Six days of fasting

After completing nearly six weeks of Hildur Jónsdóttir's advanced course, a three-month purification program, the time had come to start a fast.

On her website, Hildur discusses the rationale behind fasting, emphasizing that the main objective is to allow the body to eliminate toxins and promote healing. Hildur suggests fasting once or twice annually, whether it's a juice fast with two days of water in between, similar to what we were practising, or opting for a water fast once a year.

I want to emphasize that I wouldn't have considered fasting this way without guidance. Hildur, who has extensive experience in fasting, provided us with detailed instructions before we began fasting. She conducted daily meetings where we could discuss any symptoms we were experiencing and then guided us on how to properly break the fast, which is equally crucial, if not more so, than the fasting process itself. I chronicle my daily fasting experience in this article, but I want to stress that these descriptions are not intended for independent use without proper supervision.

Day 1: Juice fast

Per my routine, I consumed a glass of lemon water and ingested some digestive enzymes in the morning. Initially, the plan was to have five juices on the first day. However, Hildur mentioned during our lunch meeting that drinking all the juices was unnecessary if we weren't hungry. Consequently, I only had three juices and nearly three litres of water throughout the day. The day progressed smoothly, and I felt equally great as I would on any regular day.

Day 2: Water fast

I was still not feeling hungry, which Hildur said was a signal from my body that a fast was needed. She recommended starting a water fast that day. I followed her advice and felt well throughout the day, though I had to be cautious about potential dizziness.

In the evening, I felt mild nausea and indigestion in the area that had been bothering me the most, which were signs that a cleanse was taking place. I drank almost three litres of water during the day, had a pinch of salt in one glass, and drank the second part of pure peppermint tea with a bit of cold-pressed organic honey.

Day 3: Water fast

Throughout the day, I felt okay but lacked energy. I only experienced hunger briefly, which quickly subsided. As the afternoon approached, I grew frustrated with the fasting period and eagerly awaited its end. Due to my low energy levels and dizziness upon standing up, I had to relax and spend my time watching TV shows.

On Saturday, I slept in and drank slightly less water. While meditating at eleven in the evening, I had to interrupt the session because I felt nauseous and experienced stomach cramps, which are familiar symptoms to me during times of high stress. Typically, these episodes are followed by vomiting, but fortunately, that did not occur this time. Nonetheless, I felt extremely sensitive and could sense discomfort in my digestion.

Day 4: Water fast

In the morning and throughout the day, I usually feel my best. However, later in the day, I began experiencing slight discomfort, mild nausea and aches on the right side of my body, as well as in my shoulders, where I often experience muscle inflammation. This day helped me identify the main issues affecting my body. Subsequently, I started feeling very cold and noticed a sweaty odour despite applying deodorant, indicating that my body was likely trying to detoxify itself through various means.

Day 5: Juice fast

To begin my day, I prepared a juice diluted with water and sipped on it in the morning. I tried staying hydrated by drinking at least two litres of water during the course of the day. Later in the afternoon, I prepared another juice and sipped it, and I had a third one during dinner.

After feeling fine for the remainder of the day, I experienced some indigestion and decided to take digestive enzymes to aid my digestion. By 6 p.m., I began feeling uncomfortable. I realised that although I had completed the cleanse phase of water fasting, I was still juice-fasting and continuing to experience the fast symptoms.

Day 6: Juice fast

It's the final day of the fast, and I praise the heavens. Drinking these juices has become tedious over time, not just because of the consumption but also because of the effort required to prepare them. The day was pleasant; although I continued to battle vertigo, I felt generally well and experienced minimal discomfort until bedtime.

During fasting, I observed that certain sensitive areas in my body became more prominent, leading to different discomforts that disrupted my sleep. Eventually, unable to endure it any longer, I opted to take a pain reliever in the middle of the night, which enabled me to fall asleep and rest until morning.

Breaking the fast

Hildur recommends allowing half a day for recovery for each full day of fasting when breaking the fast, so it would take three days to recover from six days of fasting.

Hildur cautioned that breaking the fast requires even more tremendous willpower than fasting. People are often tempted to immediately consume a substantial meal, which can be risky as the digestive system needs time to adjust before resuming normal function. Failing to prepare the body for food can render the fast ineffective, leaving individuals in a worse state than before due to significant imbalances in the body.

About the fast

The fast was challenging, but not as much as it would have if I hadn't been prepared for it. I started a four-week introductory course in April, during which I gradually eliminated dairy products, gluten, added sugar, caffeine, alcohol, meat, and more from my diet. Then, I continued with the advanced course. In addition, one preparation day was taken so that the body was ready for the fast, during which only pureed vegetables (juices and soups) could be eaten.

I'm uncertain if I will undergo another ten-day fast in the future. Still, an alternative suggestion is to incorporate a weekly juice day, as Hildur advised, to sustain the cleansing process. Hildur also suggests fasting for 12 hours daily to provide my digestion with rest, a practice I am already following by refraining from eating post-dinner, thus avoiding unnecessary evening snacking.

By the time the fourth day arrived, I was looking forward to returning to my specialized diet, which I have been adhering to lately, even though I had felt like I was missing out on many things before the fast. This ordeal will make me value food and possessions more rather than constantly wanting more. Overall, it was a worthwhile experiment that provided valuable insights, and I am optimistic that I will see a positive transformation.