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Fasting is important in many religions and cultures, however is very prevalent in Hinduism. In Hinduism, it is believed that by fasting, you become closer to the Absolute by building a stronger bond between your body and spirit. When you deny your body physical nourishment, you open up channels to your spirituality. With everyday stresses, it is easy to get involved in worldly concerns, yet learning to restrain yourself from eating will help strengthen your ability to focus on what is important.

Another advantage to fasting in Hinduism is the belief that by learning to fast, you also learn how to face other obstacles in your life. To teach self-discipline, Hindus often fast to train their bodies and minds that all things can be achieved. Hindus believe that when our body's are full, our minds go to sleep. To train our minds to reach high levels of concentration and enlightenment, we must deny our body's worldly gratifications.

Hindu's fasting can range from fasting on certain days of the month or week to please certain Gods, fasting during certain festivals, or abstaining from certain foods for religious or health reasons.

Another reason Hindus fast is for medicinal purposes. The Ayurvedic Viewpoint is that a lot of diseases stem from toxic materials in the digestive system. By fasting, your digestive organs are given rest and toxic substances are eliminated from your body. Based on Ayurvedic principal, our bodies, like the earth are 80% water and 20% solids. Ayurvedic's believe that the moon affects fluids in our body causing explosive emotions and tensions. Fasting lowers our acidity, which keeps our bodies more in tune with the lunar pull.

Sometimes, fasting in Hinduism is a non-violent form of protest. To tackle the injustices of the world, Hindus will fast for a cause. Fasting also has the benefit of making people stop and think about people that are less fortune that they are. As a reminder of all the people who stare and suffer everyday because of poverty, fasting is a way to give food or money that Hindus are not using for that meal to those with greater needs than themselves.

Source:
http://hindu ism.about.com/library/weekly/a a041600a.htm

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