But don’t just leave it at that. Explore the irritability; explore the tiredness. See how Siri comes up against it.
If you sit with this and see how you move with it or against it, you will see how you move in all ways, and in all things. Just try to be aware of what is happening, as it is happening.
Thank you, Siri.