For more than 10 years, it has been somewhat of a tradition for me to engage in a week-long juice fast during the month of January. A few years back, I began extending the fast to 10 days or more. The Church we are attending sets aside 21 days in January for prayer and fasting, so two years ago I decided to extend my yearly fasting time to a full 21 days. I followed a “modified” or partial fast for a portion of the 21 days and a juice fast (drinking only water, freshly extracted juices and non-caffeinated herbal teas) for part of the time. I have wanted to do a 30 day juice fast for many years, but up to now the timing has not seemed right for doing one for that long. A few months ago, I felt impressed that January 2011 would be the year to undertake a 30 day juice fast. A month or so later, I mentioned it to Jim to see his response and he was fine with it. Jim is not into fasting himself, but I always like to check with him before I start a fast because it does change the dynamics of our lives a little. So for the last couple of months, I have been planning to set aside 30 days in January for fasting. At this point I plan to start my fast on January 3rd and end it on February 1st. For me, times of fasting have a multifaceted focus: spiritual; emotional; and physical. I truly find that these aspects of our overall being are fully connected and are woven together in such a way that they cannot be separated. It is impossible to influence one area without impacting them all. I find that fasting provides benefits to virtually every area of my life, sometimes in some pretty dramatic ways. For the thirty days I plan to not eat any solid food. I will drink freshly extracted juices, lemon water, and non-caffeinated herbal teas, sweetened with whole-leaf, green stevia. I plan to take Barley Max and Spiralina during the cleanse. For the first few days and the last few days, I will likely do some colon cleansing by taking some herbal Fiber Cleanse. I may add some capsicum (cayenne pepper), fresh garlic, and ginger to my water/juices and drink my herb teas and lemon water hot, to help “warm” my system, since I am choosing to fast during one of the coldest months of the year. I will also want to engage in regular physical activity to help keep my metabolism/energy flowing to minimize the cold weather impact on my system during this time. I have begun praying about the overall focus of the fast and feel that the Lord has already shown me some personal areas for me to concentrate on. I will set aside extra time for prayer, bible reading and spending personal time with God as well as added time for resting, relaxation and renewal. I am beginning to feel excitement and anticipation about what I will learn and what will be accomplished in my life during this time.
The last couple of years I have offered a unique email list during the month of January. This year I will again be hosting a special email list on the subject of Fasting, Cleansing & Detox. Participants are invited to join in on any part of the cleanse/fast, at any level desired. In the emails, I will highlight different types of cleansing routines. Juice fasting is not right for everyone, and there are different approaches that can be very beneficial that are worth considering. You will be free to implement what is comfortable for you. And you certainly don’t have to follow your cleansing routine for the full 30 days, unless you feel led to do so. If you sign up for the list, the emails you will receive will provide some basic information on:
While fasting benefits our whole being, the main focus of the information provided in the emails will be on the physical aspects of cleansing and detoxifying the body. I’ll be posting more about the Fasting, Cleansing & Detox Email List and the reasons you might want to consider participating soon, so keep an eye on this blog for more information!
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| January 2011: 30 Day Juice Fast and Special Email List Announcement |
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Written by Ginny Rawls