Upavasa
Upavasa is an exercise of restraining all activities. The word upavasa is widely applied for therapeutic fasting. However, practicing upavasa includes many other abstaining measures. Upavasa is one of the spiritual therapies and a type of langhana (that which produces lightness of the body) therapy[Cha.Sa. SutraSthana 22/18].Upavasa is a religious and spiritual practice in many countries of South East Asia region. Greek physician Hippocrates has said “Continuous intake of food without the elimination of waste materials from the body is deleterious to one’s health and fasting is the best natural remedy.”.Indian sages practiced upavasa to gain more spiritual powers. ‘Ekadashi (Eleventh day after full moon and new moon)’ Upavasa,Shivaratri Upavasa,ChatpujaUpavasa etc. are traditionally followed as religious practices.There are different type of upavasathat may be compared with calorie restriction. It includes lowering 30-40 percent of usual calorie consumption, while maintaining all the necessary nutrients and vitamins to support life.This article describes the concepts and practices of upavasa in detail.
| Section/Chapter/topic | Concepts& Practices /Upavasa |
|---|---|
| Authors |
Bhojani M. K. 1, AcharyaRashmi Rekha 1 Deepankar Rahul1 |
| Reviewer | Basisht G.2, |
| Editor | Deole Y.S.3 |
| Affiliations |
1 Department of Sharir Kriya, All India Institute of Ayurveda, New Delhi, India 2Rheumatologist, Orlando, Florida, U.S.A. 3Department ofKayachikitsa, G.J.Patel Institute of Ayurvedic Studies and Research, New Vallabh Vidyanagar, Gujarat, India |
| Correspondence emails |
meera.samhita@aiia.gov.in, carakasamhita@gmail.com |
| Publisher | Charak Samhita Research, Training and Development Centre, I.T.R.A., Jamnagar, India |
| Date of publication: | November 29, 2022 |
| DOI | In process |